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With a focus on Vedanta, how does Vedanta (e.g. Advaita, VishishtAdvaita, Acintya Bheda-abheda, etc) differ from Buddhism?
"As a lump of salt dropped into water becomes dissolved in water and cannot be taken out again, but wherever we taste the water it tastes salt, even so, my dear, this great, endless, infinite Reality is Pure Intelligence alone. This self comes out as a separate entity from these elements and with their destruction this separate existence also is destroyed."So said Yajnavalkya.
Does not Vedanta refers to Upanishads,Some sects don't even consider BG as a Shruti text...Anyway thats is not a problem.Onkarah... Bhagavad Gita (also termed Vedanta... end of Vedas) differs from Buddhism in the sense... whole philosophy of Bhagavad Gita is based on God Almighty!
There is no concept of "atman" in Buddhism...You are having a wrong view IMHO.Contrary to Vedanta... Buddhism does not believe in concept of God! As per Buddhism soul atman is the only essence of life!The philosophy of Gautama Buddha is flawed! It has been interpreted in a wrong way!
In absence of God Almighty nothing can exist in cosmos. Why? As per Bhagavad Gita only when God Almighty explodes self... cosmos gets created!
The definition of God Almighty as per Bhagavad Gita is... cluster of all purified souls atmans in the cosmos at a given moment of time! With occurrence of big bang... all souls’ atmans scattered all over cosmos at unimaginable speeds! In the melee they gathered impurities. To cleanse themselves of dross impurities within starts cosmic life cycle of every soul atman!
We are having a discussion on it here.In the very beginning, there was a void, a curious form of vacuum, a nothingness containing no space, no time, no matter, no light, no sound. Yet the laws of nature were in place and this curious vacuum held potential.
Buddhism does not say that God does not exists.It is silent and neutral.IMHO,there is no point in talking about existence of God,when we dont know "who we are?".Knowing ourself(the Buddha nature) is of foremost importance in Buddhism.Atleast Buddha,should be credited for bringing up a religion that requires little belief to start with .In the circumstances can we still say God Almighty does not exist as stipulated in Buddhism?
Onkarah... Bhagavad Gita (also termed Vedanta... end of Vedas) differs from Buddhism in the sense... whole philosophy of Bhagavad Gita is based on God Almighty! As per Bhagavad Gita there is only one God termed Brahman in Hinduism! Brahman is one and only one (Brahman is also termed Parmatman, Ishwar, Bhagwan, Sanatana Purusha, Karta etc).
The whole philosophy of Vedanta (Bhagavad Gita) rotates around absolute faith in God Almighty! As per Bhagavad Gita... in absence of absolute faith in God Almighty nothing in field of spirituality can be achieved by any human being! We cannot see God yet, all believe in him! Why? It is based on faith that we believe in God Almighty similar as we believe in a flower based on its fragrance!
Contrary to Vedanta... Buddhism does not believe in concept of God! As per Buddhism soul atman is the only essence of life! The philosophy of Gautama Buddha is flawed! It has been interpreted in a wrong way! In absence of God Almighty nothing can exist in cosmos. Why? As per Bhagavad Gita only when God Almighty explodes self... cosmos gets created!
The definition of God Almighty as per Bhagavad Gita is... cluster of all purified souls atmans in the cosmos at a given moment of time! With occurrence of big bang... all souls atmans scattered all over cosmos at unimaginable speeds! In the melee they gathered impurities. To cleanse themselves of dross impurities within starts cosmic life cycle of every soul atman!
In the circumstances can we still say God Almighty does not exist as stipulated in Buddhism?
Secondly, as I have already pointed out, the realized Advaitins have never quit Bhakti- there is a belief in God. In Buddhism, there is no direct referrence to God or Atman as per my understanding which is based on interpretations by the current Buddhists.
My impression is that the Buddhadhamma does not focus particularly on whether there is or is not a "drop," or an "ocean." What we can say is that no matter what we perceive, it is not me, not mine, not-self....Just think drop of water being added to ocean of water.It mixes homogeneously,making the small amount of water look like a ocean.It becomes indistinguishable from the ocean..Buddhism says the drop has become zero,for there is no "drop" now.Advaita says drop has become ocean.
My impression is that the Buddhadhamma does not focus particularly on whether there is or is not a "drop," or an "ocean." What we can say is that no matter what we perceive, it is not me, not mine, not-self.
Friends,
To personal understanding Gautama took a step ahead of vedanta [sanatan dharma].
SELF is still something which should have come from somewhere, a THOUGHT still remains.
If that thought too is obliviated then what remains is *NOTHINGNESS*.
Love & rgds
Thanks, that's a great observation. I think it's helpful for practice when we are able to highlight areas of resonance among different approaches.Vedanta tells that we are a part of the Universal Self.This is exactly opposite what Buddhists say.That is why they are similar.