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{{Short description|none}}
]
{{Infobox deity
] is mentioned as an ] of ] in the ] texts of ].<ref> - SB 1.3.24: "Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist." ... SB 1.3.28: "All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord " </ref> In the ] he is twenty fourth of twenty five avatars, prefiguring a forthcoming final incarnation. A number of ] traditions portray Buddha as the most recent of ten principal avatars, known as the ] (''Ten Incarnations of God'').
| type = Hindu
| member_of = ]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371757.html | title=Incarnations of Vāsudeva &#91;Chapter 18&#93; | date=5 March 2020 }}</ref>
| day = ]
| affiliation = {{unbulleted list|Ninth ] of ]|]}}
| Devanagari = बुद्ध
| image = Buddha incarnation of Vishnu, from Sunari, Medieval period.jpg
| caption = Buddha incarnation of Vishnu, from ], ]
| festivals = ]
| gender = Male
| mantra = ''Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha''
| birth_name = Siddhartha Gautama
| birth_date = {{circa|563 BCE or 480 BCE}}
| death_date = {{circa|483 BCE or 400 BCE}} (aged 80){{sfnp|Cousins|1996|pp=57–63}}{{sfnp|Norman|1997|p=33}}{{sfnp|Prebish|2008}}
| birth_place = ], ] (present-day ], ])
| death_place = ], ] (present-day ], ])
| name = Buddha
| texts = {{unbulleted list|
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''}}
| parents = ] (father)<br>] (mother)<br>] (step-mother)
| children = ] (son)
| other_names = Siddhartha Gautama, Mayamoha
| symbols = ], ], ]
| consort = ]
| dynasty = ]-]
}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = ] Sequence
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ]
}}
{{Hinduism small}}{{Contains special characters|Sanskrit}}{{Vaishnavism}}


] ({{Langx|sa|बुद्ध|lit='the enlightened one'}}) is considered the ninth ] among the ] of the god ], according to the ] tradition of ].{{sfn|Srinivasan|2011|p=182}}{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}}{{sfn|Holt|2008|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Holt|Kinnard|Walters|2012|p=4, 95, 111}}{{refn|group=note|name=avatar|{{harvnb|Coulter|2013|p=109}}: "According to some, Buddha was the ninth avatar of Vishnu. Buddhists do not accept this theory."}}
However, Siddhartha Gautama's teachings do not confirm the existence of the ]<ref></ref> and consequently Buddhism falls under one of the '']'' (godless) schools according to other ] schools, such as ]. Other schools, such as ], are very similar to Buddhism in nature and philosophy.<ref> by David Loy, National Univ. of Singapore (p69-p70): "The similarities between Mahayana and Advaita Vedanta have been much noticed; they are so great that some commentators conceive of the two as different stages of the same system. Curiously, both Shankara and his predecessor Gaudapada were accused of being crypto-Buddhists, while on the other side, Theravadins criticized Mahayana for being a degeneration back into Hinduism."</ref>


The Buddha has been among the formative forces in the ]. Regional Hindu texts over the centuries have presented a spectrum of views on Buddhism, possibly reflecting the competition between Buddhism and the Brahmanical traditions.{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=96}} In contemporary Hinduism, the Buddha is revered by Hindus who usually consider "Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism".{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=96}} Other Hindus reject the identification of Gautama Buddha ], referring to the texts of the Puranas and identifying the two as different individuals.
==Views of the Buddha in Hinduism==
Due to the diversity of traditions within Hinduism there is no specific viewpoint or consensus on Buddha's exact position in reference to the Vedic tradition. According to popular Hindu beliefs, in the age of ] the general populous become more ignorant in regards to spiritual values and religious life.<ref> The Symptoms of Kali-Yuga </ref> There is a belief that at the time of Buddha's arrival many of the ]s in India were abusing the Vedic system for their own selfish purposes, and were especially involved in needless animal sacrifices, and that as a result Buddha appeared as an ] to readdress the balance. <ref> ''"Because people were addicted so much in violence, in killing the animals, therefore Buddha philosophy was needed"'</ref>


==Avatar of Vishnu==
A number of prominent proponents of Hinduism, such as ] and ], consider ] as a much needed reformer for the ] Religion of the time and for mankind in general.
]
<blockquote>
] temple, Andhra Pradesh]]]
When we read Buddha's discourses, we are impressed by his spirit of reason. His ethical path has for its first step right views, a rational outlook. He endeavors to brush aside all cobwebs that interfere with mankind's vision of itself and its destiny. &mdash;Dr. ]{{fact}}
{{See also| Dashavatara|Sugata}}
</blockquote>


The Buddha was integrated into Vaishnavism through its mythology in the Vaishnava ], where the Buddha is considered as the ninth avatar of Vishnu.{{sfn|Holt|2008|p=8–22}} According to the ], Vishnu assumed this incarnation on earth due to the ]s (a race of ]) defeating the ] in their battles. In order to restore the natural order, he deluded the asuras with his teachings. This resulted in them abandoning the path established by the ] as they converted to ], in turn causing them to be devoid of ]. This caused them to become '']'' (non-Vedic, often hostile ancient Indian tribes) at the end of the ]. As a consequence, they were sent to ], devoid of good conduct.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2021-11-01 |title=Manifestation of Viṣṇu as Buddha and Kalki |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-agni-purana/d/doc1083104.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cheetham |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZbrAQAAQBAJ&dq=buddha+delude+asuras&pg=PA49 |title=Understanding Interreligious Relations |last2=Pratt |first2=Douglas |last3=Thomas |first3=David |date=November 2013 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-964584-8 |pages=49 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hazra |first=Rajendra Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jar4V3piCeQC&dq=buddha+delude+asuras&pg=PA88 |title=Studies in the Purāṇic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs |date=1987 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-0422-7 |pages=88–89 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Debroy |first=Bibek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x2J2EAAAQBAJ&dq=mayamoha+puranic&pg=PT213 |title=Vishnu Purana |date=2022-06-30 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5492-661-7 |language=en}}</ref> Furthermore, the Buddha causes the age to be characterised by the intermixture of the ] and domination by the ]s (barbarian and foreign forces to Vedic cultures).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hazra |first=r c |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.110115 |title=Studies In The Puranic Records On Hindu Rites And Customs |date=1940 |pages=89}}</ref> Subsequently, according to tradition, it became the responsibility of ]charya and future Vaishnava ]s to re-establish ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2008-06-01 |title=Buddha, Buḍḍha, Buddhā: 37 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/buddha#purana |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref>
In the '''Khuddaka Patha'''(1:38), Buddha is one who "burns the jungle of views" and lays the path clear, so that the seed of true merit (punya) may be planted.


