Hinduism in Nepal
Daly de Gagne
Namaste:
I am interested in learning more about the similarities and differences in
Hindu belief and practice in Nepal as compared with India.
Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only officially Hindu
nation, yet enjoys what seems to me to be a rich and fruitful
co-habitation with Buddhism. Does that explain some of the unique aspects
of Hindu practice in Nepal?
Thank you.
Daly
sa...@ix.netcom.com
Another way to look at Buddhism & Hinduism would be to say that All
hindus are partially buddhists but not all buddhists are hindus. As far
as I understand history, Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautam - the
Buddha; and as far as I understand Hinduism, Buddha was one of the ten
reincarnations of Lord Vishnu, the "sustainer" among the three main gods
in Hinduism; the other two being the "creator" and the "destroyer".
For hindus, Buddha being another form of Vishnu, means that hindus
revere Buddha too. Whereas for buddhists, Vishnu might not mean anything
(unless of course they were influenced by the society such as in Nepal).
That's my two cents on Hinduism & Buddhism
-San
____________________________________
Remove "nospam" from my email address to reply to me.
Ajit Shrestha
Hinduism treats Buddhism as a part of its own which is why the Hindu's have
no problems with the Buddhists.
Daly de Gagne <amb...@mbnet.mb.ca> wrote in article
<ambika-0812...@ts3m-16.mbnet.mb.ca>...
Dig Tamang
Main cause is Ahimshabadi(nonvo) Buddhists are living in Nepal.
"
--
netscape-newsrc-map-file
newsrc-news.erols.com C:\NETSCAPE\NEWS\NEWSRC FALSE
newsrc-news.erols.com c:\netscape\news\X0P70BFI.rcg TRUE
ngawang sherpa
Ajit Shrestha (shre...@ee.fit.edu) wrote:
: Hinduism treats Buddhism as a part of its own which is why the Hindu's have
: no problems with the Buddhists.
I wish it was as simple as that. As a Buddhist, I don't have any problem
Hindus claiming that Buddhism is a part of Hindusim. Neither would I have
any problem if Christians or Muslims make the same claim as long as they
substantiate such claims. Personally, I don't see much of a similarity
between Buddhism and Hinduism. It is true that Buddhism sprout out of
Hinduism. However, it did not come out as a complimentary. It did not
even come out as a reform. It came out as a set of reactionary principles
put forward against the contemporary system of beliefs dominated by
Hinduism. Therefore, it does not make much of a sense to claim the
entity of Buddhism as being bound within the boundary of Hinduism.
However, what is important in the context of Nepal is not the
similarities or the differences between these two religions. What is
important here is the perfect co-existence in complete harmony of these
two religions. This takes us to the question put forward by Mr. Daly
Gagne.
The answer is two-fold. First, we are extremely fortunate to have the
kind of people who inhabit Nepal. Although there is not much of a
difference between Hinduism in India and Hinduism in Nepal, the people
are different. The Hindus in Nepal are a lot more tolerant. Perhaps
"tolerant" does not fully justify the kind of attitude put forward by the
Hindus in Nepal. Elements of inter-religious concern and respect are just
as apparent.
The second reason in the tolerance on the side of the Buddhists. Please
do recognize the amount of bias that goes on various levels. How could
Nepal be quoting an official figure of " less than 10% Buddhists" in the
whole nation when Buddhist Tamangs alone occupy 11% of the population?
However, that is not the issue here. The issue here is that there is no
religious confrontation, and the current bias has fortunately not
materialized into persecution or oppression.
Therefore, this amazing co-existence is a product of the high level of
tolerance exhibited by both the Buddhists and the Hindus in Nepal,
irrespective of the differences in the religions. This view is not
reflective of the small percentage of Buddhists in Kathmandu who are
massively influenced by Hinduism.
--
NG.Karsang Sherpa
University of Pennsylvania,
GSFA, Department of Architecture
207 Meyerson Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104--6311
Daly de Gagne
Namaste.
In article <6814ba$j...@mtinsc03.worldnet.att.net>, "Ajit Shrestha"
<shre...@ee.fit.edu> wrote:
> Hinduism treats Buddhism as a part of its own which is why the Hindu's have
> no problems with the Buddhists.
>
> Daly de Gagne <amb...@mbnet.mb.ca> wrote in article
> <ambika-0812...@ts3m-16.mbnet.mb.ca>...
