Historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha can never be known. It seems that Gautama Buddha\u2019s teachings were memorized by his disciples. After Buddha\u2019s death a council was held at Rajagaha so that the words of Buddha could be recited and agreed upon. There were differences of opinion and conflicting memories in the council. Opinion of Kayshapa and Ananda who were prominent disciples of Buddha were given preference. A hundred years later, a second council at Vesali was held. Only after 400 years, after the death of Buddha were his teachings and doctrines written down. Little attention was paid regarding its authenticity, genuineness and purity.<\/p>\n
A. Pali Literature 1. Vinaya Pitaka: \u2018Rules of Conduct\u2019:<\/strong> A book of discipline and mainly deals with rules of the order. B. Sanskrit Literature 1. Maha vastu: \u2018Sublime Story\u2019:<\/strong> The most famous work in Sanskrit which has been restored from its Chinese translation. It consists of voluminous collection of legendary stories. A. The Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering and misery in life . B. The Noble Eight Fold Path:<\/strong> C. Nirvana: For any person to follow Buddhism he should first have the desire to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. How can we follow the Fourth Noble truth i.e. follow the Eight Fold Path unless we have a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. In short desire can only be removed by having a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. If you do not follow the Eight Fold Path, desire cannot be removed. It is self contradicting as well as self-defeating to say that desire will only be removed by continuously having a desire.<\/p>\n Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. It may be that since India was drowned in idol worship and anthropomorphism that a sudden step to monotheism would have been drastic and hence Buddha may have chosen to remain silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the existence of God. A. Buddha Prophesied The Advent Of A Maitreya<\/strong> \u201cWhat he has realized by his own supernatural knowledge he will publish to this universe. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, glorious at the goal, in the spirit and the\u00a0letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and thoroughly pure; even as I now preach my\u00a0religion and a like life do proclaim. He will keep up the society of monks numbering many thousands, even as now I keep up a society of monks numbering many hundreds\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n 2. Sacred Books of the East volume 35 pg. 225:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201dIt is said that I am not an only Buddha upon whom the leadership and order is dependent. After me another Buddha maitreya of such and such virtues will come. I am now the leader of hundreds, he will be the leader of thousands.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 3. Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 217 and 218 (From Ceylon sources):<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201dAnanda said to the Blessed One, \u2018Who shall teach us when thou art gone?\u2019 And the Blessed one replied, \u2018I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n Ananda said, \u2018How shall we know him?\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n The Blessed one replied, \u2018He will be known as Maitreya\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Maitreya<\/strong><\/p>\n The Sanskrit word \u2018Maitreya\u2019 or its equivalent in Pali \u2018MePeyya\u2019 means loving, compassionate, merciful and benevolent. It also means kindness and friendliness, sympathy, etc. One Arabic word which is equivalent to all these words is \u2018Rahmat\u2019. In Surah Al-Anbiya:<\/p>\n \u201cWe sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures.\u201d [Al-Qur\u2019an 21:107] <\/em><\/p>\n Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called the merciful, which is \u2018Maitri\u2019. The words Mercy and Merciful are mentioned in the Holy Qur\u2019an no less than 409 times.<\/p>\n Every chapter of the Glorious Qur\u2019an, except Chapter 9, i.e. Surah Taubah begins with the beautiful formula, \u2018Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir-Rahim\u2019, which means \u2018In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful\u2019.<\/p>\n The Word Muhammad is also spelt as \u2018Mahamet\u2019 or \u2018Mahomet\u2019 and in various other ways in different languages. The word \u2018Maho\u2019 or \u2018Maha\u2019 in Pali and Sanskrit mean Great and Illustrious and \u2018MePa\u2019 means mercy. Therefore \u2018Mahomet\u2019 means \u2018Great Mercy\u2019.<\/p>\n B. Buddha\u2019s Doctrine Was Esoteric And Exoteric:<\/strong> <\/p>\n C. Devoted Servitors Of The Buddhas:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sacred Books of the East volume 11 pg. 97 Maha-Parinibbana SuIa Chapter 5 verse 36: The Servitor of Buddha was Ananda. Muhammad (pbuh) also had a servitor by the name Anas (r.a.) who was the son of Malik. Anas (r.a\u2026) was presented to the Prophet by his parents. Anas (r.a\u2026) relates: \u201cMy mother said to him, \u2018Oh Messenger of God, here is your little servant\u2019.\u201d Further Anas relates, \u201cI served him from the time I was 8 years old and the Prophet called me his son and his little beloved\u201d. Anas (r.a\u2026) stayed by the Prophet in peace and in war, in safety as well as in danger till the end of his life.<\/p>\n Anas (r.a.), even though he was only 11 years old stayed beside the Prophet during the battle of Uhud where the Prophet\u2019s life was in great danger. Even during the battle of Honain when the Prophet was surrounded by the enemies who were archers, Anas (r.a\u2026) who was only 16 years old stood by the Prophet. Anas (R) can surely be compared with Ananda who stood by Gautam Buddha when the mad elephant approached him<\/p>\n According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 214:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blessed one said, \u2018There are two occasions on which a Tathagata\u2019s appearance becomes clear and exceedingly bright. In the night Ananda, in which a Tathagata aEains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that ultra passing which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain.\u2019 \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n According to Gautam Buddha, the followings are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha.