===Chronology===
Different traditions within Hinduism each have their own subtley different perspectives on Buddha's teachings and their relevance after this time period. Teachers from the Advaita schools are more likely to see Buddhism as being eternally relevant, due to the philosophical similarities between the schools, whereas the Dvaita and ] traditions more commonly view Buddha's teachings as being relevant to that specific time period only. Within Hinduism, ]s such as ] or ] are popularly worshipped as the Supreme ], but it is much less common to find Buddha the avatar being worshipped by Hindus in the same way.
The adoption of the Buddha in texts relating to Hindu gods and of Hindu gods in Buddhist texts is difficult to place chronologically. According to Doniger, the myth of the Buddha avatar first appeared in the pre-] period, when orthodox brahmanistic Vedic traditions were threatened by the rise of Buddhism and Jainism (and by foreign invaders.){{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=200}} According to Doniger, "Hindus came to regard the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu between A.D. 450 and the sixth century," first appearing in the ] (400-500 CE).{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=188}} According to John Holt, "The replacement of the Buddha as the "cosmic person" within the mythic ideology of Indian kingship occurred at about the same time the Buddha was incorporated and subordinated within the Brahmanical cult of Vishnu."{{sfn|Holt|2004|p=12, 15}}


===In literature===
===Reaction to reforms instigated by the Buddha within Hinduism===
The Buddha is mentioned as an avatar of Vishnu in the Puranas and the epics such as:
{{main|Buddhism and Hinduism}}
*'']'' (1.41)
A number of revolutionary figures in modern Indian history, including ], ] and ], have been inspired by the life and teachings of Buddha and many of his attempted reforms.<ref></ref>
*'']'' (3.18)
*'']'' (1.3.24, 2.7.37, 11.4.22)<ref group=web name="Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24"/>
*'']'' (1.1, 2.30.37, 3.15.26)
*'']'' (16, 49.8)
*'']'' (2.72)
*'']'' (1.71)
*'']'' (3.252)<ref>Dhere Ramchandra Chintaman, Shri Vitthal: ek maha samanvaya, Shri Vidya Prakashan, Pune, 1984 (Marathi)</ref>


Another important scripture that mentions him as an avatar is ]'s ''Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra'' (2:1-5/7).
Many Hindu scholars are of the opinion that Buddhism should be regarded as "reformed Hinduism", <ref>e.g., John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon): Shakti and Shakta. Koenraad Elst: Who is a Hindu (2001). Christian Lindtner: “From Brahmanism to Buddhism”, Asian Philosophy, 1999</ref> and many Hindus believe that Buddhism, like ] and ], is one of the sects of ]. According to ], Buddha did not look upon himself as an innovator, but only a restorer of the way of the ].<ref>Radhakrishnan: Indian Philosophy, vol.2, p.469.</ref>


Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu is part of a ], in which the ''dharma'' is destroyed in the ], and then restored again in the ], when Vishnu incarnates as ].{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=198-203}} The '']'' incorporates historical facts about dynastical lineages, stating the following:
Hindu philosopher ] wrote in glowing terms about Buddha, and visited ] several times.<ref>Sister Nivedita: The Master as I Saw Him. Koenraad Elst 2001: Who is a Hindu</ref>
{{blockquote|At this time, reminded of the Kali Age, the god Vishnu became born as Gautama, the Shakyamuni, and taught the Buddhist dharma for ten years. Then Shuddodana ruled for twenty years, and Shakyasimha for twenty. At the first stage of the ], the path of the Vedas was destroyed and all men became Buddhists. Those who sought refuge with Vishnu were deluded.{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=202-203}}}}


Some pre-13th-century Hindu texts, such as the ], portray the Buddha as born to lead the ], who oppressed the people, away from the Vedic rituals, which they were not worthy to perform.{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}}{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=188}} '']'' 1.3.24:
Buddhism even finds favor in contemporary ] movement, with Lama ], the 14th ] being honored at Hindu events, like the ]'s second World Hindu Conference in ] in 1979.<ref>McKean, Lise: Divine Enterprise. Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement. Chicago University Press, 1996. Elst, Koenraad: Who is a Hindu (2001)</ref>
{{blockquote|Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, for the purpose of confusing the enemies of the devas, will become the son of Anjana, Buddha by name, in the Kīkaṭas.<ref group=web name="Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24"/>{{refn|group=note|{{IAST|tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte sammohāya sura-dviṣām}} ।<br>:{{IAST|buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati}} ॥}}}}


In the ], the Buddha is stated to be one of the incarnations of ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2020-03-05 |title=Incarnations of Vāsudeva |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371757.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> and begin enchanting the universe, causing righteousness to dissipate and immorality to prevail:<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2020-10-22 |title=The Greatness of Śvetavārāha Tīrtha |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc425880.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref>
===Buddha's teachings on God===
{{main|God in Buddhism}}
Some Hindu traditions refer to Buddha as a nāstika. However, the majority of traditions which follow the ] texts would treat the above statement as scripturally incorrect, with Buddha clearly listed among the forthcoming avatars of the Kali-yuga. Even though a majority of Hindu schools accept Buddha as an avatar, his teachings are sometimes considered to be a form of atheism when taken as being against the belief in the Creator God.


{{Blockquote|text=By becoming Buddha, I shall delude by the use of fallacious reasoning and deceit the Asuras who adopting Vedic practices will harass the three worlds.|title=]}}{{Blockquote|text=Similarly, Acyuta will take up the next birth as Buddha. The Slayer of Madhu, the Lord of the chiefs of Devas, who is fond of the spring season, will be very quiescent. With Lord Parameṣṭhin in the form of Buddha the entire universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings will become enchanted. Ever since then, O descendant of Bharata, sons do not pay heed to the words of fathers, relatives do not pay heed to the words of elders, nor students to the words of preceptors. Everything will become topsy turvy. Dharma is defeated by Adharma, truthfulness by falsehood, kings by thieves, and men by women.|title=]|source=Chapter 151}}
===The Buddha in Hindu scriptures===
Amongst the ] texts he is mentioned as one of the ten ]s:


His father is usually called Śuddhodhana, which is consistent with the Buddhist tradition, while in a few places the Buddha's father is named Añjana or Jina. This is due to the fact that in some texts both Buddhism and Jainism are used by Vishnu to mislead the demons, and a confusion of names and doctrines appears, when the Buddha is called the son of Jina, mistakenly mimicking ] which refer to the Buddha as ] (conqueror), a term more often used in Jainism.{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=188-189}}
The Buddha is described in important Hindu scriptures, including the Puranas. A partial list of Puranas mentioning the Buddha is as follows:


Other texts portray him in a more positive way, as born to stop all killing of animals.{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}} Only a few statements mention the worship of Buddha, e.g. the ''Varahapurana'' states that one desirous of beauty should worship him.<ref>Singh, p.267</ref> Some pre-14th-century Hindu temples include Buddha reliefs with the same reverence they show for other avatars of Vishnu,{{sfn|Kramrisch|1946|p=349–350}} but though an avatar of Vishnu, the Buddha is rarely worshipped like Krishna and Rama in Hinduism.{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}}
*] (1.41)
*] (3.18)
*] (1.3.24, 2.7.37, 11.4.23) <ref> </ref>
*] (1.1)
*] (16)
*] (2.72)
*] (2.71)
*] (3.252) etc. (Dhere Ramchandra Chintaman) <ref>Dhere Ramchandra Chintaman, Shri Vitthal: ek maha samanvaya, Shri Vidya Prakashan, Pune, 1984 (Marathi)</ref>


===Assimilation of Buddhist influences===
Other important scriptures which mention him is an Avatar are Rishi ]'s ''Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra'' (2:1-5/7), while the '']-grantha'', a ] dictionary, lists many of the names and epithets by which the Buddha is traditionally known.
The adoption of Buddha may also have been a way to assimilate aspects of Buddhism into the fold of Hinduism.{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}}{{sfn|Holt|2008|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=204-211}} According to Wendy Doniger, "Helmuth von Glasenapp attributed these developments to a Hindu desire to absorb Buddhism in a peaceful manner, both to win Buddhists to ] and also to account for the fact that such a significant heresy could exist in India."{{refn|group=note|Von Glasenapp 1962 page 113, cited in {{harvnb|Doniger O'Flaherty|1988|p=206}}}}