> > Namaste:
> >
> > I am interested in learning more about the similarities and differences
> in
> > Hindu belief and practice in Nepal as compared with India.
> >
> > Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only officially Hindu
> > nation, yet enjoys what seems to me to be a rich and fruitful
> > co-habitation with Buddhism. Does that explain some of the unique aspects
> > of Hindu practice in Nepal?
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > Daly
That sense of connection with the two traditions reminds me of what the
Dalai Lama said a few years ago at the World Parliament of Relgions, about
Buddhism being part of Hinduism. I thought that was a very gracious
statement on his part, given that the two traditions have existed as
separate ways for so long.
Yet, there are great similarities between the two traditions.
Again, I wonder, given the unique side-by-side nature of Hindusim and
Buddhism in Nepal, how the two have influenced each other in terms of
belief and practice.
It seems to me that in some places there may be a two-way influencing of
traditions -- Hindus continue to influence Buddhist practice, and
Buddhists influence Hindu practice. That's my feeling anyway, and I may be
wrong.
What do you think?
Daly
Daniel
Daly de Gagne wrote:
>
> Namaste.
> >>>.......
> > >
> > > Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only officially Hindu
> > > nation, yet enjoys what seems to me to be a rich and fruitful
>
> That sense of connection with the two traditions reminds me of what the
> Dalai Lama said a few years ago at the World Parliament of Relgions, about
>
> Again, I wonder, given the unique side-by-side nature of Hindusim and
> Buddhism in Nepal, how the two have influenced each other in terms of
> belief and practice.
>
> It seems to me that in some places there may be a two-way influencing of
> traditions -- Hindus continue to influence Buddhist practice, and
> Buddhists influence Hindu practice. That's my feeling anyway, and I may be
> wrong.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Daly
It is indeed wonderful to see two religious groups Hindus and the Buddhist at harmony in Nepal such spectacle
is rare in this world. The co-existence or co-habitation of two religious groups, as I see it, may not lie on
the merit of its origin or the similarity in beliefs. I don't know how H.H. the Dalai Lama would suggest that
the Buddhism is a part of Hinduism when what I have learned that Buddha did not correspond to the teachings of
the Hinduism at all. There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha on his quest to find answers did associate with
Hindus ascetics or gurus, but he did not attained the enlightenment through them. In fact, he denounced the
Hindu logic of superiority, the cast system, and waged campaign against the animal sacrifice, which is based on
Vedas, one the Holy book the Hindus and host of other believes and taught compassion for all being.
And just to make one thing clear Nepal does not have the distinction of being the only Hindu County in the
world. Prove me if I am wrong: Nepal never was, never is, and never will be the Hindu country. It is a ploy of
the Hindus to maintain hegemony over Non-Hindus. If we are to understand the history in totality, we should
also consider campaign to clamp down the Buddhism along the group dynamics, because it was a threat.
<< daniel >>
Pundalik Prabhu
On Mon, Jan 5, 1998 Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
On Sun, 28 Dec 1997, Daly de Gagne wrote:
> Namaste.
>
> In article <6814ba$j...@mtinsc03.worldnet.att.net>, "Ajit Shrestha"
> <shre...@ee.fit.edu> wrote:
>
> > Hinduism treats Buddhism as a part of its own which is why the Hindu's have
> > no problems with the Buddhists.
> >
> > Daly de Gagne <amb...@mbnet.mb.ca> wrote in article
> > > Daly
>
> That sense of connection with the two traditions reminds me of what the
> Dalai Lama said a few years ago at the World Parliament of Relgions, about
> Buddhism being part of Hinduism. I thought that was a very gracious
> statement on his part, given that the two traditions have existed as
> separate ways for so long.
>
> Yet, there are great similarities between the two traditions.
>
> It seems to me that in some places there may be a two-way influencing of
> traditions -- Hindus continue to influence Buddhist practice, and
-> Buddhists influence Hindu practice. That's my feeling anyway, and I may be
> wrong.
>
Buddhism imparted many of its powerful reforming influences on Hinduism
than vice versa.
>...........
