Planet ISKCON

Dear readers, I am sorry that my posts are a bit sparce these days.

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain

By way of segue, here's an interesting link to an article on edible flowers.

I was asked to look into this a few years ago by someone who knew of my research abilities. But I have not been able to until now because of other priorities. But this topic has come up before, that actually there were two different Buddhas that played the part to establish Buddhism and its principles of ahimsa and nonviolence and its monist philosophy.

In the following material, we will look at the evidence that seems to indicate that there was first the Avatara Buddha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared near 1800 BCE, and then there was another person who became known as Gautama called Buddha, born around 560 BCE.

1. The first Avatara Buddha established the philosophy of Ahimsa, nonviolence, and convinced those followers of Vedic customs who had become bent toward animal sacrifice to give up such rituals and simply follow him, and become kind to animals. Being an avatara of Vishnu, He did not establish any godless or monist philosophy.

2. The Avatara Buddha was also born of his mother Anjana in what became known as Bodhgaya.

3. The second Buddha known as Gautama, Siddhartha, or Shakyamuni – sage of the Shakyas – was born in Lumbini, now in Nepal, with Mayadevi as his mother. He is the one we often hear about, the prince who left home to do austerities to find enlightenment. He went to Bodhgaya to meditate because of its spiritual potency as the birthplace of the avatara Buddha. Then he became enlightened to the reasons for suffering in this world, and developed a godless way of becoming free from suffering. From that point he established the monist and godless philosophy of Buddhism, which became named after him.

Of course, the Theravadin texts refer to six preceding Buddhas (those who have awakened) as Vipasyin, Sikin, Krakuccanda, Konagamara, and Kashyapa, and Maitreya as the Buddha of the future. But we are not talking of any of these.

4. The reason why these two Buddhas became merged into one identity was partly because Adi Sankaracharya, in discussions with others, related them as one person and did not discriminate between the purpose of one or the other. Sankaracharya developed his own sunya philosophy, which was very much like the Buddhist philosophy, replacing the Buddhist nirvana with his Vedic Brahman, to defeat Buddhism and drive it out of India. He succeeded most effectively. At that time many were leaving Vedic culture altogether and converting to Buddhism. But with this new Mayavadha philosophy from Sankaracharya, Buddhism bowed and the conversions stopped, and Buddhism itself started to decline.

However, those important acharyas who followed Sankaracharya defeated his monist or impersonalist Mayavada philosophy and more clearly defined the Vedic view, such as:

Sri Vishnuswami with his Suddha-advaita-vada,

Ramanujacharya with his Vasistadvaita-vada,

Nimbarkacharya with his Dvaita-advaita-vada,

Madhvacharya with the Dvaita-vada,

Sri Chaitanya with his Acintaya-bheda-bheda-vada,

with further commentary and arguments against Sankaracharya’s impersonalist philosophy by Srila Baladevavidyabhushana and others.

Therefore, no matter how much some schools of thought have clung to the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracharya, it has been defeated and dismissed many times over. Yet, Sankaracharaya played an important part in paving the way for protecting the Vedic culture by using his own imagined philosophy, based on his own interpretation of some of the Vedic stanzas, to defeat Buddhism at the time.

Much of the evidence that follows comes from a book called Beyond Nirvana: The Philosophy of Mayavadism: A Life History. This was written by Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshava Gosvami Maharaja of the Gaudiya Math, the person who gave sannyasa initiation to His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. The book was later translated and published in English by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, and published in 2003 in Mathura, India.

The whole book gives a lengthy dissertation on the development, history and present situation of the impersonalist point of view. Chapter Two especially focuses on the evidence for two Buddhas that had existed.

First, however, we should point out that there had always been a conflict in the dates of the Buddha’s birth. One birth is around 560 BCE, but when analyzing the records, there is evidence for a much earlier birth of Lord Buddha, of which I have written before as follows:

Reestablishing the Date of Lord Buddha

(Excerpt from Proof of Vedic Culture’s Global Existence)

Most of us are taught that Buddha was born around 560 to 550 B.C. However, once we start doing some research, we find evidence that this date may be too late. Buddha may have been born much earlier.