According to Donald Swearer, the understanding of Buddha in Hinduism is a part of his wider and diverse influences. Even within Buddhism, states Swearer, Buddha and his ideas are conceptualized differently between Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, Japanese and other traditions. Similarly, in various traditions of Hinduism (and elsewhere), Buddha is accepted and interpreted in different ways.{{sfn|Swearer|2016|p=678–683}}
During the ], one of the ] of the court of the king, ], the Buddhist author of the '']'' refers to the ] in his dictionary thus:
<blockquote>
::sarvajñaḥ sugato buddho dharmarājas tathāgataḥ |
::samantabhadro bhagavān marajil-lokajij-jinaḥ ||
::ṣaḍabhijño daśabalo ’dvayavādī vināyakaḥ |
::munīndraḥ śrighanaḥ śāstā muniḥ śākyamunis tu yaḥ ||
::sa śākyasiṃhaḥ sarvārthasiddhaḥ śauddhodaniś ca saḥ |
::gatamaś cā 'rkabandhuś ca māyadevīsutaś ca saḥ
</blockquote>


===Syncretism===
<blockquote>
Much like Hinduism's adoption of the Buddha as an avatar, Buddhism legends too adopted ] in their ], claiming Krishna (Vishnu avatar) to be a character whom Buddha met and taught in his previous births.{{sfn|Cowell|Rouse|1901|p=}}{{refn|group=note|name=jataka}} According to Alf Hiltebeitel and other scholars, some of the stories in Buddha-related Jataka tales found in Pali texts seem slanderous distortions of Hindu legends, but these may reflect the ancient local traditions and the complexities of early interaction between the two ].{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|1990|p=64–68}}
'''Translation''': ''He who is the All-knowing One, the One who has Well-gone, awakened, the King of Righteousness, the One who has Thus Gone, Universal Goodness, the Blessed One, the Conqueror of the Demon Mara, the Conqueror of the Worlds, the Victorious One, the Possessor of the Six Supernatural Knowledges, the Possessor of the Ten Strengths, the Speaker of Non-dualism, the Guide, the Lord of Sages, the Auspicious One, the Teacher, the Sage and the Sage of the Śākya Clan -- that one is the Lion of the Śākya clan, He who has accomplished all goals, the Son of Śuddhodana, Gautama, the Kinsman of Scholars and the Son of Mayadevi. .''
</blockquote>


While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Krishna-Vasudeva and make him a student of the Buddha in his previous life,{{sfn|Cowell|Rouse|1901|p=}}{{refn|group=note|name=jataka}} the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an ] of ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Daniel E Bassuk |title=Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3iwCwAAQBAJ |date= 1987 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-349-08642-9 |pages=40 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Geoffrey Parrinder|title=Avatar and Incarnation: The Divine in Human Form in the World's Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkV5AAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Oxford: Oneworld|isbn=978-1-85168-130-3|pages=19–24, 35–38, 75–78, 130–133}}</ref>
In some of the ]s, he is described as having taken birth to "mislead the demons":
Similarly, in ] Buddha identifies himself as ].
<blockquote>
::mohanārthaṃ dānavānāṃ bālarūpī pathi-sthitaḥ |
::putraṃ taṃ kalpayām āsa mūḍha-buddhir jinaḥ svayam ||
::tataḥ saṃmohayām āsa jinādyān asurāṃśakān |
::bhagavān vāgbhir ugrābhir ahiṃsā-vācibhir hariḥ ||
- attributed to ]
</blockquote>


===Rejection===
'''Translation''': ''In order to delude the demons, he (Lord Buddha) was present in the form of a child on the way while the foolish Jina (a demon), imagined him to be his son. Later on, Lord Sri Hari (as avatara-buddha) expertly deluded Jina and other demons by his strong words of non-violence.''
Buddhists traditionally do not accept the Buddha to be a Vishnu avatar.{{sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=73, 128}}{{sfn|Coulter|2013|p=109}} ], an Indian scholar and the Dalit leader who in 1935 declared his intention to convert from Hinduism to Buddhism and converted about 20 years later, rejected the belief that Buddha was an incarnation of Vishnu.<ref name="Jerryson2016p47">{{cite book|author=Michael Jerryson|title=The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rBk1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 |year=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-936238-7|pages=47–48}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|Ambedkar, while he was a Hindu and before he launched a new form of Buddhism, reinterpreted Buddha's teachings into what he called ] (New Vehicle), wherein he developed a Marxist interpretation of said teachings. He founded and converted to a new version of Buddhism, a version which criticized and rejected Hinduism, but also Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism because, according to Ambedkar, they all misrepresented the Buddha.<ref>{{cite book|author=Christopher Queen|editor=Steven M. Emmanuel|title=A Companion to Buddhist Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_lmCgAAQBAJ |year=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-119-14466-3|pages=524–529}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Skaria | first=A | title=Ambedkar, Marx and the Buddhist Question | journal= Journal of South Asian Studies | publisher=Taylor & Francis | volume=38 | issue=3 | year=2015 | doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1049726 | pages=450–452| doi-access=free }}, Quote: "Here there is not only a criticism of religion (most of all, Hinduism, but also prior traditions of Buddhism), but also of secularism, and that criticism is articulated moreover as a religion."</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Eleanor Zelliot|editor=Knut A. Jacobsen|title=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPBWCgAAQBAJ|year=2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-40357-9|pages=13, 361–370}}</ref>}}
Ambedkar's 5th vow out of ] is :
<blockquote> I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bhagwat|first=Ramu|title=Ambedkar memorial set up at Deekshabhoomi|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Ambedkar-memorial-set-up-at-Deekshabhoomi/articleshow/189472379.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016083900/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2001-12-19/mumbai/27228796_1_dr-ambedkar-narayanan-smarak-samiti|url-status=live|archive-date=16 October 2013|access-date=1 July 2013|newspaper=]|date=19 December 2001}}</ref> </blockquote>


Some contemporary Hindus also reject the identification of Gautama Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu, referring to the texts of the Puranas. Gurus of the ] argue that in ] (1.3.24), "son of Ajana,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited |url=http://archive.org/details/BhagavataPuranaMotilalEnglish |title=The Bhagavata-Purana |date=1950-01-01 |pages=29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gita Press |url=http://archive.org/details/bhagavatapuranagitapress_201907 |title=Bhagavata Purana |pages=8–9}}</ref> refers to the Vishnu avatar born to Ajana ({{circa|1800 BCE}}, according to Stephen Knapp<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vaswani |first=J. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSNADwAAQBAJ&dq=son+of+anjan+and+gautama+buddha&pg=PT144 |title=Dasavatara |date=2017-12-22 |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |isbn=978-93-86867-18-6 |language=en |author-link=Dada Vaswani}}</ref>) while Gautama was born to ] and ]. They further argue that epithets for the Buddha like ] and ] refer to the Vishnu avatar, not to Gautama Buddha, based on ] and other Buddhist texts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=] |url=https://www.purebhakti.com/resources/ebooks-magazines/bhakti-books/english/5-beyond-nirvana/file |title=Beyond Nirvana: The philosophy of Mayavadism: A life history |publisher=Gaudiya Vedanta Publications |year=2003 |pages=42–49 |chapter=Two Buddhas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=] |url=http://archive.org/details/Dasavatar_201803 |title=Dasavatara: Ten Manifestations of Godhead |pages=184–197 |chapter=Sri Buddha-Avatara}}</ref>
The name of the Buddha appears in the verse that describes the ten avataras in ]:
<blockquote>
::matsya-kūrmo varāhaś ca nṛsiṃha-vāmanas tathā |
::rāmo rāmaś ca rāmaś ca '''buddha'''-kalkiś ca te daśāḥ ||
</blockquote>


