Buddhist thought versus Brahmanical thought

Dissertation, 2021

This dissertation investigates the relation of early Buddhism to the Brahmanism of its time. Both religions are usually researched by their own academic traditions, and due to the lack of bigpicture crossover research we still find the opposing views that Buddhism was anti-Brahmanical and, in contrast, that it developed as a reformed Brahmanism. In order to provide more clarity to the religions’ connection this study offers an analysis and discussion of several main topics as they are presented in the Buddhist suttas: the portrayal of different types of Brahmins, rituals, deities and supernatural beings, and the concepts of brahman and ātman. Throughout this study we also attempt to stratify the Buddhist content linguistically and contextually and to arrive at statements whether a specific content related to Brahmanism belongs to an early or a later Buddhist sutta period. In the end we conclude that early Buddhism had a very differentiated relationship to Brahmanism: The Buddha’s relationship to Brahmins is mostly portrayed as benevolent and respectful. Only later suttas display an attitude of polemic criticism. Early Buddhist concepts of deities and supernatural beings are strongly influenced by Vedic Brahmanism, and likewise the concept of spiritual studentship (brahmacariya). Further, the early suttas are not anti-ritualistic but deem Brahmin rituals to be ineffective. Instead of condemning all rituals, they replace the Vedic gods with the Buddha and declare that devotion and religious giving to the Buddha and his monastics are the most efficient ways for lay people to secure a good afterlife. The Buddhist anattā (not-self) turns out to be a general strategy and not specifically directed at Brahmin concepts of ātman (self). Additionally, statistical analyses of the suttas show that Brahmins were less likely to receive the teaching of anattā. We come to the conclusion that early Buddhism as a whole has developed independently from Brahmanism, with selective influences from Brahmanism and non-Vedic spiritual movements, altering and utilizing these influences for its own growth against its religious competition.

The Literary Herald: An International Journal of English Literature

This research article explores the approach of the Western philosophical tradition to understanding the nature of the self and existence and contrasts it with the Advaita Vedānta philosophy. While Vedāntic views are not identical, they reveal the limitations of rationality in knowing the nature of the self. To analyse literature from a Vedāntic perspective, it is essential to explore the literary text's underlying assumptions and evaluate its representation of the self and human existence based on concepts of Vedāntic philosophy. The article then traces the evolution of metaphysical and epistemological problems concerning the self and reality in Western thought from Plato to Jacques Derrida. Additionally, it investigates the similarities and differences between Western literary criticism and Vedāntic philosophy concerning the status of literature as a discourse of knowledge. The article concludes by emphasising the potential benefits of considering alternative philosophical approaches beyond the Western intellectual tradition.

International Journal of Hindu Studies 25.2, 2021

This is my introduction to the "Special Issue on Vedāntic Theodicies," published in the International Journal of Hindu Studies (Springer). Contributions to the special issue: Michael Williams, “Theodicy in a Deterministic Universe: God and the Problem of Suffering in Vyāsatīrtha’s Tātparyacandrikā” Swami Medhananda, “‘A Great Adventure of the Soul’: Sri Aurobindo’s Vedāntic Theodicy of Spiritual Evolution” Ankur Barua, “The Mystery of God and the Claim of Reason: Comparative Patterns in Hindu-Christian Theodicy”

Hinduism can constitute of a genuine enigma for the western reader, attracting and perplexing them due to its immensity which is only increased by the elusive mythology and variety of gods presented on the pages of their sacred texts, Vedanta. Vedanta literally means Veda’s end and consists of sacred texts written in Sanskrit containing the entire philosophy and knowledge about rituals in Hinduism. It is considered to be the most important out of the six (āstika) sacred teachings of Hindu metaphysics which also include Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya Vaisheshika and Mimamsa. The contemporary western scholarship has long desired to produce proper definitions which might be of some help to clarify this obscurity and increase their knowledge. At the same time, the multiplicity of such definitions show that the western tradition of thought experiences an enormous difficulty when trying to talk about Vedanta.

Loyola Marymount University, 2020

Journal of the International Association of …, 1982

The Issue of the Buddha as Vedagil with Reference to the Formation of the Dhamma and the Dialectic with the Brahmins by Kathekne K. Young Controversy surrounds the question: was the Buddha vedagu according to the Brahmanical understanding of expertise in the three Vedas-Rk, Yajur, and Sarna?' T h e nikayas of the Pali Canon commonly describe the Brahmin as the vedagii, the "knower," or to be specific, the '"expert-goer" of the Vedas.' Further elaboration of expertise in the Vedas is encountered in the standard description of the Brahmins as: