Re.Shiva-Buddhism
Hawker
SHIVA-BUDDHISM
Shiva-Buddhism arose when some Brahmins, who had formally worshipped Shiva,
converted to Buddhism, but continued to practice lingapuja, which consists
of anointing a cylindrical rod (bana) with a rounded top called a lingam
with ghee, or pouring substances over it such as water, milk, gemstones, and
so on. The lingam rests upon a disc (avudaiyar) that rests upon a pedestal
(pitha). The main difference between Shiva-Buddhism and Buddhism is that
Shiva-Buddhists firmly believe in God, whereas Buddhists do not. Bhagavan
Buddha taught anatmaka or non-self, which Buddhists interpretate as meaning
that the Bhagavan was an atheist and that Buddhism is a philosophy of
atheism, but this assessment ignores the Bhagavan's non-verbal
communications. The Bhagavan refused to either affirm or deny the existence
of a Deity, but appeared on several occasions as Maha Purusha, which to the
majority of Indians is tantamount to revealing yourself as an incarnation of
God. In the absence of an outright denial of the existence of a Deity, it is
reasonable to assume that by appearing as Maha Purusha the Bhagavan affirmed
the existence of God. The sight of the Bhagavan as Maha Purusha is something
that was perceived by others, which is an affirmation of the existence a
Deity. Indian religions derive their primary religious experiences from
meditation (samadhi). When you meditate it suppresses the mental and
emotional flaws (avaranas) that prevent you from contacting gods (devas) and
angels (devadutas). The Sanskrit word for meditative contact with
supernatural beings is shruta, which is attained by means of meditative
knowledge (shrutajnana) during the temporary suppression of the relevant
flaws (shrutajnana avarana).
It can be appreciated that the Indian experience of God, based as it is
upon meditation, is completely different from that of the Abrahamic faiths,
which are firmly based upon divine revelation. The Bhagavan's percept of
anatamaka or non-self has to be judged according to the meditative tradition
from which it arose. The Bhagavan asserted that Nirvana is inconceivable
(achintya) which means that whatever can be conceived by the mind is not
Nirvana; hence anatamaka or non-self is 'neti neti', not this, not this,
which was Yajnavalkya reply in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad to the question
'what is Self?'. It is mentioned in the Chandokya Upanishad that Uadalaka,
with regard to Self, said to Shvetakatu, his son, 'tat tvam asi', which
means that art thou. If you can grasp the meanings of these two phrases,
'neti neti' and 'tat tvam asi', you have complete insight into all Indian
religions
Becoming a Shiva-Buddhist, as opposed to practicing any other kind of
Buddhism, is suitable for persons who are attracted to India by sentiment,
including those members of the Indian Diaspora who have, through the neglect
of their parents, lost contact with their cultural heritage. Hindu opinion
is divided upon the subject of conversion to Hinduism, which was formerly a
proselytizing faith that spread eastwards as far as Laos, and southwards as
far as Java and Sumatra, but missionary activity had to stop when Hindus in
India became the subjects of the Mogul Empire. This was achieved by
insisting that converts to Hinduism must undergo the thread giving ceremony
(upanaya samskara) that was normally given only to high caste Hindu boys.
The convert is presented with a thread made from munja grass and is placed
under the care of a Guru who acts like a godfather. The Guru bestows the
Gayatri mantra, and ensures that the feet of the three mothers will always
be worshipped, namely, the mother who brought forth your physical body
(dehamata), Lokamata or the Mother of the universe, and Gayatri mata, the
Mother who grants liberation (moksha). The reason why, according to those
who deny that conversion to Hinduism is possible, you cannot convert to
Hinduism is because the Brahmin who conducts the ceremony must know your
caste and be satisfied that you had a Hindu father. If you have neither one
nor the other then you cannot become a Hindu, for example Yesudas, the
famous singer and composer of hymns to Ayyappa, who is Ganapati's brother,
could not enter the Guruvayor Mandir to worship Ayyappa because his father
was a Christian, so Ayyappa, like his father was achut, the very presence of
whom pollutes. In other words for the vaster majority of humanity conversion
to Hinduism is impossible, but there is a compromise. According to the Meru
Tantra you can only become a Hindu if you take refuge in Bhagavan Buddha as
Vishnu, which is to say you must become Buddha orientated.
"Vipras following the left hand path, Kundaks, degraded from their
caste, having no Vedic samskaras, those becoming mlechchas by mistake, the
Golaks, the Kayasthas, etc., can all obtain salvation by taking refuge in
Vishnu in the Buddha avatara."
Becoming a Hindu by taking refuge in Bhagavan Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu
is only one-step away from becoming a Shiva-Buddhist, which like Hinduism
emphasises puja or worship and Yoga.
"The path leading to worldly wealth is surely one thing, and the path
leading to Nirvana is another; knowing this the Bhikshu who follows Buddha
should not take joy in worldly gains, but should (instead) grow in
detachment (viveka): anna hi labhupanisa anna nibbanagamini, evam etam
abhinnaya bhikkhu Buddhassa savako vivekam anubruhaye." Dhammapada, Bala
Vagga 16
Viveka means separation or detachment. There are three vivekas, these are
kaya viveka or detachment from the body, chitta vivkeka or detachment from
the mind, and upadhi viveka or detachment from all karmic residues. Each
viveka must be attained in succession beginning with kaya viveka. Hindus
know viveka as untying the three knots or granthas, namely, Brahma grantha,
Vishnu grantha, and Shiva grantha. You begin with detachment from the body
by untying your Brahma grantha.
"Upon recognising that the body is like foam, and knowing it to be like
a mirage, you should break in half Kama's flame tipped arrows, and pass
beyond the King of Death's sight: phenupamam kayamimam viditva,
maricidhammam abhisanbudhano chetvana marassa papupphakani, adassanam
maccurajassa gacche." Dhammapada, Puppha Vagga 3
The private lives of Buddhists in all of the Buddhist lands that were
formerly Hindu, including Ceylon that was settled by Hindus who converted to
Buddhism during the reign of king Ashoka, is not unlike that of most Hindus.
By tradition in these Buddhist lands Buddha Marga is learnt in adolescence,
is practiced part time in married life by a short meditation session after
morning and evening puja, and is practiced full time after the age of sixty,
when both wife and husband observe celibacy. All who practice in this way,
whether Hindu or Buddhist should at the very least untie the knot of Brahma.
The public lives of these Buddhists are similar to those of Hindus in that
samskars or rites of passage, and melas or festivals, are observed, but
different in that caste is either greatly relaxed as in Ceylon, or not
observed at all. This is because Bhagavan Buddha introduced a different form
of ancestor worship than that observed by Hindus, thus taking the axe to the
Hindu tree, because if you no longer need a son to vouchsafe your passage to
paradise after death you do not need a caste.
Bill Pfeifer
Never heard of Shiva-Buddhism before.
I am a Buddhist and I am "attracted to India by sentiment,"
as the article puts it.
Any pointers to more information on this subject?