In 1999, ] of ], ] had released a joint statement with ] ] and declared that:<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Nagendra Kr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3PXZ3RRcYeYC&dq=Jayendra+Saraswathi&pg=PA134 |title=Encyclopaedia of Oriental Philosophy and Religion: Christianity |last2=Mishra |first2=A. P. |date=2005 |publisher=Global Vision Publishing House |isbn=978-81-8220-071-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref group="web">{{Cite web |title=Compassionate Goodwill {{!}} Vipassana Research Institute |url=https://www.vridhamma.org/node/2428 |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=www.vridhamma.org}}</ref><blockquote>in order to foster friendlier ties between the two communities we decide that whatever has happened in the past (cannot be undone, but) should be forgotten and such beliefs should not be propagated.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Ravi M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEPfrzAwO0sC&dq=%22in+order+to+foster+friendlier+ties+between+the+two+communities+%5Bthe+Vedic+and+%C5%9Arama%E1%B9%87a+traditions%5D+we+decide+that+whatever+has+happened+in+the+past+(cannot+be+undone,+but)+should+be+forgotten+and+such+beliefs+%5Bon+the+Buddha+being+an+avat%C4%81ra+of+Vishnu%5D+should+not+be+propagated.%22&pg=PA158 |title=The Bhāgavata Purāna: Sacred Text and Living Tradition |last2=Valpey |first2=Kenneth R. |date=2013-03-19 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-53147-4 |pages=158 |language=en}}</ref> </blockquote>Shankaracharya of ], Swami Shri Nischalanada Saraswati, too has stated that the Buddha avatar of Vishnu and Gautama Buddha were different persons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=शंकराचार्य ने भगवान बुद्ध व गौतम बुद्ध को बता दिया अलग-अलग व्यक्ति..जानिए |url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/aurangabad-shankaracharya-said-bhagwan-buddha-and-gautam-buddha-were-different-persons-14167888.html |access-date=2021-06-12 |website=Dainik Jagran |language=hi}}</ref>
The Buddha is said to have taken birth to restore the ''deva''s to power:
<blockquote>
::tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte sammohāya sura-dviṣām |
::buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkateṣu bhaviṣyati ||
- (srimad-bhagavatam 1.3.24)
</blockquote>


== Iconography ==
'''Translation''': ''Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga will become the Buddha by name, the son of Anjana, in Bihar, for the purpose of confusing those who were enemies of the devas.''<ref> </ref>
The Agni Purana describes how the figure of the Buddha should be represented:<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2021-11-01 |title=Characteristics of forms of 'Fish' etc. of Viṣṇu |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-agni-purana/d/doc1083137.html |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=The figure of Buddha (should be made) as calm, having long ears, white complexion, wearing a cloth, and seated on a lotus with its petals upwards and as conferring favour and protection.|title=]|source=Chapter 49, Verse 8}}


== Contemporary reverence ==
==Reactions & viewpoints within Buddhism==
]]]
Buddhism does not confirm the existence of the Creator God. Hinduism believes in the Creator God. Moreover, Hinduism accepts the Buddha as an incarnation of God. Adherents of Buddhist philosophy do not accept any being, ] or ], to be either equivalent or superior to fully awakened Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. This is sometimes seen as conflicting with the Hindu view of the Buddha being an avatar of the greater God.


Buddha is considered a holy being and revered as one who was awakened in India.{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=96}} Outside India, some contemporary Hindus revere the Buddha along with other gods during their festivals.<ref name="Daniels2005p129">{{cite book|author=Timothy P. Daniels|title=Building Cultural Nationalism in Malaysia: Identity, Representation, and Citizenship|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bv6ezG3V968C&pg=PA129 |year=2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-94971-2|pages=129–130}}</ref>
The oldest school of philosophy in Buddhism as preached by the Buddha is known as '']'' or ''Hinayana Buddhism''. Adherents of Theravada Buddhism do not perform ] to ] of the Buddha. In addition the adherents of Theravada Buddhism also do not believe in the ]. The various ], on the other hand, consider the Buddha as the supreme soul or the highest being, akin to the Brahman of Hinduism and worship him in the form of images and icons. <ref> Hinduism and Buddhism by V Jayaram</ref>


Prominent modern proponents of Hinduism, such as ] and ], consider the Buddha as an example of the same ].{{refn|group=note|Universal truth:<br>
Buddhist scholar Rahula Vipola wrote that the Buddha was trying to shed the true meaning of the Vedas. Buddha is said to be a knower of the Veda (vedajña) or of the Vedanta (vedântajña) (Sa.myutta, i. 168) and (Sutta Nipâta, 463).
* Vivekananda: "May he who is the Brahman of the Hindus, the ] of Zoroastrians, the Buddha of Buddhists, the Jehovah of the Jews, the Father in Heavens of Christians, give strength to you to carry out your noble ideas!"<ref>Hinduism, in The World's Parliament of Religions, J. H. Barrows (Ed.), Vol. II, Chicago 1893, p. 978.</ref>
* Radhakrishnan: "If a Hindu chants the Vedas on the banks of the Ganges... if the Japanese worship the image of Buddha, if the European is convinced of Christ's mediatorship, if the Arab reads the ] in the mosque... It is their deepest apprehension of God and God's fullest revelation to them."<ref>Eastern Religions and Western Thought, New York 1969, pp. 326–7.</ref>}} A number of revolutionary figures in modern Hinduism, including ], have been inspired by the life and teachings of the Buddha and many of his attempted reforms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iop.or.jp/0414/anand.pdf |title=Mahatma Gandhi and Buddhism |date= |access-date=2012-08-14 |archive-date=2012-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710230803/http://www.iop.or.jp/0414/anand.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Steven Collins sees such Hindu claims regarding Buddhism as part of an effort - itself a reaction to Christian proselytizing efforts in India - to show that "all religions are one", and that Hinduism is uniquely valuable because it alone recognizes this fact.<ref>Steven Collins, ''Selfless Persons.'' Cambridge University Press, 1990, page 9.</ref>

Some Hindus usually consider "Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism."{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=96}} Various scholars in India, Sri Lanka and outside South Asia state that the colonial era and contemporary attempts to assimilate Buddha into the Hindu fold are a nationalistic political agenda, where "the Buddha has been reclaimed triumphantly as a symbol of indigenous nationalist understandings of India's history and culture".<ref>{{cite book|author=John Clifford Holt|title=The Buddhist Viṣṇu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RvuDlhpvvHwC |year=2008|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-3269-5|pages=18–23, 31–32}}</ref>

