Hinduism And Buddhism

The Vedas
There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama
Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The
Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism.
They also had a vast influence on Buddhism,
Jainism, and Sikhism. Traditionally the text of
the Vedas was coeval with the universe.
Scholars have determined that the Rig Veda,
the oldest of the four Vedas, was composed
about 1500 B.C., and codified about 600 B.C.
It is unknown when it was finally
committed to writing, but this probably was
at some
point after 300 B.C.
The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and
rituals from ancient India. Along with the
Book of the Dead, the Enuma Elish, the I
Ching, and the Avesta, they are among the
most ancient religious texts still in existence.
Besides their spiritual value, they also give a
unique view of everyday life in India four
thousand years ago. The Vedas are also the
most ancient extensive texts in an Indo-
European language, and as such are
invaluable in the study of comparative
linguistics: https://www.sacred-texts.com/
 Upanishads
The Upanishads are a continuation of the
Vedic philosophy, and were written between
800 and 400 B.C. They elaborate on how the
soul (Atman) can be united with the ultimate
truth (Brahman) through contemplation and
mediation, as well as the doctrine of
Karma-- the cumulative effects of a persons'
actions.
Many are commentaries of the Vedas, like
Tafsir for Muslims
 Puranas
The Puranas are post-Vedic texts which
typically contain a complete narrative of the
history of the Universe from creation to
destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes
and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu
cosmology and geography. There are 17 or 18
canonical Puranas, divided into three
categories, each named after a deity: Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva. There are also many other
works termed Purana, known as
'Upapuranas.'
 The Epics
The Mahabharata and Ramayana are the
national epics of India. They are probably the
longest poems in any language. The
Mahabharata, attributed to the sage Vyasa,
was written down from 540 to 300 B.C. The
Mahabharata tells the legends of the
Bharatas, a Vedic Aryan group. The
Ramayana, attributed to the poet Valmiki,
was written down during the first century
A.D., although it is based on oral traditions
that go back six or seven centuries earlier.
The Ramayana is a moving love story with
moral and spiritual themes that has deep
appeal in India to this day.

In addition, a key Hindu sacred text, the

Bhagavad Gita, is embedded in Book Six of
the Mahabharata.
 Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita, usually considered part
of the sixth book of the Mahabharata (dating
from about 400 or 300 B.C.), is a central text
of Hinduism, a philosphical dialog between
the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna. This
is one of the most popular and accessible of
all Hindu scriptures, required reading for
anyone interested in Hinduism. The Gita
discusses selflessness, duty, devotion, and
meditation, integrating many different
threads of Hindu philosophy.
 Old Pantheon: 33 Deities of the Rig Veda:

This is the first Pantheon, it was

accompanied by an old Solar Calendar which
now is only used in South India. But, the RV
also alludes to a Supreme God Ishwara
through a verb ‘Ish,’ one that is ‘Capable to,’
but Ishwar actually appears in the Yajurveda
and later makes its way into the Upanishads
and other scriptures
 The Daevas are led by Indra: King of the
Gods!
But although his name, which has been
deciphered as "In-da-ra" at Boghaz-Köi in
Asia Minor (Turkey), may belong to the early
Iranian period, the Vedic "King of the gods"
assumed a distinctly Indian character after
localization in the land of the "Five Rivers”
(Indus Valley, our country, where these texts
were written down; he ultimately stepped
from his chariot, drawn by the steeds of the
Aryan horse tamers, and mounted an
elephant; his Heaven, called Swarga, which is
situated on the summit of Mount
Meru/Kailash. Indra is important, the arrow
used by Rama to kill Ravan was given by
Indra, the flying chariot of Krishna was
Indra’s chariot, Durga (who we will meet later
was created by Indra for war, she comes
later).
Indra: Ellora Caves
 According to Vedic myth, Indra achieved his
first great victory immediately after birth.
Vritra, "the encompasser", the Demon of
Drought (Lucifer in old Vedic Hinduism),
was holding captive in his mountain fortress
the cloud-cattle which he had harried in the
approved manner of the Aryan raiders. The
Drought Demon deemed itself invulnerable,
but Indra cast his weapon and soon
discovered the vulnerable parts of its writhing
body. He slew the monster; it lay prone before
him; the torrents burst forth and carried it
away to the sea of eternal darkness. Then
Indra rejoiced and cried out:
I have slain Vritra, O ye hast’ning Maruts;
I have grown mighty through my own great
vigour;
I am the hurler of the bolt of Thunder
For man flow freely now the gleaming waters
 So, there was concept of Satan in Vedic
Hinduism, it does not exist in the modern
form, evil does exist thought, the daevas are
like the equals of Angels in Hinduism, but,
well, theyre not Angels…..just higher beings.
