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RE: The Early Schools of Indian Buddhism Series

in #mindfulness6 years ago

Buddhism arose in protest against the power and corruption of Brahmanism and a creator God or one rules beings like Brahmaa. Buddha said he found an old path that had been lost long ago, a Buddha finds what has been lost and shares it with others who can hear. Buddhism, as a new philosophical way of life, emerges as a counter-movement against ethical and metaphysical doctrines of Brahmanism. Buddhism being a naastika completely rejects the authority of the Vedas and disproving the Brahmaa as the lord of all creatures. This epistemologically entails denouncing the practice of sacrifice as nonsensical and immoral in terms of ethics. According to the Buddha, the Brahmanical claim that the Vedas, created by Brahmaa for protection of the moral law,[1] are Sruti, [2] divine revelations and the final authority each in every thing is untenable. The Buddha has indirectly rejected this claim arguing that if no teachers of the Vedic tradition have had vision of Brahmaa, the so-called creator of the Vedas and this universe, the talk of Brahmaa is a blind talk, just as when a string of blind men clinging to one another, neither can the foremost see, nor can the middle see, nor can the hindmost see.[3] In the Caanki Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaaya [4] the Buddha again refutes the authority of the Vedas, the ancient scriptural statements (poraa.nam mantapadam) as true while others are false, saying that because no braahma.nas so far have attained personally direct knowledge of the truth of their statement, such a claim on authority of the Vedas as truth is just a groundless faith with no substance whatsoever (ghoso yeva kho eso lokasmii), or a blind tradition (andhave.nu).[5] The Buddha goes further rejecting the claim declaring that this falsity is not merely based on faith (payiruupaasanti) but also based on the other four grounds, viz., inclination, report, consideration of reasons and reflection on and approval of an opinion.

For those who can't hear the teachings of a Buddha, that's okay, "Be Happy!"