According to Lars Tore Flåten, Hindu perceptions, particularly in the literature by Hindu nationalists, are that "Buddha did not break away from the spiritual ideas of his age and country," claiming that scholars such as ] (1854-1920), ] (1843-1922) and ] (1888-1975) state there is much in common between "Buddhism and the contemporary Hinduism."<ref>{{cite book|author=Lars Tore Flåten|title=Hindu Nationalism, History and Identity in India: Narrating a Hindu past under the BJP|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5NZRDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT91|year =2016|publisher= Taylor & Francis|isbn= 978-1-317-20871-6|pages=90–93}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|name=Commonalities|These perceptions cite, for example, the Pali scholar Rhys Davids' analysis in ''Buddhism: Being a Sketch of the Life and Teachings of Gautama, the Buddha'', where he wrote: "But the foregoing account will be sufficient, I hope, to remove at least one misconception – the prevalent notion that Gautama was an enemy to Hinduism, and that his chief claim on the gratitude of his countrymen lies in his having destroyed a system of iniquity and oppression and fraud. This is not the case. Gautama was born, and brought up, and lived, and died a Hindu."<ref>{{cite book|author=K N Jayatilleke| author-link=K. N. Jayatilleke| title=Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6pBTAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA369 |year= 2013|publisher=Routledge (Originally published in 1963)|isbn=978-1-134-54287-1|pages=369–370, see paragraph numbered 625}}</ref> The Oxford professor and later President of India, ] states that "as a matter of fact, nowhere did Buddha repudiate the Upanishad conception of Brahman, the absolute"; that Buddha, if anything, "accepted the Upanishad's position".<ref>{{cite book|author=TRV Murti|editor=Paul Arthur Schilpp|title=The Philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDdpTcyJtxMC |year=1992|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0792-1|pages=572–573}}</ref><ref>S Radhakrishnan, , Volume 1, George Allen, page 682</ref>}} Yet, in present-day scholarly consensus, Buddhism is considered to be very different from pre-Buddhist Indian religion.{{refn|group=note|For example, Indologist ] wrote that the Buddha was a radical religious reformer, making religious practice and salvation a more personal matter than it was before the arising of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gombrich |first1=Richard F. |author-link1=Richard Gombrich |title=Theravāda Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo |date=2006 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-203-01603-9 |edition=2nd |url=https://discourse.suttacentral.net/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d5fea775dea49f4d9b780f0e88a40f862bfb1356.pdf |page=78 |access-date=2021-06-10 |archive-date=2017-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117004527/https://discourse.suttacentral.net/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d5fea775dea49f4d9b780f0e88a40f862bfb1356.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Buddhologists like ] and ] argue that the Buddha's ] theory does indeed extend to the Brahmanical belief expounded in the ] that the Self (Atman) is the Universal Self, or ].<ref name="ReferenceC">Gombrich; Recovering the Buddha's Message © The Buddhist Forum, Vol I, Seminar Papers 1987–1988</ref> They point to the Pali ''Alagaddūpama-sutta'', where the Buddha argues that an individual cannot experience the suffering of the entire world.<ref>Norman, KR; A note on Attā in the Alagaddūpama Sutta – 1981</ref>

Buddhism, like Hinduism and other major Indian religions, asserts that everything is impermanent (anicca), but, unlike them, also asserts that there is no permanent self or soul in living beings (''anattā'').<ref name=britannicaanatta>, Encyclopædia Britannica (2013)</ref><ref> {{cite book|author=Christmas Humphreys|title=Exploring Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3rYtmCZEIEC |year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-22877-3 |pages=42–43 }}<br /> Gombrich (2006), page 47, '''Quote:''' "(...) Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."</ref>{{refn|group=subnote|name=anatta}} The ignorance or misperception ('']'') that anything is permanent or that there is self in any being is considered a wrong understanding in Buddhism, and the primary source of clinging and suffering ('']'').<ref>{{cite book|author=Brian Morris |title=Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PguGB_uEQh4C&pg=PA51 |year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-85241-8|pages=51 }}, '''Quote:''' "(...) anatta is the doctrine of non-self, and is an extreme empiricist doctrine that holds that the notion of an unchanging permanent self is a fiction and has no reality. According to Buddhist doctrine, the individual person consists of five skandhas or heaps – the body, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. The belief in a self or soul, over these five skandhas, is illusory and the cause of suffering."</ref><ref name="GombrichScherrer2008p209">{{cite book|author1=Richard Francis Gombrich|author2=Cristina Anna Scherrer-Schaub|title=Buddhist Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7_Rea05eAMC|year=2008|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-3248-0|pages=209–210}}</ref><ref name="HoffmanMahinda2013p162">{{cite book|author1=Frank Hoffman |author2=Deegalle Mahinda |title=Pali Buddhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSNeAgAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-78553-5 |pages=162–165 }}</ref>

Buddha endorsed and taught the concept of rebirth. This refers to a process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of ], each running from conception to death.<ref>{{Cite book | last =Keown | first =Damien | author-link = Damien Keown |year=1996|title=Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction|publisher=Oxford University Press| page=107}}</ref> In Buddhist thought, however, this rebirth does not involve any soul, unlike Hinduism and Jainism.<ref name="Leaman2002p23">{{cite book|author= Oliver Leaman|title= Eastern Philosophy: Key Readings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vK-GAgAAQBAJ |year=2002|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-68919-4 |pages=23–27 }}</ref> According to Buddhism the atman concept is incorrect, untrue.{{refn|group=subnote|name=atman_incorrect}}}}


==See also== ==See also==
*] * ]
*] * ]
*] * ]

*]
==Notes==
*]
{{reflist|group=note|35em|refs=
*]
<!-- avatar -->
*]
<!-- unused
{{refn|group=note|name=avatar|{{harvnb|Coulter|2013|p=109}}: "According to some, Buddha was the ninth avatar of Vishnu. Buddhists do not accept this theory."}}
-->
<!-- jataka -->
{{refn|group=note|name=jataka|Krishna and Buddha interact in several Jataka tales such as number 454, 530 and 536. Vishnu appears in some Buddhist manuscripts as Venhu, but not as consistently as Krishna. In the ''Ghata Jataka'', the Hindu god Krishna is depicted as an immature person and Buddha teaches him wisdom.{{harv|Sullivan|1999|pp=103–105 with footnotes}}{{harv|Hiltebeitel|1990|pp=64–68}}}}
<!-- Jataka-Krishna -->
<!-- {{refn|group=note|name=Jataka-Krishna|The Arjuna and Krishna interaction is missing in the Jataka version. In the Buddhist version, Krishna laments in uncontrollable sorrow when his son dies, and a Ghatapandita feigns madness to teach Krishna a lesson.{{harv|Malalasekera|2007|pp=825–826}} The Jataka tale also includes an internecine destruction among his siblings after they all get drunk. Krishna also dies in the Buddhist legend by the hand of a hunter named Jara, but while he is traveling to a frontier city. Mistaking Krishna for a Deer, Jara throws a spear that fatally pierces his feet, causing Krishna great pain and then his death.{{harv|Francis|Thomas|1916|pp=314–324}} At the end of this ''Ghata-Jataka'' discourse, the Buddhist text declares that ], one of the revered disciples of the Buddha in the Buddhist tradition, was incarnated as Krishna in his previous life to learn lessons on grief from the Buddha in his prior rebirth: "Then he declared the Truths, and identified the Birth: 'At that time, Ananda was Rohineyya, Sariputta was Vasudeva , the followers of the Buddha were the other persons, and I myself was Ghatapandita."{{harv|Cowell|Rouse|1901|p=}}}} -->
}}

;Subnotes
{{reflist|group=subnote|35em|refs=
<!-- anatta -->
{{refn|group=subnote|name=anatta|'''''' , Encyclopædia Britannica (2013), Quote: "Anatta in Buddhism, the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying soul. The concept of anatta, or anatman, is a departure from the Hindu belief in atman ("the self").";<br />'''''' Steven Collins (1994), Religion and Practical Reason (Editors: Frank Reynolds, David Tracy), State Univ of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791422175}}, page 64; "Central to Buddhist soteriology is the doctrine of not-self (Pali: anattā, Sanskrit: anātman, the opposed doctrine of ātman is central to Brahmanical thought). Put very briefly, this is the doctrine that human beings have no soul, no self, no unchanging essence.";<br />'''''' John C. Plott et al (2000), Global History of Philosophy: The Axial Age, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120801585}}, page 63, Quote: "The Buddhist schools reject any Ātman concept. As we have already observed, this is the basic and ineradicable distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism";<br />'''''' Katie Javanaud (2013), , Philosophy Now;<br />'''''' David Loy (1982), Enlightenment in Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta: Are Nirvana and Moksha the Same?, International Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 65–74}}
<!-- atman_incorrect -->
{{refn|group=subnote|name=atman_incorrect| {{cite book|author=Christmas Humphreys|title=Exploring Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3rYtmCZEIEC |year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-22877-3 |pages=42–43 }}<br /> {{cite book|author=Brian Morris |title=Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PguGB_uEQh4C&pg=PA51 |year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-85241-8|pages=51 }}, '''Quote:''' "(...) anatta is the doctrine of non-self, and is an extreme empiricist doctrine that holds that the notion of an unchanging permanent self is a fiction and has no reality. According to Buddhist doctrine, the individual person consists of five skandhas or heaps – the body, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. The belief in a self or soul, over these five skandhas, is illusory and the cause of suffering."<br /> Gombrich (2006), page 47, '''Quote:''' "(...) Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."}}
}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
<references/>