For example, in Some Blunders of Indian Historical Research (p. 189), P. N. Oak explains that the Puranas provide a chronology of the Magadha rulers. During the time of the Mahabharata war, Somadhi (Marjari) was the ruler. He started a dynasty that included 22 kings that spread over 1006 years. They were followed by five rulers of the Pradyota dynasty that lasted over 138 years. Then for the next 360 years was the 10 rulers of the Shishunag family. Kshemajit (who ruled from 1892 to 1852 B.C.) was the fourth in the Shishunag dynasty, and was a contemporary of Lord Buddha’s father, Shuddhodana. It was during this period in which Buddha was born. It was during the reign of Bimbisara, the fifth Shishunag ruler (1852-1814 B.C.), when Prince Siddhartha became the enlightened Buddha. Then it was during the reign of King Ajatashatru (1814-1787 B.C.) when Buddha left this world. Thus, he was born in 1887 B.C., renounced the world in 1858 B.C., and died in 1807 B.C. according to this analysis.

Further evidence that helps corroborate this is provided in The Age of Buddha, Milinda and King Amtiyoka and Yuga Purana, by Pandit Kota Venkatachalam. He also describes that it is from the Puranas, especially the Bhagavata Purana and the Kaliyurajavruttanta, that need to be consulted for the description of the Magadha royal dynasties to determine the date of Lord Buddha. Buddha was the 23rd in the Ikshvaku lineage, and was a contemporary of Kshemajita, Bimbisara, and Ajatashatru, as described above. Buddha was 72 years old in 1814 B.C. when the coronation of Ajatashatru took place. Thus, the date of Buddha’s birth must have been near 1887 B.C., and his death in 1807 B.C. if he lived for 80 years.

Professor K. Srinivasaraghavan also relates in his book, Chronology of Ancient Bharat (Part Four, Chapter Two), that the time of Buddha should be about 1259 years after the Mahabharata war, which should make it around 1880 B.C. if the war was in 3138 B.C. Furthermore, astronomical calculations by astronomer Swami Sakhyananda indicates that the time of the Buddha was in the Kruttika period, between 2621-1661 B.C.

Therefore, the fact that Buddha lived much earlier than what modern history teaches us has a number of ramifications. First, the time of the Buddha’s existence is underestimated by about 1300 years. Secondly, this means that Buddhism was in existence in the second millennium B.C. Thirdly, we also know Buddha preached against the misused Vedic rituals of animal sacrifice. Such misuse or misinterpretation of something in a culture generally only happens after a long period of prominence. So the purer aspect of Vedic culture must have been around for many hundreds if not thousands of years before its tradition began to be misused. Therefore, this pushes the Vedic period to a much earlier time from that of Buddha than originally figured, and much earlier than many people have calculated. And lastly, everything else we have figured according to the time frame of the appearance of Buddha now has to be re-calculated. Again we find that history has to be adjusted away from the speculations of modern researchers, and that many of the advancements in society and philosophy, as outlined in the Vedic texts, had taken place much earlier than many people want to admit.

* * *

However, now with new evidence, we can begin to see that the above information may be quite right for the timing of the Buddha Avatara, but the later birth figure of 560 BCE may also be correct for the second Buddha. The first Buddha avatara established a form of Buddhism by revolting against those rituals that accepted animal sacrifice and emphasized the godly principles of ahimsa, nonviolence based on recognizing the Divine in all beings, and divinity of all souls, arousing compassion for all. The second Buddha styled what became Buddhism that was known for its monist or impersonalistic philosophy (that God, the Absoute Truth, is inert, nonactive, and without any characteristics) and that reaching the same inert and non-active state of nirvana is the goal for attaining freedom from all suffering.

To give further information in this regard, I will now simply include the second chapter of Beyond Nirvana: The Philosophy of Mayavadism: A Life History, as follows, with my own few comments in brackets:

Two Buddhas

Shakya Simha Puddha and the Vishnu Avatara Buddha

It may be observed in different places in the Puranas that Mayavadism had been referred to as Buddhism [or "covered Buddhism". It is this "covered Buddhism" that is described in the Puranas as being the major religion after 10,000 years of Kali-yuga have passed, and when the world will have forgotten all information about the personal form of God.]. It is therefore necessary in this context to briefly discuss Buddhism. Sri Buddha’s philosophy or views is Buddhism. Hence, it is imperative that readers become acquainted with scriptural facts about Lord Buddha, who is declared by scripture to be one of the ten incarnations (avataras) of the Supreme Lord, Sri Vishnu. This is described in Srila Jayadeva Gosvami’s composition “Gita Govinda“:

vedan uddharate jaganti vahate bhugolam udbibhrate

daityam darayate balim chalayate kshatra kshayam kurvate

paulastyam jayate halam kalayate karunyam atanvate

mlecchan murccayate dasaktikrite krishnaya tubhyam namaha

        “O Krishna, He who accept ten incarnations! I offer my obeisances unto You for saving the Vedic scriptures as Matsya-incarnation; You help up the universe as Kurma-incarnation, and lifted up the world as Varaha, the Boar incarnation; as Nrishimha You vanquished Hiranyakashipu; as Vamana You deceived Bali Maharaja; as Parashurama You exterminated the corrupt warrior class; as Rama You slew Ravana; as Balarama You took up the plough; as Buddha You bestowed compassion, and as Kalki You kill the Mlecchas.” ¹