The Vedas were written by sages called
Rishis, who communicated with the Daevas,
Indra is mentioned more than 1000 times in
the Rig Veda, now to Ishwar the Supreme
God
 Ishwar: As we mentioned the first complete
mention of an Abrahamic God-like entity is
found in the Yajurveda, which is the third
Veda, and first one to mention iron. It mostly
describes the rituals and ceremonies
prescribed for good living. It has two
sections, and the 18 verses of the last chapter
(Chapter 40) of the Shukla (white) section are
known as the Ishvasya Upanishad. These
relate to Ishwar or the Supreme God. amongst
the other verses of chapter 40, verse 1
‘Enveloped by the Lord must be This All…,’
verse 4 ‘Motionless, One, swifter than
Mind…,’ and verse 5 ‘It moveth; It is
motionless. It is far distant; It is near.
It is within This All; and it surrounds This All
externally,’ of the White Yajurveda available
online at: http://www.sacred-
texts.com/hin/wyv/wyvbk40.htm.
The commentary on the Ishvasya Upanishad
is called the Taittiriya Upanishad (the
Taittiriya Upanishad describes the Ishvasya
Upanishad by complementing it with Puranic
texts). In it the monotheistic Ishvar says,
‘Non-being, verily, this in the beginning was.
Thence, indeed, was the being born. That
created itself by itself; thence is That the self-
cause called:’ Taittiriya Upanishad (2:7:1).
Earlier in lesson six He says, ‘He desired:
many may I be, may I be born!;
http://www.realization.org/page/namedoc0
/tu/tu_0_0.htm

]
 The 108 Divine Names of Ishwar
The Supreme God Ishwar has 108 divine
names, like those found in the Abrahamic
religions, which are also his attributes.
Eighteenth Adi Parva (sub-chapter) of the
Gita, and they visibly seem to be the original
basis for the standard Hindu rosary of a 108
beads. Amongst the names, he mentioned Par
Atma (Highest Soul) and Bhagvan (Provider)
as the most common, while some names may
not be in everyday use, the names of all the
Hindu avatars are actually included in the 108
divine names, as are Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma
etc. These names, being God’s attributes,
manifest themselves through the ages as
Shiva, Ram, Krishna, etc, in the chosen body
(of the aspiring ascetic). So what seems to
have occurred is that a new Monotheistic God
appears with the later scriptures, and these
names are from the Gita,
There are six things in a person’s life that are
solely in the hands of Ishwar (as stated in the
Bhagvad Gita) respect or indignity, his
financial gains or losses, and the time of birth
and death. Indeed, what happened is that a
new pantheon and a new system seem to have
developed, and this only happens with a new
calendar, we’ll get to this later
 Creation, destruction and the cycles of time
Ishwar creates through his attributes and
sustains creation in four yugs or cycles of
time after which the process begins anew. We
are currently in the Kali yug which started
5,000 years ago with Krishna’s death and will
last for 432,000 years. The previous cycle was
the Dvapar yug, twice as long as the Kali yug
(or 864,000 years), before which was the Tretr
yug which was three times as long as the Kali
yug (or 1,296,000 years). The first cycle was
called the Sat yug, four times as long as the
Kali yug (1,728,000 years). The daevas and the
Vedas are form the Sat Yug. Collectively these
cycles form a Maha yug or long cycle of
4,320,000 years. Likewise there are four stages
of parle or destruction, which are Nitthe
(quarter) parle, Nameth (half) parle, parle,
and Maha (high) parle, this goes on, but we
will leave that no need here
 My Brahmin source actually described the
number 108 as being reached secondarily
(after the divine names), through the
multiplication of the number 9, Holy to
Hinduism, by the number 12, which stands
for the 12 houses of the horoscope; as this is
how the power of Ishwar’s names reach us on
earth, i.e. astrologically. In his view, the
number 108 is holy and pervades all facets of
Hindu society. His statement rings true as
even today there are 108 sub-castes of
Brahmins in the sub-continent, and it is
plausible that in the distant past other Hindu
castes may have had 108 sub-castes each,
carefully structured in this manner to mimic
the numerological Hindu vision of God in
society.