==Sources==
'''Printed sources'''
{{refbegin}}
<!-- C -->
* {{cite book|last =Coulter | first =Charles Russell | year =2013| title =Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities | publisher =Routledge | isbn= 978-1-135-96390-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sEIngqiKOugC&pg=PA109}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Cousins |first=L.S. |date=1996 |title=The Dating of the Historical Buddha: A Review Article |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |series=3 |volume=6 |number=1 |pages=57–63 |issn=1356-1863 |jstor=25183119 |url=http://indology.info/papers/cousins |doi=10.1017/s1356186300014760 |s2cid=162929573 |via=Indology |access-date=4 April 2006 |archive-date=26 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226184207/http://indology.info/papers/cousins/ |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book|last1 =Cowell | first1 =E.B. | last2 =Rouse | first2 =WHD | year =1901 | title =The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births | publisher =Cambridge University Press | url =https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.553497}}
<!-- D -->
* {{Citation | last =Doniger O'Flaherty | first =Wendy | year =1988 | title =The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass Publ.}}
<!-- F -->
* {{cite book|last1 =Francis | first1 =H. T. | last2=Thomas | first2 =E. J. | year =1916 | title =Jataka Tales |publisher=Cambridge University Press (Reprinted: 2014) | isbn =978-1-107-41851-6 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=WYjRAwAAQBAJ}}
<!-- H -->
* {{cite book|last =Hiltebeitel | first=Alf | year =1990 | title =The Ritual of Battle: Krishna in the Mahabharata | publisher =State University of New York Press | isbn =978-0-7914-0250-4 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=vwWGX08JAx8C}}
* {{cite book| last =Holt | first =John Clifford | year =2004 | title =The Buddhist Viṣṇu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture | publisher= Columbia University Press}}
* {{cite book| last =Holt | first =John Clifford | year =2008 | title =The Buddhist Viṣṇu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass | isbn =978-81-208-3269-5 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=RvuDlhpvvHwC&pg=PA18 }}
* {{cite book|editor-last1 =Holt | editor-first1 =John Clifford | editor-last2 =Kinnard | editor-first2 =Jacob N. | editor-last3 =Walters | editor-first3 =Jonathan S. | year =2012| title =Constituting Communities: Theravada Buddhism and the Religious Cultures of South and Southeast Asia | publisher =SUNY Press | isbn =9780791487051|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnnG8sclrdYC&q=Buddha+avatar&pg=PA111}}
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* {{cite book | last1 =Jones | first1 =Constance | last2=Ryan | first2 =James D. | year =2006 | title =Encyclopedia of Hinduism | publisher =Infobase | isbn =978-0-8160-7564-5 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA96}}
<!-- K -->
* {{cite book|last=Kramrisch | first =Stella | year =1946 | title =The Hindu Temple | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass | isbn =978-81-208-0224-7 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=8-aS52MgIkMC}}
<!-- L -->
* {{cite book | last =Lochtefeld | first =James G. | year =2002 | title =The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M | publisher =The Rosen Publishing Group | isbn =978-0-8239-3179-8 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA128 }}
<!-- M -->
* {{cite book|last =Malalasekera |first =Gunapala Piyasena | year =2007 | title=Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names: A-Dh | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass | isbn =978-81-208-3021-9 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=up5O9zrSX80C&pg=PA825}}
<!--N-->
* {{Citation |last = Norman |first = K.R. |year=1997 |title = A Philological Approach to Buddhism |series = The Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Lectures 1994 |publisher = School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) }}
<!--P-->
* {{Citation |last=Prebish |first=Charles S. |year=2008 |title=Cooking the Buddhist Books: The Implications of the New Dating of the Buddha for the History of Early Indian Buddhism |journal=Journal of Buddhist Ethics |volume=15 |pages=1–21 |issn=1076-9005 |url=http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2010/05/prebish-article.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128200109/http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2010/05/prebish-article.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2012 }}
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* {{cite book |last =Srinivasan | first =Amrutur V. | year =2011 | title =Hinduism For Dummies | publisher =John Wiley & Sons | isbn =9781118110775 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=br61gYKt5Q0C&pg=PT182 }}
* {{cite book|last=Sullivan | first =Bruce M. | year =1999| title =Seer of the Fifth Veda: Kr̥ṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa in the Mahābhārata| publisher =Motilal Banarsidass | isbn =978-81-208-1676-3 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=8XO3Im3OMi8C }}
* {{cite book|last =Swearer | first =Donald | year =2016 | editor-last =Jerryson | editor-first =Michael | title =The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism | publisher =Oxford University Press | isbn =978-0-19-936238-7 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=rBk1DQAAQBAJ}}
{{refend}}

;Web-sources
{{reflist|group=web|refs=
<!-- "Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24" -->
<ref group=web name="Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24">{{cite web|url=http://srimadbhagavatam.com/1/3/24/en1 |title=Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24 |publisher=Srimadbhagavatam.com |access-date=2012-08-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235132/http://srimadbhagavatam.com/1/3/24/en1 |archive-date=2007-09-26 }}</ref>
<!-- "vipassana" -->
<!-- <ref group=web name="vipassana">{{cite web|url = http://www.vipassana.info/ay/andhakavenhu_puttaa.htm|title = Andhakavenhu Puttaa|publisher = www.vipassana.info|access-date = 2008-06-15}}</ref> -->
}}


==External links== ==External links==
* (Internet Archive)
* (hinduism.about.com)
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* (article by A. Seshan)
* (voiceofdharma.com)
* (pdf file)


{{VishnuAvatars}} {{Gautama Buddha}}
{{VishnuAvatars|state=expanded}}


] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 06:21, 18 December 2024

Buddha
Member of Dashavatara
Buddha incarnation of Vishnu, from Sunari, Medieval period
Other namesSiddhartha Gautama, Mayamoha
Devanagariबुद्ध
Affiliation
MantraOm Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha
SymbolsSwastika, Dharmachakra, Modaka
DayThursday
Texts
GenderMale
FestivalsBuddha Purnima
Genealogy
BornSiddhartha Gautama
c. 563 BCE or 480 BCE
Lumbini, Shakya Republic (present-day Lumbini Pradesh, Nepal)
Diedc. 483 BCE or 400 BCE (aged 80)
Kushinagar, Malla Republic (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
ParentsŚuddhodana (father)
Maya (mother)
Pajapati (step-mother)
ConsortYaśodharā
ChildrenRāhula (son)
DynastyRaghuvamsha-Suryavamsha
Dashavatara Sequence
PredecessorKrishna
SuccessorKalki
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Hinduism
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Sampradaya (Traditions)
Major Sampradaya (Traditions)
Other Sampradaya (Traditions)
Deities
Absolute Reality / Unifying Force
Trimurti
Tridevi
Other major Devas / Devis
Vedic Deities:
Post-Vedic:
Devatas
Concepts
Worldview
Ontology
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Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
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The Buddha (Sanskrit: बुद्ध, lit. ''the enlightened one'') is considered the ninth avatar among the ten major avatars of the god Vishnu, according to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.