In his Dasa Avatara Stotram, Srila Jayadeva writes in the ninth verse:

nindasi yajna vidherahaha shrutijatam

sadaya hridaya darshita pashughatam

keshava dhrita bhuddha sharira

jaya jagadisha hare jaya jagadisha hare

        “O Lord of the universe, Keshava! You took the form of Lord Buddha Who is full of compassion and stopped the slaughter of animals which is strictly forbidden in the Vedas.”

If this Lord Buddha is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, then Sri Sankaracharya’s connection to Him requires further elaboration and analysis. It becomes imperative to research this matter if Sankaracharya’s philosophy is referred to as another presentation of Buddhism. Sri Sankaracharya’s assessment of Buddha seems opaque, for he would have us believe that Shakya Simha Buddha [the human] and the Lord Buddha [the avatara] that the Vaishnavas worship, are one and the same personality. However, this is far from the truth. Our revered gurudeva, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, revealed that Shakya Simha Buddha was simply a highly intelligent mortal, a vastly learned person who had attained some inner realizations [his enlightement]. So by declaring Shakya Simha to be Lord Buddha or by equating him with Lord Vishnu’s incarnation, Sri Sankaracharya gives sufficient proof of the respect and dedication he quietly nurtured within him for Shakya Simha. The berating and admonishment he directed towards Shakya Simha is indeed only an “eye-wash” intended to hoodwink the public.

One may ask at this point, in which context did Sri Sankaracharya opine Shakya Simha Buddha (also known as Gautama Buddha [the human]) and Avatara Buddha to be the same personality? In response, I kindly request the learned readers to scrutinize Sri Sankaracharya’s commentaries. In his commentary to Brahma Sutra that I referred earlier, the word sugatena refers to Gautama Buddha, the son of Shuddhodana and Mayadevi, and not to the original Vishnu incarnation of Buddha [as the Srimad-Bhagavatam describes as the son of Anjana who appeared in the province of Gaya, or more specifically Bodhgaya]. While discussing Buddha’s philosophy, Sri Sankaracharya mentions his name in his commentary: sarvatha api anadarniya ayam sugata-samayah shreyaskamaih iti abhiprayaha. In this statement sugata again refers to Gautama Buddha, the son of Mayadevi [the person who appeared in the town now known as Lumbini in Nepal]. However, it is true that another name for Vishnu Avatara Buddha is Sugata, and thus Sankaracharya falsely interpolated Shakya Simha Buddha as if he were Vishnu Avatara Buddha. The use of the name Sugata-Buddha for Vishnu Avatara Buddha was already existing in Buddhist scriptures [so combing the two into one was not difficult]. This is substantiated in the book Amarakosha, an extremely ancient treatise written by the famous nihilist and atheist Amara Simha. It is believed that Amara Simha was born approximately 150 years prior to Sankaracharya’s birth. Amara Simha was the son of the brahmana Sabara Svami, who fathered a host of children with different mothers of different castes. The ancient verse about Amara Simha was well known in the learned circles of yore:

brahmanyam abhavad varaha mihiro jyotirvidam agranihi

raja bhartriharish cha vikramanripah kshatratratmajayam abhut

vaishyayam harichandra vaidya tilako jatash cha shankuh kriti

shudrayam amaraha shadeva shabara svami dvija sya atmajaha

        “Varaha Mihira, foremost among the greatest astrologers, was born from the womb of a brahmana lady. King Vikrama and King Bhartrihari were born from a kshatriya mother. From a vaishya mother were born Harichandra, a vaidya tilaka – an excellent Ayurveda physician and Shanku; and from a maidservant (shudra) mother was born Amara Simha. These six were fathered by the brahmana Shabara Svami.”

The Amarakosha Speaks of Two Buddhas

        Amara Simha was the author of many books on Buddhism. By coincidence all these books came into the possession of Sri Sankaracharya, who subsequently preserved only the Amarakosha and burnt all the others. The following verses about Buddha are found in the Amarakosha:

sarvajnah sugato buddho dharmarajas tathagataha

samanta bhadro bhagavan marajil lokajij jinaha

shadabhijno dashabalo dvayavadi vinayakaha

munindra shrighanah shasta munihi

        “All knowing, transcendental Buddha, king of righteousness, He who has come, beneficent, all encompassing Lord, conqueror of the god of love Mara, conqueror of worlds, He who controls his senses, protector of the six enemies, possessor of the ten powers, speaker of monism, foremost leader, lord of the ascetics, embodiment of splendour and teacher of the ascetics.”

