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Old 05-04-2010, 03:36 PM
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Default What Was Buddha's Religion? Theravada Or Mahayana?

What Was Buddha's Religion? Theravada Or Mahayana?
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Old 05-06-2010, 03:36 PM
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Buddha was and is Buddha. The labels and even the name "Buddhism" came after his death. Your question is a bit like asking what the altitude is at sea level.
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Old 05-07-2010, 03:36 PM
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All about me, the Universe.
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Old 05-09-2010, 03:36 PM
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i don't think either, the original Buddha set out to discover the ultimate truth of ones self while practicing self-awareness,/ those came later
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Old 05-12-2010, 03:36 PM
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The Buddha Prue-dated both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. He did not claim that his teachings constituted a religion, or even a philosophy. Instead, he referred to his teachings as a "system of training" ('shush' in Sanskrit). Buddha's system of training was designed to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion, culminating in enlightenment.

During the Buddha's lifetime, he ordained thousands of monks and nuns. These monastics lived in communities throughout northern India and what is now Pakistan/Afghanistan. Over time, these communities began emphasizing different aspects of the Buddha's teaching and this produced a variety of unique sects of Buddhism.

About 200 years after the Buddha's death, there were more than 18 different Buddhist traditions, each with its own teaching approach. Of these, two survive today: Theravada and Mahayana.
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Later note:
The Buddha explicitly rejected the central tenets of the Vedic/Hindu worldview, including the notion of a "self" (Atman) and permanence.

If a person rejected the claim that Christ was the son of God, and also rejected the resurrection and the concept of heaven, we wouldn't call that person a Christian. For similar reasons, Buddha cannot be called a Hindu.
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Old 05-15-2010, 03:36 PM
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Buddha was a Hindu. Theravada and Mahayana are divisions which were formed several hundred years after the Buddha.
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