The Buddha has been among the formative forces in the origins of Hinduism. Regional Hindu texts over the centuries have presented a spectrum of views on Buddhism, possibly reflecting the competition between Buddhism and the Brahmanical traditions. In contemporary Hinduism, the Buddha is revered by Hindus who usually consider "Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism". Other Hindus reject the identification of Gautama Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu, referring to the texts of the Puranas and identifying the two as different individuals.

Avatar of Vishnu

Vishnu as the Buddha, flanked by disciples
Buddha as an avatar at Dwaraka Tirumala temple, Andhra Pradesh
Some Hindus regard the Buddha (bottom centre) as one of the 10 avatars of Vishnu.
See also: Dashavatara and Sugata

The Buddha was integrated into Vaishnavism through its mythology in the Vaishnava Puranas, where the Buddha is considered as the ninth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Agni Purana, Vishnu assumed this incarnation on earth due to the daityas (a race of asuras) defeating the devas in their battles. In order to restore the natural order, he deluded the asuras with his teachings. This resulted in them abandoning the path established by the Vedas as they converted to Buddhism, in turn causing them to be devoid of dharma. This caused them to become dasyus (non-Vedic, often hostile ancient Indian tribes) at the end of the Kali Yuga. As a consequence, they were sent to Naraka, devoid of good conduct. Furthermore, the Buddha causes the age to be characterised by the intermixture of the varnas and domination by the Mlecchas (barbarian and foreign forces to Vedic cultures). Subsequently, according to tradition, it became the responsibility of Adi Shankaracharya and future Vaishnava acharyas to re-establish theism.

Chronology

The adoption of the Buddha in texts relating to Hindu gods and of Hindu gods in Buddhist texts is difficult to place chronologically. According to Doniger, the myth of the Buddha avatar first appeared in the pre-Gupta period, when orthodox brahmanistic Vedic traditions were threatened by the rise of Buddhism and Jainism (and by foreign invaders.) According to Doniger, "Hindus came to regard the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu between A.D. 450 and the sixth century," first appearing in the Vishnu Purana (400-500 CE). According to John Holt, "The replacement of the Buddha as the "cosmic person" within the mythic ideology of Indian kingship occurred at about the same time the Buddha was incorporated and subordinated within the Brahmanical cult of Vishnu."

In literature

The Buddha is mentioned as an avatar of Vishnu in the Puranas and the epics such as:

Another important scripture that mentions him as an avatar is Parashara's Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (2:1-5/7).

Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu is part of a cosmic cycle, in which the dharma is destroyed in the Kali Yuga, and then restored again in the Satya Yuga, when Vishnu incarnates as Kalki. The Bhavishya Purana incorporates historical facts about dynastical lineages, stating the following:

At this time, reminded of the Kali Age, the god Vishnu became born as Gautama, the Shakyamuni, and taught the Buddhist dharma for ten years. Then Shuddodana ruled for twenty years, and Shakyasimha for twenty. At the first stage of the Kali Age, the path of the Vedas was destroyed and all men became Buddhists. Those who sought refuge with Vishnu were deluded.

Some pre-13th-century Hindu texts, such as the Bhagavata Purana, portray the Buddha as born to lead the asuras, who oppressed the people, away from the Vedic rituals, which they were not worthy to perform. Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24:

Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, for the purpose of confusing the enemies of the devas, will become the son of Anjana, Buddha by name, in the Kīkaṭas.

In the Skanda Purana, the Buddha is stated to be one of the incarnations of Vasudeva, and begin enchanting the universe, causing righteousness to dissipate and immorality to prevail:

By becoming Buddha, I shall delude by the use of fallacious reasoning and deceit the Asuras who adopting Vedic practices will harass the three worlds.

— Skanda Purana

Similarly, Acyuta will take up the next birth as Buddha. The Slayer of Madhu, the Lord of the chiefs of Devas, who is fond of the spring season, will be very quiescent. With Lord Parameṣṭhin in the form of Buddha the entire universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings will become enchanted. Ever since then, O descendant of Bharata, sons do not pay heed to the words of fathers, relatives do not pay heed to the words of elders, nor students to the words of preceptors. Everything will become topsy turvy. Dharma is defeated by Adharma, truthfulness by falsehood, kings by thieves, and men by women.

— Skanda Purana, Chapter 151

His father is usually called Śuddhodhana, which is consistent with the Buddhist tradition, while in a few places the Buddha's father is named Añjana or Jina. This is due to the fact that in some texts both Buddhism and Jainism are used by Vishnu to mislead the demons, and a confusion of names and doctrines appears, when the Buddha is called the son of Jina, mistakenly mimicking Buddhist texts which refer to the Buddha as Jina (conqueror), a term more often used in Jainism.

Other texts portray him in a more positive way, as born to stop all killing of animals. Only a few statements mention the worship of Buddha, e.g. the Varahapurana states that one desirous of beauty should worship him. Some pre-14th-century Hindu temples include Buddha reliefs with the same reverence they show for other avatars of Vishnu, but though an avatar of Vishnu, the Buddha is rarely worshipped like Krishna and Rama in Hinduism.

Assimilation of Buddhist influences

The adoption of Buddha may also have been a way to assimilate aspects of Buddhism into the fold of Hinduism. According to Wendy Doniger, "Helmuth von Glasenapp attributed these developments to a Hindu desire to absorb Buddhism in a peaceful manner, both to win Buddhists to Vaishnavism and also to account for the fact that such a significant heresy could exist in India."

According to Donald Swearer, the understanding of Buddha in Hinduism is a part of his wider and diverse influences. Even within Buddhism, states Swearer, Buddha and his ideas are conceptualized differently between Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, Japanese and other traditions. Similarly, in various traditions of Hinduism (and elsewhere), Buddha is accepted and interpreted in different ways.

Syncretism

Much like Hinduism's adoption of the Buddha as an avatar, Buddhism legends too adopted Krishna in their Jataka tales, claiming Krishna (Vishnu avatar) to be a character whom Buddha met and taught in his previous births. According to Alf Hiltebeitel and other scholars, some of the stories in Buddha-related Jataka tales found in Pali texts seem slanderous distortions of Hindu legends, but these may reflect the ancient local traditions and the complexities of early interaction between the two Indian religions.

While the Buddhist Jataka texts co-opt Krishna-Vasudeva and make him a student of the Buddha in his previous life, the Hindu texts co-opt the Buddha and make him an avatar of Vishnu. Similarly, in Dasaratha Jataka Buddha identifies himself as Rama.

Rejection

Buddhists traditionally do not accept the Buddha to be a Vishnu avatar. B. R. Ambedkar, an Indian scholar and the Dalit leader who in 1935 declared his intention to convert from Hinduism to Buddhism and converted about 20 years later, rejected the belief that Buddha was an incarnation of Vishnu. Ambedkar's 5th vow out of Twenty-two vows is :

I do not and shall not believe that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. I believe this to be sheer madness and false propaganda.

Some contemporary Hindus also reject the identification of Gautama Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu, referring to the texts of the Puranas. Gurus of the Gaudiya Vaishnava theology argue that in Bhagavata Purana (1.3.24), "son of Ajana," refers to the Vishnu avatar born to Ajana (c. 1800 BCE, according to Stephen Knapp) while Gautama was born to Maya and Śuddodhana. They further argue that epithets for the Buddha like Sugata Buddha and Adi Buddha refer to the Vishnu avatar, not to Gautama Buddha, based on Amarakosha and other Buddhist texts.

