VML-9/19/01

[Guest guest]

The relation between Hinduism (by Hinduism, I mean the religion

of the Vedas) and what is called Buddhism at the present day, is nearly the

same as between Judaism and Christianity. Jesus Christ was a Jew, and

Shakya Muni was a Hindu. The Jews rejected Jesus Christ, nay,

crucified him, and the Hindus have accepted Shakya Muni as God and

worship him. But the real difference that we Hindus want to show

between modern Buddhism and what we should understand as the

teachings of Lord Buddha, lies principally in this: Shakya Muni came

to preach nothing new. He also, like Jesus, came to fulfill and not

to destroy. Only, in the case of Jesus, it was the old people, the

Jews, who did not understand him, while in the case of Buddha, it was

his own followers who did not realize the importance of his

teachings.