The above verse contains eighteen names of Vishnu Avatara Buddha including the name Sugato, and the verse below contains the seven aliases of Shakya Simha Buddha [the human] without any mention of Sugato.

Shakyamunis tu yah sa shakyasimhah sarvarthasiddha shauddhodanish cha

gautamash charkabandhush cha mayadevi sutash cha saha

        “Teacher of the Shakyas, lion of the Shakyas, accomplisher of all goals, son of Shuddhodana, of Gautama’s line, friend of the entrapped ones, the son of Mayadevi.”

In these verses, starting with sarvajnah and finishing with munih are eighteen names addressing the original Vishnu incarnation Lord Buddha. The next seven names beginning with Shakya-munistu to Mayadevi-Sutascha refer to Shakya Simha Buddha. The Buddha referred to in the first eighteen names and the Buddha referred to in the later seven names are clearly not the same person. [This clearly indicates that knowledge of the two Buddhas was well known long ago.] In the commentary on Amarakosha by the learned Sri Raghunatha Cakravarti, he also divided the verses into two sections. To the eighteen names of Vishnu Avatara Buddha he writes the words “astadash buddha“, which clearly refers only to the Vishnu avatara. Next, on his commentary for the seven aliases of Shakya Simha he writes: “ete sapta shakya bangshabatirneh buddha muni bishete“, meaning “the next seven names starting from Shakya-munistu are aliases of Buddha-muni [the human] who was born into the Shakya dynasty.”

Thus from the above verses and their commentaries it is indeed transparent that Sugata Buddha [the avatara] and the atheist sage Gautama Buddha are not one and the same person. I take this opportunity to request the learned readers to refer to the Amarakosha published by the respected Mr. H. T. Colebrooke in 1807. ² On pages 2 & 3 of this book the name ‘Buddha’ has been explained. The ‘Marginal Note’ on page 2 for the first eighteen names, states they are names of Ajina or Buddha and the ‘Marginal Note’ for the later seven states these are aliases of Shakya Simha Buddha. A further footnote is added to clarify the second Buddha, of the latter seven names – Footnote (b) “the founder of the religion named after him.”

Mr. Colebrooke lists in his preface the names of the many commentaries he used as references. Besides Raghunatha Cakravarti’s commentary, he took reference from twenty-five others. It can be said with certainty that the propagator of Bahyatmavada, Jnanatmavada and Sunyamavada, the three pillars of atheism, was Gautama Buddha or Shakya Simha Buddha. There is no evidence whatsoever that Sugata Buddha, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation, was in any way connected with atheism in any form. Shakya Simha or Siddhartha Buddha, received the name Gautama from his spiritual master Gautama Muni, who belonged to the Kapila dynasty. This is confirmed in the ancient Buddhist treatise Sundarananda Charita: “guru gotrad atah kautsaste bhavanti sma gautamah” – meaning “O Kautsa, because his teacher was Gautama, they became known from his family line.”

Other Buddhist Literatures Recording Two Buddhas

        Besides the Amarakosha, so highly favored by Sankaracharya, there are other famous Buddhist texts like Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Astasahastrika Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Sata-shastrika Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Lalita Vistara, etc. Proper scrutiny of these texts reveals the existence of three categories of Buddha, namely:

Human Buddhas: like Gautama, who came to be known as Buddha after enlightenment.

Bodhisattva Buddhas: Personalities like Samanta Bhadraka who were born enlightened.

Adi (original) Buddha: the omnipresent Vishnu Avatara incarnation of Lord Buddha.

The Amarakosha states that Lord Buddha, Sri Vishnu’s incarnation, is also known as Samanta Bhadra, whereas Gautama Buddha is a human being. Other than the eighteen names of the Vishnu Avatara Buddha mentioned in Amarakosha, many names of Lord Buddha are recorded in the above mentioned Buddhist texts. In Lalita Vistara, Chapter 21, page 178, it is described how Gautama Buddha meditated on the same spot as the predecessor Buddha:

cha dharanimunde purvabuddhasanasthaha

samartha dhanur grihitva shunya nairatmavanaiha

klesharipum nihatva drishtijalancha bhitva

shiva virajamashoham prapsyate bodhim agryam

        “The one seated on the hallowed earth of the previous Buddha’s birthplace is on the path of voidism and renunciation. With his weapon, the powerful bow, he vanquishes the enemies of distress and illusion. Thus with wisdom he will attain the auspicious state of grieflessness and worldly detachment.”