> Daly
>
Hello:
IN order to understand why Buddhism was born, coexisted and flourished
next to Hinduism in India, Nepal or elsewhere, one has to take a look at
the history of these faiths.Let me briefly summarize by very liberally
quoting from writings of well known scholars and historians as follows:
BUDDHISM, The RELIGION, founded by Gautama Siddhartha who was born in
India in the sixth century BC He was raised as a Hindu and his philosophy
of Buddhism retained many of the prevailing thoughts of Hinduism of the
period. "Buddhism did not start as a new and independent religion. It was
an offshoot of the more ancient faith of Hindus, perhaps a schism. While
the Buddha agreed with this faith he inherited its fundamentals of
metaphysics and ethics, he protested against certain practices which were
in vogue at the time. It has been referred to sometimes as the great
aberration within the Indian tradition in a sense because Buddhism did nor
depart entirely from the prevailing Indian systems.
Departure from Hindu teachings:
BUDDHA repudiated the Brahmanical claims that the Vedas were the sole
and infallible source of religious truths. He also rejected correct
performance of rituals as means of salvation, and he disapproved of
Upanisadic emphasis on intellectual means to attain emancipation. He
also protested against the inequities of the caste system, especially the
high pretensions of the Brahmin class, and welcomed among his followers
from not only the four castes but also among the outcasts. In all his
sermons he preached the middle way, rejecting the austerities on the one
hand and the gratification of the senses on the other. For Gautama,
salvation is to be attained by following a rigorous code of PERSONAL
BHAVIOUR, with the greatest emphasis on personal conduct and individual
ethics. It was because of these deviations from the traditional Indian
pattern, Buddhism was refereed as the great aberration within the great
Indian tradition..
Overlapping of Hindu & Buddhist philosophies:
IN spite of these differences, however, Siddhartha, was still a child of
his age andcould notcompletely divesthimself entirely of the intellectual
and religious 'baggage ' of his times. In his system he still followed
the Indian 'doctrine of deeds and rebirth, ' ( Karma, Samsara-' hindu')
that a sentient ( Hindu Avataras(H)) being was to suffer repeated rebirth
in the endless cycle of life as a consequence of deeds that he had
performed.He also adhered tothe prevailing viewthat the goal of religious
life was to release (Moksha (H)) from this endless cycle of rebirths;
likewise he believed that this religious life could best be lived by
cutting off ties of with family and society. (Sanyasi (H)) In the light
of these similarities there are some who would object to branding Buddhism
as an aberration, and who would argue that Gautama Siddhartha still,
belonged to the great Indian tradition.
EVEN though Lord Buddha, refused to acquisce in the Vedic ceremonialism.
when he was asked to perform some of the rites He said: ..
" ... And for saying that for the sake of Dharma, I should carry out the
sacrificial ceremonies which are customary in my family and which bring
the desired fruit, I do not approve sacrifices for I do not care for
happiness which is sought at the price of others sufferings... "
.... from Buddhacaritta, XI, 64.
".. He also said, " I have seen the ancient way, the old road that was
taken by the former awakened beings and that is the path I follow"....
.... from Samyutta Nikaya, II, 106
The Buddha's main object was to bring about a reformation in the religious
practices of his times and return to the basic principles......."
" Theoratically Buddhism was a formidable rival to Hinduism, but in ritual
worship and in practice to win adherents it had compromised with
the Brahmanical religion to such an extent it could have been
regarded as a sect of the latter.... "
Decline of Buddhism
THEREFORE,the there was no confrontational attitude between Hinduism and
Buddhism. This great Faith left a powerful impact on its parent faith ie.
Hinduism which is an inclusive faith of diverse philosophies and view
points. Therfore Hinduism simply began to absorb the unique ideas of
Buddhism. So by the 6th century AD, with the new revival of Hinduism in
India, Buddhism simply declined and the religion was gradually being
submerged under the overwhelming force of Hinduism in India. In a way the
process was hastened by Buddhists themselves. During the previous centuries,
Mahayana Buddhism incorporated many of Hinduism's deities into its pantheon
in an attempt to gain adherents among the populace. This accommodation
with Hinduism resulted in many Hindus looking upon Buddhism as just another
sect of Hinduism, and Buddha was regarded as just another of the numerous
incarnations of Hindu God Vishnu, the protector and sustainer of the world.
HOWEVER TERRIBLE fate was to befall Buddhism later. With the invasions of
Muslims in the 11th century, the final blows were administrated to this
great religion. The Muslims initially invaded and overran north-west
India in 1001, and on this occasion systematically destroyed the Buddhist
temples, libraries and manuscripts, and iconography and put to sword
thosands of monks in that area. In 1193, they captured Magadha, the
heartland of Buddhism and with the destruction of Buddhist institutions
in that area, Buddhism as a religious and intellectual force disappeared
in India.