 Shakti: Shakti is mentioned in the Rig Veda
and means power ( See (VII.67.5) in Griffith
Ralph T.H., The Rig Veda (London, 1896) at
http://www.sacred-
texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv07067.htm . It is
conceptually defined as the primordial cosmic
energy responsible for creation; it is also the
agent of all change. Ishwar first created
Shakti, and then through it created everything
else.
 Avatar: During each cycle, whenever the
forces of darkness threaten true
religion, Ishwar manifests himself in
human (or mythological) form and
There are two kinds
takes of
anHindu
avatar. avatars, major
and minor. In Scripture, 10 avatars are listed
as being major and are coherently
identifiable. The Bhagvad Purana states 22
avatars for Vishnu, see Bhagvad Purana book
1, chapter 3, verses 6-25, or (1.3.6-1.3.25),
online at http://vedabase.net/sb/1/3/en (the
Bhagvad Purana is a commentary on the
Bhagvad Gita, which is a part of the
Mahabharata). In later versions, these are 25
avatars in all, 24 having been manifested, and
one yet to come.So, this is a new concept as
Scripture evolved. The primary meaning of
the word avatar is descent, and it is wrongly
translated into English as ‘incarnation’,
giving the Hindu religious milieu a
resemblance to the ‘Incarnation’ of Christian
theology. The Last Avatar was Krishna, in
Buddhism Lord Buddha was the last Avatar;
only Kshtriya/Rajputs can become Avatars…
 The Shakti deities: the devis and their
consorts
While Shakti as divine energy/power is a Rig
Vedic concept, the doctrine of the Shakti
deities in Hinduism is the clear development,
and is perhaps the basis for the
‘formalisation’ of (future) spirit worship in
Hinduism. The first scriptural
transformation of the original Vedic Shakti,
into the roop or faces of the devi, only takes
place in the Gupta dynasty (4-6th century),
through the Devi Mahatmya. This text was
composed by a sage called Markandeya
around 400-500, although the process itself
may have begun much earlier. The Devi
Mahatmya is considered as a Purana.
 The Devi Mahatmya begins with defining
Shakti as ‘devi’ in her prime Vedic form, i.e.
as universal energy. At the point when the
world is threatened by the armies of the
evilest demon, Maheshasura (highest demon),
Indra creates Durga, wins the war and kills
the demons. The Devi Mahatmya is also
known as the Durga Saptashata, emphasising
Durga’s importance in this doctrine. In the
last episode of the text, on another perilous
occasion, Kali is said to be born out of the
‘original Shakti’, and kills the demons that
threaten the world. The portrayal of the
female deities as the roop or faces of the
original Vedic Shakti, clearly recalls the
conscious application of the idea of the avatar
(of Ishwar), to the concept of Shakti
mentioned in the Rig Veda, for the
incorporation of the Shakti deity doctrine
into the Hindu fold.
 A new Hindu calendar: The Hindu calendar,
known as the Vikrami Sambhat, was started
in 56 A.D to mark the victory of a local king of
Ujjan, Vikram, over Saka/Scythian invaders,
and has undergone many corrections over the
centuries. The calendar has two versions. One
is the fixed solar module (used in south
India). The lunar version adds a new month
every three years to make Hindu ceremonies
occur at roughly the same time every year,
and to keep the calendar from ‘slipping’
seasons like other lunar calendars. The fixed
month of Chetir (14 March-13 April) marks
the beginning of the Vikrami solar year but,
interestingly, it also includes the Sun’s
passage into Aries (20 or 21 March), and
coincides with the Persian new year, the new
calender is actually how the new pantheon,
known as the Darbari pantheon is celebrated,
which are the 24 Avatars, and the 9 Devis,
which make: well 33, so its was based on the
old pantheon
 The new calendar was regualrised and
perfected over time and esp. instituted, along
with the new pantheon, as a Hindu revival,
during the Gupta Dynasty (4-6th century); the
Guptas sought to reassert a larger ‘Hindu’
identity by uniting the country religiously
after centuries of Buddhist rule. This is the
Hinduism we know today, hardly anyone sues
the old pantheon except the Brahmins…for
power!
 The worship of idols:
The nature of goddess worship and the
iconography that accompanies it naturally
leads one to inquire if the ‘formalisation’ of
idol worship in Hinduism resulted due to the
incorporation of the Shakti deity doctrine into
the religion during the Gupta era. This is not
to suggest that idol worship did not exist per
se in Hinduism, but that its extent and spread
was indeed much less prior to this period.
