The Buddha Versus Sheldon Pollock - Dr. Koenraad Elst

[@ashwanidogra7250]

My great grand father was muslim teacher but he hated quran and Mohammad cosidering them as evil.This created a lot of effect on his son ie my grand father who became arya samajist under the influence of swami Dayanand Mahrishi.Later I readthem and listened from many arya samaj mandirs.I liked and loved vedas upnishads, Dr Elst and Dr Frawly later on. I love Hinduism as the best of life philosophy in world. But I am anoyed with God that why evil, brutal,inhuman,hatefull and intolerent forces like Islam,ISIS,Leskere-toyba and Jihad are prospering and advancing?

[@myke_770]

Ashwani Dogra just because majority of the world population are wrong blieve and manmade religions, majority of poeple in kaliyug dont want to listen, experience ,and implement truth in their life. profaund desire for materialistic things has made people domb over the thausent of years. all the senses has been closed .

[@gaurdas8666]

@@myke_770 ... MN mo mo mo

[@wacky9075]

@@gaurdas8666 Whats that???????

[@ravineware4048]

Dogra madam--- i want to inform that like you, i had many doughts, questións about god and many things- i got answer --- read book gyan ganga which is freely available for this -- you send your postal address full name , mobile no. on following WhatsApp no- 7496801815 you will get Free book at your joke---- SAT saaheb

[@YashKansalx]

HOW CAN YOU BE DOGRA

[@poonamabbi7448]

When I came to USA 25years ago, I went to school with an american buddhist. One day during lunch,I asked her why she was eating steak (beef)? She being a Buddhist was not supposed to eat beef... "No, there is nothing like that" she said. That is "buddhism" for "american scholars" & Americans.

[@bmniac]

You may like to listen to Master Feng Shen in the matter of food on you tube.

[@jujharsingh5461]

UniworldCityGGaon it's not about meat beaf is not alloweed

[@tejasvi18joshi]

then you really know nothing about Buddhism. Buddhism strictly prohibit meat eat because by consuming meat you will never attained enlightenment.

[@lordx4641]

@UniworldCityGGaon wat when did dalai lama started eating meat? Plus its the teaching of siddhartha who himself was vegetarian

[@HinduismFAQ]

This is quite an extensive counter, Thanks Dr Elst.

[@abiLifts]

Listening to Dr Elst is always a treat!

[@db3476]

I met a African American who was. Buddhist who eat fish; he did not know who was king Siddhartha

[@lordx4641]

@Yashwant waykole dalai lama is vegetarian lol

[@premchandnegi5124]

SIDHARTHA WAS NOT KING HE WAS PRINCE WHEN HE LEFT PALACE

[@saheellodhia270]

@KUMAR SANIL It is popularly known that the Buddha in the Purana and the Actual Buddhas are two different people. The story of the Buddha in the Puranas is a different one compared to Sidharta Gautama.

[@DrAmit-bt2zo]

@Rahul thank you. Someone needed to say this. Also it's sad to see right wingers seeing islam as the main problem while ignoring the whole cancerous moolnivasi ambedkarites moment

[@GururajBN]

Dr Elst communicates better when he writes. His books, articles and blogs are very persuasive. He is an intellectual warrior who speaks for Hinduism and borne the abuse from Left liberals and minority communalists for at least two decades. But we Hindus have been slow to appreciate his work done for our cause. Political left, Dalits, and people of their ilk are enamoured with Buddha as a social reformer. On the other hand Buddha staunchly defends Varnas and argues that Kshatriyas are Superior to Brahmins, in Ambashta Sutta. But then, few people go to original works, even if in translation. It is easier to ingest what others feed us.

[@TheArmaan81]

The the Buddha is awesome. Hinduism is awesome. Don't fight this is just the west wanting to break the eastern religions

[@nobodybutyou8209]

True there might be a dissent in indian spirituality because its not absolutist and doesn't gives you fixed answers but ways to discover them but it cannot be disected.also infact asia needs to unite and all non abhramic religions need to unite as they are being constantly attacked be it burning of buddhist universities and schools in Tripura along with killing buddhists and hindus by Christans (NLFT),or desecration of more than 300 Buddhist temples in korea,attack on hindus and Buddhists in nepal,140 Hindus dead in Tamilnadu and all this is supressed by mainstream media all much of these activities are foreign funded it has happened through out history,being highly involved with economy and geopolitics,like the kukuddam case where the U.S. tried to use churches in India to Stop the india's nuclear power plant project there is so much more than I can type india is almost mentally colonized and the stability in asian region very much depends on us understanding all this and standing up for ourselves.Asia has much more in common culture than it is emphasized we need to reconnect,unite and grow together.

