On Shankaracharya and Buddha - Prabhu Ji Both Adi Shankaracharya and Buddha are great Spiritual Masters. Another great Master Swami Vivekananda speaks of these two in the following words. Swami Vivekananda on Buddha and Shankara “Buddha brought the Vedanta to light, gave it to the people, and saved India. A thousand years after his death, Shankaracharya arose and once more revived the Vedanta philosophy. He made it a rationalistic philosophy. In the Upanishads the arguments are often very obscure. By Buddha the moral side of the philosophy was laid stress upon, and by Shankaracharya, the intellectual side. He worked out, rationalised, and placed before men the wonderful coherent system of Advaita. In Buddha we had the great, universal heart and universal patience, making religion practical and bringing it to everyone’s door. In Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the scorching light of reason upon everything. We want today that bright sun of intellectuality joined with the heart of Buddha, the wonderful infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest philosophy. Science and religion will meet and shake hands. Poetry and philosophy will become friends. This will be the religion of the future, and if we can work it out, we may be sure that it will be for all times and people. Buddha was a great Vedantist (for Buddhism was really only an offshoot of Vedanta), and Shankara is often called a “hidden Buddhist.” Buddha made the analysis, Shankara made the synthesis out of it. Buddha never bowed down to anything—neither Veda, nor caste, nor priest, nor custom. He fearlessly reasoned so far as reason could take him. Such a fearless search for truth and such love for every living thing the world has never seen. Buddha was the Washington of the religious world; he conquered a throne only to give it to the world, as Washington did to the American people. He sought nothing for himself.” Many people are under wrong impression that Shri Shankaracharya was opposed to Buddha. On the contrary, Buddhism went into decline due to misinterpretations of teachings of Buddha and the genius of Shri Shankara upheld the true principles destroying all dogma and misunderstandings. Buddha is often called an atheist. He never answered any questions about God. Instead he urged people to seek the Truth – realize the Truth directly. Shri Shankara upheld the path of Jnana – enquiry into the nature of the phenomenal world and nature of Self. He declared that phenomenal world is Maya and only Reality is Self. Let us bow down and respect Shri Shankara and Buddha who have shown us the path of liberation, enlightenment and become free (moksha)
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:57:30 +0000
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