Best source is an ancient Zoroastrian text, a
conversation between two followers of
Zarathustra, a book known as Jamaspi
Namak:
Chapter 7. On the People of Hindustan,
China, Arabia, Turkestan, and Barbaristan
 King Vishtasp asked, "In the case of the
people of different customs, of India and
China and Arabia and Turkestan and
Barbaristan, that are known, what kind of life
and virtue shall be had from them? When they
die, where will the souls of those who are
non- victorious (i.e., the sinners) go?"
Reply. -- Jamasp the astrologer said to him,
"The country of India is a great one. It is cold
and hot, wet and dry. It has wood and trees
because there is a great desert. They are
without ambition because their living is upon
rice, upon milk and cattle, which feed upon
seeds. Their manners and customs are much
enlightened. They are of the nature of
Ohrmazd (God, hence do not woship idols).
Of the nature of Ahriman the devil, they
declare that he will die. There are some who
bury (lit. cover) (their dead) under earth.
There are some who throw (their dead) in
water. There are some who burn (their dead)
in fire. Those, who are not of good religion,
go to hell..
So, they didn’t worship idols, and they believe
in heaven and hell, and they bury in the four
elements (this is from the Gita) not just fire as
we know now, remember this report is from
3000 years ago, so obviously before the new
pantheon, from the Vedic era. For those who
want to know about heaven and hell, the
death of the devil and details of Hindu burial,
which is always on a north south axis, please
ask for my report, Aliya will send it to you.
Mukti, the transmigration of souls as opposed
to ‘Reincarnation’
The concept of Mukti or salvation of the soul
is central to Hindu eschatology and rites of
passage, and also ties in with Hindu worship
trends in certain cases. It is a concept that is
usually misconstrued as being connected with
‘reincarnation’ or ‘rebirth.’ Scholars assert
that Mukti is a relatively new concept, which
probably made its way into Hinduism from
later philosophies like Buddhism and
Jainism, and was not part of the Brahmanical
Vedic religion. The ‘usual’ time for Mukti
normally lasts for 8.4 million years, when a
soul is ‘born’ into every conceivable body and
shape in existence, after which it finds its
final salvation. But in Bhakti (Sufi version of
Hinduism) Mukti is not necessarily a
stretched-out process, and that it can be
attained in a single lifetime by a good human
being
 Depending on what you worship in your
lifetime, you go into a realm of existence,
unlike us there, Hinduism acknowledges
seven different categories of earthly or
heavenly inhabitants or log (people). These
are 1) Mansh log or human beings, 2) Dev log
or devas, 3) Datari log or ‘monkey people’ (a
possible reference to Hanuman’s people from
the Ramayan), 4) Jat log or a kind of high
spirit category synonymous with
asuras/demons, 5) Jinn log or genie people,
6) Bhoot log or ghouls and ghosts, and 7)
Vankut log or the ‘pure souls’, who meet with
the Par Atma directly. Of these, the first
three are good, the second three are bad, and
the seventh is the sublime category where
only the souls of saints and sages go. So
Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, but on
which tolerates the worship of secondary
deities, like Zoroastrianism
 Kalki (or Niklank) Avatar
The Hindu belief in a Messiah, or more
specifically the last avatar of the Kali yug, is
well documented in scholarship. The Kalki
avatar is yet to arrive and will finish this cycle
with a final victory against the forces of
darkness. In the numerical list of the avatars
of the Bhagvad Purana, he is listed as the last.
The Hindu text which deals with the Kalki
avatar individually is the Kalki Purana, which
is considered a lesser Purana. The story of
Kalki revolves around his battle with a
demonic entity called ‘Kali’ (not to be
confused with Kali Mata), literally the devil,
who Kalki finally kills. Considering the
reportage in the ancient Zoroastrian text,
Jamaspi Namak, which clearly states that the
inhabitants of India (in Vedic times)
maintained that the ‘devil’ will die, it may be
that the interconnected concept of his ‘killer’,
or the Hindu Messiah, is also a much older
one.
 Kuldevta
The sum total of the different kinds of deities
in Hinduism that we have explored in this
report so far brings us to the notion of the
kuldevta or family deity (Thari kuldev). Any
avatar, demi-god, Shakti devi or devta, or any
other spirit form can constitute a kuldev,
which is worshipped at home as opposed to
the temple, and is passed down through
generations. There can be more than one
kuldev in a family. Ishtadevta is a similar
deity which is favoured, and given on
initiation especially to saints and Sadhus, but
normal people too.