It is transparent from this verse that Gautama Buddha, realizing the spiritual potency of the previous Buddha’s birthplace, chose to perform meditation and austerities in that vicinity, under a pipal tree. The ancient and original name of this place was Kikata, but after Gautama attained enlightenment there, it came to be known as Buddha Gaya (Bodhi Gaya) [now Bodhgaya]. Even to the present day, the rituals of worship to the deity of Buddha at Bodhi Gaya are conducted by a sannyasi (renounced monk) of the Giri order, belonging to the Sri Sankaracharya sect. It is commonly accepted amongst those monks that Buddha-Gaya (Vishnu Avatara Buddha) was a predecessor of Gautama Buddha, who came later to the original Buddha’s birthplace to practice meditation. Shakya Simha Buddha chose this place to attain liberation, knowing it to be saturated with immense spiritual power.

        Lankavatara Sutra is a famous and authoritative Buddhist scripture. From the description of the Buddha, which is found in this book, it may be firmly concluded that he is not the more recent Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha. In the beginning of this book we find Ravana, King of Lanka, praying first to the original Vishnu incarnation Buddha and then to the successive [and in this case the] future Buddha. A part of this prayer is reproduced here:

lankavatara sutram vai purva buddha anuvarnitam

smarami purvakaih buddhair jina-putra puraskritaihi

sutram etan nigadyante bhagavan api bhashatam

bhavishyatyanagate kale buddha buddha-sutas cha ye

        “Ravana, the king of Lanka, at first recited in the Totaka metre, then sang the following – ‘I invoke in my memory the aphorisms known as Lankavatara-sutra, compiled and propagated by the previous Buddha (Vishnu’s incarnation). The son of Jina (Lord Buddha) presented this book. Lord Buddha and his sons, who will appear in the future, as well as Bhagavan, the Vishnu incarnation, will continue to instruct all from this book.’”

Anjana’s Son, Named Buddha, is Different from Shuddhodana’s Son

        Some people may consider that it is not Sankaracharya but the Vaishnavas who demonstrate a greater degree of respect and sincere reverence towards Buddha, therefore, it is they who should also be known as Buddhists. In this regard my personal view is, according to the Linga Purana, Bhavishya Purana, and the ninth of the ten Vishnu incarnations mentioned in the Varaha Purana, the Buddha described there is not the same personality as Gautama Buddha, [the person] who was the son of Shuddhodana. Vaishnavas never worship the nihilist and atheist (sunyavada) Buddha or Gautama Buddha, with this prayer from the Srimad-Bhagavatam 10/40/22:

namo buddhaya shuddhaya daitya-danava-mohine

        “O Supreme Lord Buddha! I offer my obeisance unto You, Who is faultless and have appeared to delude the demoniac and atheistic class of men.”

Earlier in the Srimad-Bhagavatam 1/3/24, Lord Buddha’s advent is described in the following manner:

tatah kalau sampravritte

sammohaya sura-dvisham

buddho namnanjana-sutaha

kikateshu bhavishyati

        “Then in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Buddha, son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.”

The Buddha mentioned in this verse is Lord Buddha, son of Anjana; also known by some as Ajina’s son. Sri Sridhara Svami writes in his authoritative commentary to this verse:

buddha avartaramaha tata iti anjanasya sutaha

ajina suta it pathe ajino’ pi sa eva kikateshu madhye gaya-pradeshe

        “The words tatah kalau etc., describe Vishnu’s incarnation Buddha as the son of Anjana. Ajina in the word ajina sutaha actually means Anjana. Kikata is the name of the district of Gaya.”

The monists, either by mistake or some other reason, regard Sri Sridhara Svami as belonging to their sect and persuasion. Be as it may, his comments however on this matter can easily be accepted by the Mayavadis as true without hesitation. The following quote is from the Nrisimha Purana 36/29:

kalau prapte yatha buddho bhavannarayana – prabhuh

        “In Kali-yuga the Supreme Lord Narayana appears as Buddha.”

A fair estimate of Lord Buddha’s appearance can be made from this verse; that He lived approximately 3500 years ago, or by accurate astronomical and astrological calculation around 4000 years ago. Regarding the astrological facts at the time of His birth, the treatise Nirnaya-sindhu states in the second chapter:

jyaishtha shuka dvitiyayam buddha-janma bhavisyati

        “Lord Buddha will appear on the second day of the waxing moon, in the month of Jyaishtha.”

Elsewhere in this book is described the procedure for Lord Buddha’s worship:

pausha shuklasya saptamyam kuryat buddhasya pujaanam

        “Lord Buddha is especially worshipped in the seventh day of the waxing moon in the month of Pausha.”