[@opanpro9772]

Actually there are more desi forces trying to break our bonds by promoting alternate history. Look at Romila Thapar.

[@India.Freedom]

Buddha was not Buddhist, he was a Sanatan Dharmi and gave his wisdom to the world. His followers decided to call themselves Buddhist. Buddhist need to understand from where the ocean wisdom came to Buddha 🙏. If you cut your roots you will also not survive.

[@Bhavbhuti]

So far as Buddhism,Sikhism,Jainism only are yielded form Hinduism , make it clear in your mind.All rules in jainism,budhism you will find that these rules are already in Hinduism

[@Bhavbhuti]

If you read Ved,Upnishad,Shastras Gita, except Purnas ,you will find whole description about Nirgun God,Jeevatma,Prakriti,. These Indian and outsiders Christions only read Purnas.I will soon upload video on Mahabharat which includes all knowledge,regarding pooja for shudras.

[@korgaonkarrohit]

Nicely explained...

[@nanjappa42]

Quite enlightening. The slides have been a great help. I hope the papers/talks at the Conference will be brought out as a printed book.

[@toldyou1285]

I always wondered since my childhood that buddha spent his 21 years of life with full on sensual pleasure- then how could he suddenly at once become such a sage man, and also it is a profound idea that buddha wanted englightnment ,how could he get it by simply walking and meditating without a guru, book or any reference, and then suddenly produce books and books of knowledge by just living till 60 yrs. Indeed there is a big loophole in these arguments.

[@vmkulkarni2003]

Hinduism is just a distinct culture believing in everyone's freedom of choice of living. India is diverse because of this gene and adding to it the culture of "athity devobhava", respecting and curious to know different thoughts and culture.

[@itsisha9762]

Well it does have much more than that, but yes.

[@MrVishalsinha23]

enlightening brilliant lecture on budhist elitism

[@MrVishalsinha23]

child sacrifice - which book are you reading ? buddhism is responsible for superstitious tantric degeneration making india weak unable to defend itself against invasions the whole point of above lecture was to prove that egalitarianism is as alien to buddhism as to hinduism the position of women as worse if not more hinduism is bad buddhism good formula is a superficial understanding of both religions at best

[@MrVishalsinha23]

judging a culture by watching some random tv channels showing child stealing and sacrifice is not the most accurate way murder rape arson stealing superstitions part of all cultures and religions in different degrees due to differences in education and poverty levels its very easy to find dirty laundry of other cultures and societies too

[@stefos6431]

Hi Vishal........I agree with you......I've seen too many Buddhists, particularly so-called "Westerners" who practice Tibetan Buddhism, slam Hinduism or what they think Hinduism is while they don't know what this gentleman is teaching! Shame on them!

[@jamesstevenson7725]

Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated in Hinduism

[@SummitisSummit]

Yes Vijay Kumar absolutely correct. Budha "just followed the Philosophy of Jain Mahavir Prabhu" it's the west or Chinese themselves want to claim "difference or Superiority" over Jain Dharma or directly SANATAN DHARMA. ☺️ but don't worry "they" have always failed and they will always fail ☺️

[@CP-zg1rw]

Jainism is obviously older than Buddhism but If Lord Mahavira is taken as the founder of Jainism, then both Jainism and Buddhism originated almost at the same time because Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira were contemporaries. But at the end of the day who cares about when it's about how and why that's why people follow Buddhism as a way of life rather not religion. The word religion is foreign to indian subcontinent we are seekers we shouldn't fall for belief once U believe then that's the end of world.

[@uguensonam1459]

By his way of categorizing religion, both Christianity and Islam would be sects of Judaism.

[@nimkati5627]

Early christianity indeed was a part of judaism. There is nothing sensational. The reason why it is considered to be a separate religion today is the stance of jews, who don't want to recognize Christ to be the Messiah and, respectively, His followers to be judaists. The very fact that hindus claim buddhism to be part of hinduism proves this assumption by itself. If buddhism really would be something different, heretical, who would claim it to be part of their own religion? Islam never claims that christianity or buddhism are parts of islam. Why? Because no religion will consciously incorporate anything, which violates its doctrines into its fold. In contrast, any religion always try to eliminate herecy. Pay attention please that hindus don't say that buddhists are hindus, which are deluded by heretical buddhism. No, they consider buddhist philosophy to be a legitimate part of hinduism, just as vaishnavism, shaivism, tantrism and others dozens of distinct yet still culturally close to each other dharmic religions are. Unlike judaism, christianity or islam, hinduism is not a religion by itself, but a foreign designation for indian paganism, which is not a united religion, but a complex of various philosophies and cultural practices, none of which identifies itself as hindu. The more precise analogy to hinduism would be abrahamism. You indeed can call islam, christianity and judaism sects of abrahamism. Islam, christianity and judaism are specific philosophies, while abrahamism is an umbrella term for them due to their common traits.