 Buddha:
Buddha, (Sanskrit: “Awakened One”) clan
name (Sanskrit) Gautama or (Pali) Gotama,
personal name (Sanskrit) Siddhartha or (Pali)
Siddhattha, (born c. 6th–4th century BCE,
Lumbini, near Kapilavastu, Shakya republic,
Kosala kingdom [now in Nepal]—died,
Kusinara, Malla republic, Magadha kingdom
[now Kasia, India]), the founder of
Buddhism, one of the major religions and
philosophical systems of southern and eastern
Asia and of the world. Scholars speculate that
during the late Vedic period the peoples of
the region were organized into tribal
republics, ruled by a council of elders or an
elected leader. He is frequently called
Shakyamuni, “the sage of the Shakya clan,”
Shakya is Sanskrit for Scythian, and Indo-
Iranian people;
 It is unclear to what extent these groups at
the periphery of the social order of the
Ganges basin were incorporated into the
caste system, but the Buddha’s family is said
to have belonged to the warrior (Kshatriya)
caste, cannot be an avatar if not a Kshatriya/
Rajput remember, he has 32 characteristics
one of which are his deep blue eyes, he was
white in our traditional understanding.
According to some traditions he is the 7th
buddha; according to another he is the 25th
(avatars, remind you of something?);
according to yet another he is the 4th. The
next buddha, named Maitreya (their version
of Kalki Avatar), will appear after
Shakyamuni’s teachings and relics have
disappeared from the world. He was very
disturbed by what he saw outside his palace
wall, left his house and went away,
travelled
all over and reached enlightenment,
remember is thetime of the old Pantheon, late
vedic age: so guess what happened,….he
met: the Daveas! Ask me if you want articles
on this:
SAKKA'S (Pali for Indra) QUESTIONS
Sakka, king of the devas in the heaven of the
Thirty-three, played many roles in the
Buddha's mission. He attended on the
Bodhisatta at his final birth and at the Great
Renunciation, visited the Buddha under
the
Bodhi Tree, and several times proclaimed his
confidence in his unique qualities. A
discourse called Sakka's Questions (DN 21)
took place after he had been a serious disciple
of the Buddha for some time. The sutta
records a long audience he had with the
Blessed One which culminated in his
attainment of stream-entry. Their
conversation is an excellent example of the
Buddha as "teacher of devas," and shows all
beings how to work for Nibbana (Nirvana,
ask me for details).
 After the conversation the king of the devas
then spoke a verse in gratitude to the Buddha:
"I've seen the Buddha, and my doubts
Are all dispelled, my fears are allayed,
And now to the Enlightened One I pay
Homage due, to him who's drawn the dart
Of craving, to the Buddha, peerless Lord,
Mighty hero, kinsman of the Sun!"
When the Buddha died Sakka (Indra) came to
pay his respects to him.
During his wandering he had many problems
with priests/ Brahmins who misused religion,
so developed a dislike for them. For this
reason he told his followers to record his
teachings in a local language Pali, known as
the Pali Canon, and not Sanskrit. Followers
are called Bhikkshus, and important aspect is
begging for food, as money is dirty, which
makes its way in Sufism. After he reached
enlightenment, went back to his palace, his
wife, his son, his parents, everyone converted
to his way; the first thing he did before going
to the palace, was beg for food, he taught
around the region of north central India and
died at the age of 83.
 When he reached enlightenment he met all
the 24 Buddas before him, including himself,
these were the 24 Avatars, I went to a
medieval Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri
Lanka, its on their 500 rupees note, their was
a mosaic on the wall about, this, I recognized
the avatars, see these pictures;
Its on two levels, 24 in all, the 24 Avatars are
the 24 Buddhas of Buddhism

The have two traditions in Scripture, the

Northern one(Tibetan), and the Southern one
(Sri Lanka).
 His remains (ashes) were put in seven jars,
which a few centuries later Ashoka discovered
and divided up into 7000 urns sending them
all across the subcontinent and beyond in
his empire, giving rise to the Mahayana
branch of Buddhism.
King Ashoka had sent his son Mahendra and
daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to spread
Buddhism. Their names are mentioned in the
Buddhist text 'Mahavamsa' written in Sri
Lanka Asoka’s son and daughter went to Sri
Lanka, with Buddha’s Tooth and a branch of
the tree, 2300 years ago, which remain there
until today, its called the Theraveda Brach of
Buddhism. Sri Lanka has the oldest Pali
Canon manuscripts as well. Unlike what we
are taught, most of our country was Buddhist
with a ruling Hindu Elite in 712 CE, which
worshipped the new pantheon and was a
spillover after the Gupta Era, when
 Muhammad bin Qasim came. The first
Muslims were also Buddhist converts here.