Hinduism - 10

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10. Buddhist Influence

 

We now come to the greatest contribution made by the Buddha to Indian

thought and world culture. Dr. Radhakrishnan, in his edition of

Dhammapada (which embodies Buddhist teachings), has stated that, judged

by intellectual integrity, moral earnestness and spiritual insight, the

Buddha is undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in history. The same

scholar pointed out that, although there were different streams of

thought operating on men's minds in the 6th century B.C. philosophic

thought was agreed at that time on certain fundamentals. Life does not

begin at birth or end at death; it is a link in an infinite series of

lives, each of which is conditioned and determined by acts done in

previous existences. Relief from the round of births, resulting in life

in eternity is the goal, indicated by such terms as Moksha (deliverance)

and Nirvana (union with the Brahman). The means of attainment are prayer

and worship; ritual and sacrifice; and Vidya (realization by knowledge).

 

Even though the Buddha accepted the doctrines of Karma and rebirth and

the non-reality of the empirical universe, he declined to speculate on

Moksha and on the doctrine of the Atman and Paramatma. He laid stress on

the supremacy of the ethical aspect, and his outlook was definitely

practical and empirical. In fact, the Buddha did not tolerate any

doctrines which, he thought, diverted the mind from the central problem

of suffering, the cause of suffering and its removal, and the urgency of

the moral task.

 

He rejected the doctrine of the Vedanta that the ego is permanent and

unchanging. At the same time, he did not countenance the view that, at

death, it is destroyed. As Dr. Radhakrishnan says, the Buddha came to

the conclusion that interest in the super- natural diverts attention and

energy from the ethical values and the exploration of actual conditions:

Karma builds the world and Dharma is an organic part of all existence.

 

 

The Bhagavad-Gita

 

Every variety of Hindu philosophy has its source in the Upanishads, the

Brahma Sutras of Badarayana of Vyasa and the Bhagavad-Gita which forms a

part of the Mahabharata. It was as a reaction to the tendencies

exhibited by Buddhism and Jainism that the orthodox schools of Indian

philosophy had their origin and the Bhagavad-Gita is their epitome.

 

This work contains the essence of Indian teaching about the duties of

life as well as spiritual obligations. Everyone has his allotted duties

of various kinds. Sin arises not from the nature of the work itself but

from the disposition with which the work is performed. When it is

performed without attachment to the result, it cannot tarnish the soul

and impede its quest. True Yoga consists in the acquisition of

experience and the passage through life in harmony with the ultimate

laws of equanimity, non-attachment to the fruits of action, and faith in

the pervasiveness of the Supreme Spirit. Absorption in that Spirit can

be attained along several paths; and no path is to be preferred

exclusively and none to be disdained. These doctrines have been

interpreted as marking a Protestant movement which lays stress on the

personality of God and His accessibility to devotion. While following

the Hindu ideal of the Asramas, the Gita emphasizes the importance of

knowledge, charity, penance and worship, and does not decry life as

evil:

 

'Nor indeed can embodied beings completely relinquish action; verily, he

who relinquishes the fruit of action, he is said to be a true

surrenderer.'