Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Brahmanical redaction of the sutra’s

JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran

I came across mention of this in a few places, that there are traces of the Brahmans in the time of the Buddha meddling with the content of the sutra’s. There seem to be typical patterns of Brahman religious speech in there, which can be compared to what’s in the Vedas. Does anyone know more about this?

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    This might be of interest ...
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-sectarian_Buddhism

    As a sectarian (I created my own sect and banned everyone especially me from practicing it) I am not too concerned with 'authenticity'

    'It's turned out nice again'
    Roshi George Form be

  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    I imagine this kind of thing is what Buddha was warning against in the Kalama sutta.

    People go to all kinds of weirdo measures to gain popularity and control.

    Shoshin
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited June 2019

    @Kerome said:
    I came across mention of this in a few places, that there are traces of the Brahmans in the time of the Buddha meddling with the content of the sutra’s. There seem to be typical patterns of Brahman religious speech in there, which can be compared to what’s in the Vedas. Does anyone know more about this?

    I've heard the claim. For example, a lot of people have accused Buddhaghosa of being a brahmin who corrupted the Buddha's teachings and incorporated things into the commentarial literature from outside of it. The same with later generations of bhikkhus and the suttas. I don't know if I buy that, however.

    The Buddha taught in the later Vedic Period, and his teachings were considered heterodox because, unlike brahminism, they rejected the authority of the Vedas, the self (atman) of the early Upanishads, and the four main social classes (varna). The Buddha was obviously familiar with the brahmanic traditions of his time, however, as references to Vedic and Upanishadic passages abound, with the Buddha redefining many of the key philosophical terms and concepts of his contemporaries, giving them his own meaning and context. This is clearly documented with a variety of words such as brahmin and kamma . Additionally, in many of the suttas, traditional brahmins were put in their place, so I personally don't think that they meddled with the content of the suttas so much as the similarities are due to the Buddha's familiarity with them.

    It's possible that changes evolved over time, but I don't think it was a deliberate effort on the part of brahmins.

    Jeroen
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @Jason said:

    @Kerome said:
    I came across mention of this in a few places, that there are traces of the Brahmans in the time of the Buddha meddling with the content of the sutra’s. There seem to be typical patterns of Brahman religious speech in there, which can be compared to what’s in the Vedas. Does anyone know more about this?

    I've heard the claim.
    ...
    It's possible that changes evolved over time, but I don't think it was a deliberate effort on the part of brahmins.

    I wanted to give your post both an ‘Insightful’ and an ‘Awesome’ but unfortunately the site won’t let me B)

    Bunks
Sign In or Register to comment.