In 1999, Śaṅkarācārya of Kanchi, Śrī Jayendra Sarasvatī had released a joint statement with Vipassanācharya S. N. Goenka and declared that:

in order to foster friendlier ties between the two communities we decide that whatever has happened in the past (cannot be undone, but) should be forgotten and such beliefs should not be propagated.

Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Shri Nischalanada Saraswati, too has stated that the Buddha avatar of Vishnu and Gautama Buddha were different persons.

Iconography

The Agni Purana describes how the figure of the Buddha should be represented:

The figure of Buddha (should be made) as calm, having long ears, white complexion, wearing a cloth, and seated on a lotus with its petals upwards and as conferring favour and protection.

— Agni Purana, Chapter 49, Verse 8

Contemporary reverence

Buddha as an avatara at Airavatesvara Temple

Buddha is considered a holy being and revered as one who was awakened in India. Outside India, some contemporary Hindus revere the Buddha along with other gods during their festivals.

Prominent modern proponents of Hinduism, such as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Swami Vivekananda, consider the Buddha as an example of the same universal truth that underlies religions. A number of revolutionary figures in modern Hinduism, including Mahatma Gandhi, have been inspired by the life and teachings of the Buddha and many of his attempted reforms. Steven Collins sees such Hindu claims regarding Buddhism as part of an effort - itself a reaction to Christian proselytizing efforts in India - to show that "all religions are one", and that Hinduism is uniquely valuable because it alone recognizes this fact.

Some Hindus usually consider "Buddhism to be another form of Hinduism." Various scholars in India, Sri Lanka and outside South Asia state that the colonial era and contemporary attempts to assimilate Buddha into the Hindu fold are a nationalistic political agenda, where "the Buddha has been reclaimed triumphantly as a symbol of indigenous nationalist understandings of India's history and culture".

According to Lars Tore Flåten, Hindu perceptions, particularly in the literature by Hindu nationalists, are that "Buddha did not break away from the spiritual ideas of his age and country," claiming that scholars such as Hermann Oldenberg (1854-1920), Thomas Rhys Davids (1843-1922) and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) state there is much in common between "Buddhism and the contemporary Hinduism." Yet, in present-day scholarly consensus, Buddhism is considered to be very different from pre-Buddhist Indian religion.

See also

Notes

  1. Coulter 2013, p. 109: "According to some, Buddha was the ninth avatar of Vishnu. Buddhists do not accept this theory."
  2. tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte sammohāya sura-dviṣām ।
    :buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati ॥
  3. Von Glasenapp 1962 page 113, cited in Doniger O'Flaherty 1988, p. 206
  4. ^ Krishna and Buddha interact in several Jataka tales such as number 454, 530 and 536. Vishnu appears in some Buddhist manuscripts as Venhu, but not as consistently as Krishna. In the Ghata Jataka, the Hindu god Krishna is depicted as an immature person and Buddha teaches him wisdom.(Sullivan 1999, pp. 103–105 with footnotes)(Hiltebeitel 1990, pp. 64–68)
  5. Ambedkar, while he was a Hindu and before he launched a new form of Buddhism, reinterpreted Buddha's teachings into what he called Navayana (New Vehicle), wherein he developed a Marxist interpretation of said teachings. He founded and converted to a new version of Buddhism, a version which criticized and rejected Hinduism, but also Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism because, according to Ambedkar, they all misrepresented the Buddha.
  6. Universal truth:
    • Vivekananda: "May he who is the Brahman of the Hindus, the Ahura Mazda of Zoroastrians, the Buddha of Buddhists, the Jehovah of the Jews, the Father in Heavens of Christians, give strength to you to carry out your noble ideas!"
    • Radhakrishnan: "If a Hindu chants the Vedas on the banks of the Ganges... if the Japanese worship the image of Buddha, if the European is convinced of Christ's mediatorship, if the Arab reads the Koran in the mosque... It is their deepest apprehension of God and God's fullest revelation to them."
  7. These perceptions cite, for example, the Pali scholar Rhys Davids' analysis in Buddhism: Being a Sketch of the Life and Teachings of Gautama, the Buddha, where he wrote: "But the foregoing account will be sufficient, I hope, to remove at least one misconception – the prevalent notion that Gautama was an enemy to Hinduism, and that his chief claim on the gratitude of his countrymen lies in his having destroyed a system of iniquity and oppression and fraud. This is not the case. Gautama was born, and brought up, and lived, and died a Hindu." The Oxford professor and later President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan states that "as a matter of fact, nowhere did Buddha repudiate the Upanishad conception of Brahman, the absolute"; that Buddha, if anything, "accepted the Upanishad's position".
  8. For example, Indologist Richard Gombrich wrote that the Buddha was a radical religious reformer, making religious practice and salvation a more personal matter than it was before the arising of Buddhism. Buddhologists like K.R. Norman and Richard Gombrich argue that the Buddha's anatta theory does indeed extend to the Brahmanical belief expounded in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad that the Self (Atman) is the Universal Self, or Brahman. They point to the Pali Alagaddūpama-sutta, where the Buddha argues that an individual cannot experience the suffering of the entire world. Buddhism, like Hinduism and other major Indian religions, asserts that everything is impermanent (anicca), but, unlike them, also asserts that there is no permanent self or soul in living beings (anattā). The ignorance or misperception (avijjā) that anything is permanent or that there is self in any being is considered a wrong understanding in Buddhism, and the primary source of clinging and suffering (dukkha). Buddha endorsed and taught the concept of rebirth. This refers to a process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of sentient life, each running from conception to death. In Buddhist thought, however, this rebirth does not involve any soul, unlike Hinduism and Jainism. According to Buddhism the atman concept is incorrect, untrue.
Subnotes
  1. Anatta, Encyclopædia Britannica (2013), Quote: "Anatta in Buddhism, the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying soul. The concept of anatta, or anatman, is a departure from the Hindu belief in atman ("the self").";
    Steven Collins (1994), Religion and Practical Reason (Editors: Frank Reynolds, David Tracy), State Univ of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791422175, page 64; "Central to Buddhist soteriology is the doctrine of not-self (Pali: anattā, Sanskrit: anātman, the opposed doctrine of ātman is central to Brahmanical thought). Put very briefly, this is the doctrine that human beings have no soul, no self, no unchanging essence.";
    John C. Plott et al (2000), Global History of Philosophy: The Axial Age, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120801585, page 63, Quote: "The Buddhist schools reject any Ātman concept. As we have already observed, this is the basic and ineradicable distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism";
    Katie Javanaud (2013), Is The Buddhist 'No-Self' Doctrine Compatible With Pursuing Nirvana?, Philosophy Now;
    David Loy (1982), Enlightenment in Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta: Are Nirvana and Moksha the Same?, International Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 65–74
  2. Christmas Humphreys (2012). Exploring Buddhism. Routledge. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-136-22877-3.
    Brian Morris (2006). Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge University Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8., Quote: "(...) anatta is the doctrine of non-self, and is an extreme empiricist doctrine that holds that the notion of an unchanging permanent self is a fiction and has no reality. According to Buddhist doctrine, the individual person consists of five skandhas or heaps – the body, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. The belief in a self or soul, over these five skandhas, is illusory and the cause of suffering."
    Gombrich (2006), page 47, Quote: "(...) Buddha's teaching that beings have no soul, no abiding essence. This 'no-soul doctrine' (anatta-vada) he expounded in his second sermon."

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External links

The Buddha (Gautama Buddha)
Avatars of Vishnu
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Other avatars
 The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars.
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