The rituals, prayers and procedures for worship mentioned in these scriptures all clearly indicate that they are meant for Lord Vishnu’s ninth avatara incarnation. Lord Buddha also finds repeated mention in many authentic Vedic scriptures like the Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, Vayu Purana, and Skanda Purana. The Buddha mentioned in the Devi Bhagavat, a more recent text, and in Shakti Pramoda, refers to Shakya Simha Buddha – not the Vishnu Avatara Buddha.

The truth remains that there are many different demigods and demigoddesses who are worshipped by their respective devotees, in the same way that Shakya Simha Buddha (who was an atheist) is worshipped or glorified by his followers. However, this is all completely separate and unrelated to the path of Sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal religion of man enunciated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

According to the German scholar Max Mueller, Shakya Simha Buddha was born in 477 BC in the Lumbini gardens, within the city of Kapilavastu. This ancient and at that time well-populated city in the Terai region of Nepal was well known. Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha’s father was known as Shuddhodana, while his mother was called Mayadevi, this is all accepted as historical fact. Although Anjana’s son and Shuddhodana’s son both share the name of Buddha, they are nevertheless two different personalities. One of them was born in Kikata – which is now famous as Bodhi-Gaya, while the second Buddha was born in Kapilavastu, Nepal. Thus, the birthplace, parents, and era of Vishnu Avatara Buddha and the birthplace, parents, era, etc., of Gautama Buddha are totally at variance.

We can therefore now observe that the famous personality generally referred to as Buddha is not the Vishnu incarnation, the original Lord Buddha and, hence, Sankaracharya’s views on this are completely unacceptable. It is not uncommon to find disagreements in matters of tradition and history, but in regards to important and significant issues an unbiased and objective discussion is imperative. Attracted by Buddha’s personality and fame, it is one thing to honor and respect him, but being impressed by his philosophy and teachings and reverentially surrendering to him is wholly another matter. Whatever the case may be, I am sure that the respected readers have grasped the crucial point that Buddha is not a single person, but at least two separate identities – Shakya Simha is not the same as Lord Buddha, Vishnu’s ninth incarnation. It is certainly undeniable that there are some similarities between these two Buddhas, yet it is incontestable that they are two different persons [with two different purposes].

Footnotes

1. Mleccha – derived from the Sanskrit root mlech meaning to utter indistinctly (Sanskrit) – a foreigner; non-Aryan; a man of an outcaste race; any non-Sanskrit speaking person who does not conform to the Vedic social and religious customs.

2. This book was published under the auspices of the Asiatic Society and can be referenced at it library. See www.indev.nic.in/asiatic/

END OF CHAPTER TWO – BEYOND NIRVANA

CONCLUSION

        Actually, there is much I like about Buddhism. I like its peaceful and gentle ways, the basis of its connection with all of life, but also its principle of detachment and renunciation as a means to enter higher forms of existence. I like some of the forms of meditation that it uses to gain more understanding and control of the mind. I like its mild form of determination to the principles and its goals.

However, from the above descriptions we can understand that the worship of the first Buddha, which at this point in time has practically been forgotten, is a means of definite spiritual progress through nonviolence, compassion for all and renunciation from the world for one’s self-interest. However, these days most of what is known of Buddhism is based on the monistic path as established by Shakya Simha Buddha, the second Buddha who was but a mortal who, with great intellectual ability, propounded a path that promised the end of suffering, and the eventual entrance into what is called nirvana. This goal of entering nirvana actually requires such a discipline that, in this day and age, it is practically impossible to achieve. This would also mean that, no matter how much one progresses along this path, the most one can attain, besides a more peaceful life which may be good enough for some people, are still future rounds of birth in this world. Praying to Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha, or any of the other forms of which he may be depicted, still cannot offer any Divine assistance, since he is not really Divine. Nor does Buddhism really acknowledge God, either outside us or within. The soul is also not recognized. So, it is perfect for those who wish to follow a path that is basically atheistic in nature.

In this way, it is very similar to the philosophy that was established by Sankaracharya who proposed, through his own imaginative interpretation of some basic Sanskrit verses, that the Absolute Truth was impotent, inert, and without any characteristics. Like the Buddhist sunya or void, nirvana, or Great White Light, Sankaracharya also propounded a monistic Brahman that is the eternal and timeless void, nondual, an impersonal oneness, and great white light, the Brahman effulgence. You could say that it is merely an adaptation of the core concepts of Buddhism but with a Vedic slant. As Shakya Simha Buddha tried to nullify the sufferings of the world through voidism, Sankaracharya tried to do the same thing with his conception of impersonal Brahman. Sankaracharya says that Brahman is all that is eternal, while Shakya Simha proposed that the void is all that remains.