[@divyasingh7740]

Yes they are....

[@dharmic_whf]

The idea of Satan is a fundamentally Zoroastrian one. The entire faith of Zoroastrianism is predicated on the struggle between God and the forces of goodness and light (represented by the Holy Spirit, Spenta Manyu) and Ahriman, who presides over the forces of darkness and evil. The concepts of Heaven and Hell, Judgment Day and the final revelation of the world, and angels and demons all originated in the teachings of Zarathustra. The idea of a single god was not the only essentially Zoroastrian tenet to find its way into other major Abrahamic faiths. According to scholars, many of the Zoroastrian concepts were introduced to the Jews of Babylon upon being liberated by the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great. Prior to Zarathustra, the ancient Persians worshipped the deities of the old Irano-Aryan religion, a counterpart to the Indo-Aryan religion that would come to be known as Hinduism.

[@youtubecommenter9195]

💐💐💐💐💐💐

[@sadenb]

When he says 'Arya' as Us vs Them, doesn't that give a chance for the opponents to use that as aryans vs others. ?

[@SummitisSummit]

sanch Sanchayan bro Aryan isn't any race in reality only we call a Sbhya Purush as Arya so as in Vedik times during Treta Yug Gurukul education was prevailing so all of our population were Sabhya... Arya. There's no Aryan race or anything. BHAARAT has kept the people in social hierarchy of Varna vyawastha not caste system. same goes for the race. this bloodline caste system is the most recent derivation of our real Sanskriti. and happened because the Gurukul and Hindus suffered muslim Invasion and then Britishers. As education faded and then became "pro western" than Gurukul started again. Varna vyawastha isn't HEREDITARY ☺️ it's Individual Attributes this was kept proper during Vedik times.

[@rationalindian1409]

Seeing the comment section I can only advice my brothers of hindustan...this guy is trying to bridge us ,By us I mean buddhism vs Hinduism. As we are Hindus , we must not comment anything against buddhism ,jainism , sikhism..this is just another propaganda of divide and rule. And religion is a Soft power .

[@opanpro9772]

You mean sheldon pollock right?

[@thrinethran2885]

Even Swami Vivekananda who was a great admirer of Buddha, pointed out the philosophical superiority of Adwaita Vedanta, which identified the ultimate truth as Sachidananda, 'a positive something' as against the Buddhist perception that there is no absolute reality, but Shunya a void , 'a negative something'. There is one stream within Buddhism who believe in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra according to which the Buddha on his deathbed acknowledged the Atman or permanent Self. But most polemical Buddhists want to emphasize the differences.

[@ThePachatube]

heel goed werk Dr Elst JI Bravo

[@satyampandey2222]

"Buddha was a Hindu BUS" hehe

[@RamRam-gs1so]

Was Budha against Vedas as it is written in my history book ???

[@vmkulkarni2003]

Hinduism gave birth to Buddhism and many more religions(in fact religion is alien to Bharat) how can be birth giver be bad. There was no word called cast and religion in Bharat but there was word called "Dharma" means righteousness. If you are warrior that's your Dharma and if you are a doctor(in modern word) you r Vaidya etc that's people themselves segregated to show their virtue.

[@nayanpanda4887]

There no caste in Hinduism // we have varna and jati which does not mean caste //British destorted all history time is coming we will correct in 15 yr/this man manipulating and degrading Hinduism /all nonsense he is talking

[@semepara629]

@Rahul ..another pseudo intellectual

[@suraaj8729]

@Rahul Lol....Tu WhatsApp University see graduate hua hai lagta hai....😂😂😂

[@poonamabbi7448]

My opinion of Buddha: He was born a Hindu, was a prince, raised in the lapof luxury, was married to a beautiful princess. Once his baby son was born, he felt the pressures of domestic/family life & his impending & responsibilities & duties of being a king, he did not want to deal with it. He snuck away in the middle of the night, without telling any one... He stayed hideen in the forests, may be meditated, or did whatever the people say he did... BUT UNLIKE HINDU KShATRYA, he fled from his DUTIES, & RESPONSIBILITIES, & rejected his son... for allpractical purposes... In the MODERN TERMS & BY MODERN WESTERN STANDARDS & MORAL REGULATIONS & SOCIAL & EVEN LEGAL SYSTEM designed by the Buddha admiring west, he is a DEAD BEAT DAD.... No wonder the white males LOVE Buddha, but HATE HINDU tradition: Hindu tradition REQUIRESone to achieve MOKSHA staying INSIDE the structure of the society & fulfilling one's DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES to your family, community, & country... &, if possible, to the world too.