THE LIVING proof of such a an interaction and affinity between Hinduism
and Buddhism turned out to be such that Buddha is revered even to day as
one of the ten great Avataras (Incarnation) of Hinduism.
S. Radhakrishnan says," Buddhism has left a permanent mark on the culture
of India. Its influence is visible on all sides. The Hindu faith has
confrontational attitudes between Buddhism Hinduism which itself has been
an inclusive faith of diverse philosophies and view points.
THAT is why,today informed Hindus or Buddhists in India and elsewhere
consider that Gautama Buddha is the greatest son of India. Dalai Lama
simply echoed those feelings.
Pundalik Prabhu
January 1998.
References:
Indian Philosophy Vol I, - S.Radhakrishnan
A History of India - Prof.Romila Thapar Vol 1; 1968
Buddhism (The light of Asia) - Prof. Kenneth K.S.Ch'en, Princeton University
Ancient Indian History & Civilization - Prof. Sailendra Nath Sen
Daly de Gagne
Namaste.
In article
<Pine.SV4.3.91.980106...@winnie.freenet.mb.ca>, Pundalik
Prabhu <fsq...@freenet.mb.ca> wrote:
about the rise of Buddhism from Hinduism, and subsequent developments in
Buddhism.
Your response was eloquent and most informative. I find it is a helpful
historical overview, and I thank you for the trouble you took in posting
it. It does answer the question of how Hinduism and Buddhism co-exist as
they do in Nepal.
As a Hindu, I find I can agree with many of Buddha's concerns about Hindu
doctrine and practice.
Also, as a Hindu, I find much value as I work with people who are sick and
dying, or who are mentally ill, in the concepts of compassion, healing and
suffering which have been integral to Buddhist thought since Buddha's
time.
Thank you again for your response. I do appreciate it.
Daly
Pundalik Prabhu
On Thu 8 Jan 1998, Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
On Tue, 6 Jan 1998, Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 5, 1998 Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Dec 1997, Daly de Gagne wrote:
.................. Lots of text snipped ..........................
> S. Radhakrishnan says," Buddhism has left a permanent mark on the culture
> of India. Its influence is visible on all sides. The Hindu faith has
> confrontational attitudes between Buddhism
I have made a horrible typo because of my two finger typing and thinking at
the same time. Therefore I blundered in the above para. giving an
exactly opposite meaning.
I actually wanted to say that The Hindu faith has NO confrontational
attitude towards Buddhism.
Same affinity exists between other great religion that is Jainism too.
All these three ancient faiths reside side by side. If any one were to visit
great caves of Ajanta & Ellora in the state of Maharastra, one could see
Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves and sulptures, situated within walking
distances, and existance of extraordinary overlapping of ideas and spirit of
these faiths.
Pundalik Prabhu
Daly de Gagne
Namaste.
In article
<Pine.SV4.3.91.980108...@winnie.freenet.mb.ca>, Pundalik
Prabhu <fsq...@freenet.mb.ca> wrote:
> On Thu 8 Jan 1998, Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Jan 1998, Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
>
> > On Mon, Jan 5, 1998 Pundalik Prabhu wrote:
> > On Sun, 28 Dec 1997, Daly de Gagne wrote:
>
> .................. Lots of text snipped ..........................
> > S. Radhakrishnan says," Buddhism has left a permanent mark on the culture
> > of India. Its influence is visible on all sides. The Hindu faith has
> > confrontational attitudes between Buddhism
>
> I have made a horrible typo because of my two finger typing and thinking at
> the same time. Therefore I blundered in the above para. giving an
> exactly opposite meaning.
>
> I actually wanted to say that The Hindu faith has NO confrontational
> attitude towards Buddhism.
When I read it, I was sure there was a typo! Thanks for clarifying, though.
I find it strangely reassuring realizing I am not the only one who makes
typos in places where it can give an opposite meaning! (grin)
Again, thanks for your comments yesterday. I really appreciated them.
By the way, how is it in Winipeg? I am writing this from Chicago, and am
headed to Dallas for two weeks. Best wishes,
Daly
By the way, if this appears more than once on the news group, it is
because MBNET is acting up again -- time for another on-ramp to the net, I
think.