Students of Sankaracharya will accept him as a scholar of Vedanta and a great theist and will follow what appears to be his apparently theistic teachings, but in this way they actually become atheists by giving up the concept of God and any chance of establishing a relationship with the Supreme Being.

Sri Krishna-Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, who compiled the major Vedic texts, has declared in his writings in the Puranas that the monistic, impersonal Mayavada philosophy is false and non-Vedic. The same would apply to what we presently know as Buddhism. You can find this in the Padma Purana 25/7:

mayavadam asacchastram pracchannam bauddham uchyate

        “The theory of Mayavadism is a concocted scripture and is known as a disguised Buddhism.”

Therefore, if we accept the traditional and major Vedic view, as found in all Vedic samhitas and original texts, it ultimately leads to the premise that God is personal, with personality and characteristics, active and eternal, though beyond our mental ability to comprehend, but with whom everyone has a relationship that only needs to be reawakened. The real Vedic tradition points to the ways in which we can grow beyond our limitations and realize by direct perception our natural spiritual identity and reawaken our eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Spirit. This is the direction and ultimate goal of all truly Vedic processes of spiritual development.

Sarbani Basu of San Francisco, California writes:

"Once I had a cauliflower curry at a friend's home. It was the most delicious cauliflower curry I have ever had. Unfortunately she has not been able to pass me the recipe, but told me that she got it from your book. Would you please email me the recipe. I would really appreciate if you do. Just a hint if you have more than one recipe with cauliflower: this one had tomato and potato, cumin and mustard seeds in it."

My reply: There are more than half a dozen cauliflower dishes in my books. Here's the recipe you tasted, it's from my first cookbook.

North Indian Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes

This is a popular North Indian vegetable dish. Combined with hot Puffed Fried Breads (Pooris) or rice, I could eat this any time of the day and on any occasion.

PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: 15 - 20 minutes YIELD: enough for 4 - 5 persons

1/4 cup ghee or oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 hot green chilies, seeded and chopped
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1 1/4 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
1 medium cauliflower, cut into small flowerets
2 medium tomatoes blanched, peeled, and diced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat the ghee or oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. When the ghee is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the cumin and saute them until they darken a few shades. Add the ginger and chilies, saute for a few moments, and then add the potato and cauliflower pieces. Stir-fry the vegetables for 4 or 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, sugar, and salt.

Mix well, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and, stirring occasionally, cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add water if necessary during this time but don't over-stir the vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked, add the fresh coriander and the lemon juice. Serve hot.

Our participation in the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (also known as Czech Woodstock) continues for three and a half days. Mostly we do chanting and distribution of spiritual food. Beyond that there is bharat-natyam dance, face painting, a questions and answers booth, and of course, a book table. We are friends with Martin, the organizer, who loves the form of Lord Jagannatha, and includes His face on all the stages, wristbands, and promotional material. 

Thus we have our own stage and camp. There are other stages, and we also got to chant and discuss our philosophy on the stage next to the main stage this year for a change.

I danced with the mantra sign in front of the stage because I could not find a good place to put it on the stage.

Guru Das (center above), disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who joined in San Francisco in 1967, was our guest this year, and he spoke several times at a couple different venues. His theme was that open air music concerts were about more than music and drugs, but a place where people can get to together and share ideas about living a better life and benefiting the world.

He talked about the history of open air music events beginning in the sixties and of his relationship with George Harrison and the Beatles. He was happy doing his own thing in those days, but when he met Srila Prabhupada he became even happier. The high of drugs wore off and became a low, but the swami had a program for staying high forever, and it worked. “Don’t take my word for it,” he said. “Try it yourself. Chant Hare Krishna.” I think anyone with a tendency to seek a higher consciousness would have been moved by his words and his friendly appeal. One young lady in the front row of the audience laughed at the humorous points he made during one talk, so I decided to give her a mantra card and invitation to our programs, which she gave to a friend. That night she returned and sat again in the front row, listening to the kirtana. Then she suddenly jumped up and began chanting and dancing like everyone else in front of her. Then she would sit down for a little bit, but it would become to ecstatic, and again she would get up and chant and dance. The beautiful thing about Trutnov is you can see attendees gradually advance in attraction to Krishna even in the course of a single festival.

One girl stayed in our tent for over an a hour with her boyfriend, who was often chanting, but although she smiled, she never chanted the whole time. I wondered, “What will it take to get that girl to chant?”

The next day the couple met us on harinama and during the harinama she began to sing along. Later she came to our camp and chanted with us as well.