[@HinduismFAQ]

Even in the Hindu view Buddha's abandoning of his worldly life is justified. Whenever there is conflict of Dharma, Lower Dharma can be given up for the sake of Upper Dharma. As Krishna says in Mahabharata For the sake of a clan, a bad progeny can be given up For the sake of a village, a clan For the sake of a kingdom, a village For the sake of the world, a kingdom For the sake of self-realization, everything worldly

[@gameprofile3725]

Poonam Abbi Simple ,its not a separate tradition but simply a part of it

[@gameprofile3725]

Poonam Abbi Has origin foundation structure from Hinduism

[@openenquiry]

You remind me of the foolish dhobi who judged Lord Rama. There's a subhashitam that says, for the sake of the village, renounce your family, for the sake of the country, renounce your village, etc. We all have different duties - duties towards our selves, our families, our communities, our countries. But sometimes these duties conflict. It's then your task to choose the higher duty. Buddha considered his duty to find a cure for the suffering of all mankind, and so he renounced his family. The whole world is better off because he did so. Be a bit respectful when you speak of great persons, in this case, one who is celebrated in Hinduism as an avatar of Vishnu himself.

[@gameprofile3725]

Poonam Abbi Buddhism is a sect of Hinduism like there are other sects .

[@nkmahale]

Genetic research by David Reich and his co-researchers indicates that people in South Asia mixed well for more than 1000 years, and the deciding jati at birth concept was invented around 500 BCE. Initially people in India were meat eaters. Influence of not eating meat came from Jainism and Buddhism This might have lead to Buddhist considering themselves superior and might have lead to division of Indians into jatis. Buddha himself might have be enlightened but that doesn't mean Buddhist them selves as time passed. In any case genetic study shows that mixing of jatis was much later after the arrival of Yamnaya gene to India, and before that it might have been loose varna system which was not rigid. Note that It is not David Reich who has put forward the connection of jati to Buddhism and prohibition to meat eating among higher classes; that is entirely my proposition.

[@pustakgagin2826]

The Buddhist monks by meditation, sangha etc gained knowledge and then guided the royalty and common folk with their knowledge and the subtle knowledge they acquired was through meditation mainly and not through memorizing some text considered to be ultimate. Therefore the monks in India had to be supported by royalty and rich citizens and they could not go out and cultivate their own food, build their own buildings etc. If we joke about their not 'working', then we must also call the artists in medieval era as wastrels because their work produced no consumable goods. Koenraad Elst sounds stupid here.

[@suchindranathaiyer494]