\n<\/strong>The most important of all Buddhist scriptures is the TRI-PITAKA<\/strong><\/em> which is in Pali text. It is supposed to be the earliest recorded Buddhist literature which was written in the 1st Century B.C. The Pali literature was monopolized by the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. The TRI-PITAKA or Three Baskets of law<\/strong> is composed of 3 books:<\/p>\n
\n2. SuIa Pitaka: \u2018Discourses\u2019:<\/strong> A collection of sermons and discourses of Gautama Buddha and the incidents in his life. It is the most important Pitaka and consists of five divisions known as Nikayas.
\n3. Abhidhamma: \u2018Analysis of Doctrine\u2019:<\/strong> An analytical and logical elaboration of the first two pitakas that is known as Buddhist meta physicals. It contains analysis and exposition of Buddhist doctrine.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Sanskrit literature was preferred by the Mahayana. Sanskrit literature has not been reduced to a collection or in Cannon like the Pali literature. Thus much of the original Sanskrit literature has been lost. Some were translated into other languages like Chinese and are now being re-translated into Sanskrit.<\/p>\n
\n2. Lalitavistara:<\/strong> One of the holiest of the Sanskrit literature. It belongs to the first century C.E., 500 years after the death of Buddha. It contains the miracles which the superstition loving people have attributed to Buddha.<\/p>\nTEACHINGS OF BUDDHA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n<\/strong>The principal teachings of Gautama Buddha is what the Buddhists call the \u2018Four Noble Truths\u2019:<\/p>\n
\n2. The cause of this suffering and misery is desire.
\n3. Suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire.
\n4. Desire can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path.<\/p>\n
\n1. Right Views
\n2. Right Thoughts
\n3. Right Speech
\n4. Right Actions
\n5. Right Livelihood
\n6. Right Efforts
\n7. Right Mindfulness
\n8. Right Meditation<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Nirvana\u2019 literally means \u201cblowing out\u201d or \u201cextinction\u201d. According to Buddhism, this is the ultimate goal of life and can be described in various words. It is a cessation of all sorrows, which can be achieved by removing desire by following the Eight Fold Path<\/strong><\/p>\nPHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM IS SELF \u2013 A CONTRADICTORY<\/strong><\/h4>\n
THE CONCEPT OF GOD IN BUDDHISM<\/h4>\n
\nBuddha was once asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply. When pressed, he said that if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on relieving the pain or studying the prescription of the physician. \u201cIt is not my business or yours to find out whether there is God \u2013 our business is to remove the sufferings of the world\u201d. Buddhism provided Dhamma or the \u2018impersonal law\u2019 in place of God. However this could not satisfy the craving of human beings and the religion of self-help had to be converted into a religion of promise and hope. The Hinayana sect could not hold out any promise of external help to the people. The Mahayana sect taught that Buddha\u2019s watchful and compassionate eyes are on all miserable beings, thus making a God out of Buddha. Many scholars consider the evolution of God within Buddhism as an effect of Hinduism.
\nMany Buddhists adopted the local god and thus the religion of \u2018No-God\u2019 was transformed into the religion of \u2018Many-Gods\u2019 \u2013 big and small, strong and weak and male and female. The \u2018Man-God\u2019 appears on earth in human form and incarnates from time to time. Buddha was against the caste- system prevalent in the Hindu society.<\/p>\nMUHAMMAD (PBUH) IN BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES:<\/h4>\n
\n 1. ChakkavaU Sinhnad SuIanta D. III, 76:<\/strong>
\n\u201dThere will arise in the world a Buddha named Maitreya (the benevolent one) a holy one, a supreme one, an enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe:<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Sacred Books of the East, volume 11, pg. 36 Maha-Parinibbana SuIa chapter 2 verse 32:<\/strong>
\n\u201dI have preached the truth without making any distinction\u00a0between exoteric and esoteric doctrine, for in respect of truths, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps something back\u201d. Muhammad (pbuh) on the commandment of Almighty God delivered the message and doctrine without making any distinction between esoteric and exoteric. The Qur\u2019an was recited in public in the days of the Prophet and is being done so till date. The Prophet had strictly forbidden the Muslims from hiding the doctrine.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThen the Blessed one addressed the brethren, and said, \u2018Whosoever, brethren have been Arahat-Buddhas through the long ages of the past, they were servitors just as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me. And whosoever brethren shall be the Arahat-Buddhas of the future, there shall be servitors as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\nSIX CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFYING BUDDHA<\/h4>\n
\ni) A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night-time.
\nii) On the occasion of his complete enlightenment he looks exceedingly bright
\niii) A Buddha dies a natural death.
\niv) He dies at night-time.
\nv) He looks exceedingly bright before his death.
\nvi) After his death a Buddha ceases to exist on earth.<\/p>\n
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