Was Buddha atheist? Was he against Sanatan?

 

Was Buddha atheist?

Was he against Sanatan?

 

Let's begin by addressing the first question: Was Buddha an atheist? To clarify, let's first define what atheism means in both modern and Vedic terms. In contemporary language, atheism refers to a lack of belief in God. However, according to Vedic Shastras, an atheist is someone who doesn't follow the teachings of the Vedas. In this sense, Buddha can be considered an atheist because he did not believe in any God. However, from the Vedic perspective, Buddha was not an atheist because he respected and preached the words of the Vedas. Let's explore this in more detail.

So now the second question comes, was Buddha against the Sanatan? And I also told that he followed the words of Vedas. Then how did he follow? So let me tell you that.

 

If you think Hinduism and Buddhism as different, it essentially means that you have not understood either of them. Buddhism evolved out of an already existing framework of Indian spirituality which the outsiders refer to as Hinduism. All the concepts of Karma, Nirvana, Dharma, Sangha, Tantra, Asanga, Siddhi, Chitta, Ahamkara, Buddhi and many more were already there before Gautama came along. He just gave a different interpretation of many of these concepts.

The Tevijjā sutta, which talks about the trayī-vidyā or the three knowledges (trayī-vidyā refers to the three vedas) which the Buddha claimed to know better than the Brahmins, as well as the way to brahmaloka or Nirvana. Buddha had understood Vedanta  during his period most than anyone else. So his philosophy seemed atheistic to Hindu priests So they called him atheist which he was not because atheist is one who discards teaching of Vedas but Buddha preached Vedas only.

 

 

 

Now let us take a look at Buddha’s teachings:-

1.         Life involves suffering, duhkha.

2.         Suffering is caused by desire and grasping.

3.         There is a way out of suffering.

4.         The way is the “Noble Eightfold Path.”

 

Now lets see what Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita

BG 8.15: “Having attained Me, the great souls are no more subject to rebirth in this world, which is transient and full of misery, because they have attained the highest perfection.”

 

Here Lord Sri Krishna clearly mentions world is full of misery and sufferings.

Also Upanishads are based on this concept only that world is full of sufferings.

 

Also Krishna  says that the cause of suffering is desire and Upanishads are also based on the concept that desires are the cause of your sufferings and you have to become desireless.

 

  So we come to know that there is no difference between Sanatan and Buddhism. The main aim is same. They both are teaching the very same thing.

 

So Buddha was talking about Vedas only but by a different method. Buddha was against rituals or karma kanda of Vedas and  animal sacrifices. But his teachings match with teachings of Vedanta and Upanishads which are most essential part of Vedas.

 

Buddhists chant Aum,the sacred syllable and Sanskrit mantras.

Dalai Lama says that Hinduism is mother of Buddhism and also he worshipped Shiv Lingam, the representation of Nirakara(formless)form of Supreme.

 

Buddha also believed in concepts of Rebirth,karma and soul.

Buddha’s first teacher as per pali cannon scriptures was Alara Kalana ,specialist of Samkhya philosophy which is a philosophy of Sanatan.

 

Buddha preached Ahimsa, Meditation, Yoga,detachment and reunication. Krishna also teaches these.

 Some scholars say that Buddha preached there was no atman. But this is not true. In ‘The ātman and its negation-A conceptual and chronological analysis of early Buddhist thought’, by Alexander Wynne, it is mentioned that:

 

‘Early Upaniṣadic speculation on the ātman was well known in early Buddhist circles, and determines the form and content of some important early Buddhist teachings’.

So ultimately we can conclude that there is no difference between Sanatan and Buddhism. Both are paths to achieve Nirvana just methods are different.

I hope you found this blog enlightening. Please feel free to suggest topics for our future blogs.

 

Thank you.