The conflict was initiated by Ashoka who used Budhism as an instrument of Empire, much as Titus Flavius did with Christianity. Inscriptions no more represent the truth than the politically correct History manufactured to convenience in typical Time Capsule self glorification There was no such thing as "Hindu" at that time. The Budha was an Arya of the Gautama Gothra who practiced Brahmanism. He was a Brahmin by religion and a Kshatriya by Varna who opted for Shivacharya Tantra and Sankhya Pramana. There was no "Hinduism" at that time. There was a nation of many religions united under Aryan (Brahmin) law, the Constitutional Mantra of which is represented by the Yantra of the Swastika. This nationality came to be called Hinduism much later after it was defunct.. Original Budhism is a peculiar mythology developed from local tribal lore in different places around a core of Brahmanism. Ashokan Budhism was Imperial like the Christianity of Paul, Charlemagne and Constantine or the Islam of Mahomet and Budhist Mendicants were often Imperial spies intended to smell out dissent and Brahmanism which would then be eradicated by ruthless "Budhist" soldiers.. Pre-Ashokan Budhism which was spread through debate and preaching is nothing but Brahmanism translated to Pali and other languages. Budha himself was an agnostic with a handful of faithful disciples whose answer to the question, "Is there Brahma"? was a half smile as he passed away. Budha was used to reform and spread Brahmanism by Brahmins. Kashyapa created Zen (good) , Koushika (Padma Sambhava) took it to Tibet. Bharadwaja took it to Japan. His statue still sits outside the great temple at Nara. Budhism adopts the notions of Karma and Dharma that originated in the Prathamo Upanishad that was received by the Saptha Rishis (Athri, Bhrigu, Kuthsa, Vasishta, Gautama, Kashyapa and Angirasa) who are the patrilineal ancestors of the Shroutha Smartha Brahmins (I am a Kashyapa) . While Ashoka destroyed and plundered all the Brahmin temples and guru kulas (Sarnath and theSanchi Stupa are now the oldest buildings in his erstwhile empire), the Budhist temples of Japan, which predate Ashokan Budhism, sport the Swastika of Aryavarta Dharma rather than the Chakra of Ashoka, (So do India's Jain temples). Japan is a classic case which has been immune to political mythology masquerading as History thanks to their Shinto-Kojiki culture which passes mouth to ear from guru to shishya as does the Shroutha Smartha tradition. The ancient Shinto-Budhist Sanju Sangendo Hall of Warriors at Kyoto has 12 foot high bronze statues of the Dasha Dikpalaka of Brahmanism. The not so ancient Asakusa Budhist Temple (near Tokyo) has enormous stone statues of Virinchi (Mahasthana Praptha), and Narayana (Amithabha) installed in the garden outside the Shinto Shrine to those who built the temple and Shankara (Avalokiteshwara or Kannon) is the principal deity. These are the trinity of Gunas that come from Savitur,the Light of Surya (the Sun) which is itself formed from the light of Brahma (Mitra common to Zoroastrianism and the now exterminated Gnostic Christianity-though the Mitre head dress derives its name from the original Mitra) in Brahmanism. Indra, Varuna, Rahu and Kethu guard the gates at Asakusa Temple and the temple main shrine is emblazoned with an enormous Saffron Swastika at its rear which all traditional worshipers pay obeisance to during perambulations. There is a separate shrine for Lalitha that looks as if it was directly transplanted from interior Kerala, which indicates that this temple was constructed post Dravido-Aryan integration (Atharva Veda period) and pre Ashokan. Thailand is also an interesting point here. While the majority of the population follow pre-Ashokan Budhism (distinguished by the Swasthika of Aryavartha Dharma), the State Religion is Brahmanism, and the King, Bhoomipala Athulyatheja, is an Arya Kshatriya who follows Brahmanism. So was the late Nara Utham Sihanouk of Cambodia. Budhism in India was destroyed in the backlash to Ashoka but prospered elsewhere.

[@ronita1984]

Suchindranath Aiyer really interesting, could you state your source please. I am interested in history

[@nobodybutyou8209]

Every thing is fine but could you use santana dharma rather than brahminism?www.quora.com/Indian-Caste-System-How-can-a-Shudra-become-a-Brahmin/answer/Ramakrishna-Kongalla?ch=3&share=855017c6&srid=XnGBQ

[@GururajBN]

Excellent analysis 👌What is your background? I wonder.

[@RajeshRaj-mx2rm]

what makes people think hinduism has a monopoly on compassion, karma, dharma and liberation? These ideas may have been prevalent among wanderers and ascetics even before the vedas were written.

[@soulStripper21]

Well then you need to provide us proofs of them. We can say all religions came from aliens with this logic

[@usd5317]

Modern Science and Modern Mathematics Do Not Use Sanskritised Terms . Tough Sanskrit is part of Indo European Language !

[@jigggro]

Exceptional talk.

[@harminderjitgill571]

Pollack is a Tarkhi Yehudi. Dharam Raj Maramat Karu Ga.

[@ujaanghosh8095]

14:32 You are confusing Rejection of Vedas with Rejection of Ritual is wrong. Buddha not only rejected the ritual but Vedas itself. It is funny how hard you are trying to prove prove that Buddhism was a sect of Hinduism.

[@sgovindachari2]

Buddhism is Hinduism lite

[@monkeymayhem1977]

Buddha never rejected the Vedas, he was clearly throughout his life only annoyed with the over-emphasis on rituals (karma khanda) without concern for their underlying inner meaning.

[@India.Freedom]

Buddha was not Buddhist, he was a Sanatan Dharmi and gave his wisdom to the world. His followers decided to call themselves Buddhist.

[@treeoflife666]

For Information sake- Buddha is claimed by church as the forerunner of Jesus who paved the way for Christianity in India. Buddha is also classified as a saint called St. Josephat by the church whose birthday is celebrated by Vatican on Nov.11. To sum up, those who seek serinity and realisation should keep away from Buddhism for it is simply nihilism.

[@lalabharwad4108]

Bakwas kar raha hey pollock