Poland Padayatra 2012

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada were the actual leaders of the Polish Padayatra, whose participants walked for five days, August 19 to 23, between and through villages around New Shantipur farm in southwestern Poland. 

The Polish devotees did padayatra with a small ox cart pulled by one bull. 

Here we passed cows in the field, and they looked like they longed to join our party.


The devotees did a two-hour evening program with sit down bhajans,

Ramayana puppet show, lecture,

a stand up kirtana, 

and prasadam each evening.

During the walk we would chant Hare Krishna the entire time. One or two devotees would distribute books.

Also a teenage devotee girl named Devaki would distribute prasadam cookies, and she was very successful, getting almost everyone to take one, and friend of hers took pictures. Sometimes during the afternoon one or two devotees would distribute books in the village where the evening program was to be held and invite people to it.

The people in general were happy to see the devotees. One man removed his hat and waved it in salute, speaking words of praise as the cart bearing Gaura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, and followed by their harinama sankirtana party, passed. One man offered a military salute. Many people waved, smiled, and took pictures. Even the drivers of cars passing us slowed down and took pictures.

One car had a sun roof, and a child stood on the seat of the car and took pictures from the opening in the roof as the car drove slowly by. From the same car, an adult took pictures through the opened window on the passenger side of the vehicle. One car passed us and stopped, and a lady got out to take pictures. I thought about Lord Caitanya’s prediction of his name being chanted in every town and village and was filled with ecstatic emotions seeing it gradually happening. I usually focus on chanting in the cities because more people benefit, but Lord Caitanya actually said “nagaradi grama,” every town and village. He is so merciful, He wants to benefit everyone everywhere, in all the teeny little villages, not just the masses in the cities.

The family of Visvakarma Prabhu, a former head cook on the Polish tour, impressed me with their participation in the evening bhajanas. Husband, wife, and children were very much into the kirtana, all happily chanting, and the young twin girls were singing, smiling, clapping, and swaying back and forth with the music the entire time. Usually kids space out after awhile and lose interest, but the twin girls were enthusiastic the whole time, and it was beautiful to see.

Srila Prabhupada says on his popular recording describing the Hare Krishna mantra that “even a dog can take part in the chanting.” I never had so much realization of the truth of this as at one evening program on the padayatra, when four kids from the audience danced to the kirtana, with their pet dog in the middle of them.

Two kids were on each side of the dog, with the two kids next to the dog each holding one of the front paws of the animal, while it danced on its back two legs. It was amazing to see. 

Here is a video with some highlights of the Polish Padayatra:

We must have had about twelve devotees, led by Janananda Goswami, on harinama in Roznava, a district town in eastern Slovakia.

You could understand Hare Krishnas were a rare sight in Roznava by seeing the reactions of the people, but there are always some who smile approvingly, who give the old thumbs up, or take pictures. We started at Tesco, a traditional harinama meeting point in different cities, only surpassed by Marks and Spencers in the UK. Unfortunately we could not even stay a whole hour as we had to catch a couple buses to Hankova, which Maharaja has a disciple and where we stayed the night.

Lucenec:

1. Acting without considering the desire of Krishna.
2. Lessening one’s spiritual practice.
3. Becoming upset if we are not honored.
4. Blaming others for our failings.
5. Becoming upset when advised by others.
6. We see that Krishna, the material energy, and our guru all meant to serve us.
7. Showing off.
8. Faultfinding.
9. Inappropriately instructing others.
10. Making no effort to be attentive while chanting japa because you think you have something better to do.
11. You do not want to serve. You want to be served.
12. Never forgiving.
13. Forgetting the misery of being in maya (illusion).
14. Taking things for granted.

1. Because yoga, particularly astanga-yoga, is popular now.
2. Bhagavad-gita is very much a yoga scripture, and Krishna advises Arjuna to be a yogi. (Bg. 6.46)
3. The sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita is very much a summary of astanga-yoga.

1. ahimsa (nonviolence)
2. satya (truthfulness)
3. asteya (not stealing)
4. brahmacarya (celibacy, continence)
5. aparigraha (nonpossessiveness)

1. sauca (cleanliness)
2. santosa (complete satisfaction)
3. tapasya (austerity)Tapasya comes from tapas or heat, as austerity creates a kind of internal heat.

4. svadhyaya (study of the Vedas or self-study)
5. isvara-pranidana (surrender unto the Lord)
   This is one of the few places that Patanjali refers to the Lord.
   Some argue this surrender is only as a means to attain some goal,
   while others say that it reveals Patanjali’s nature as a devotee.

Our participation in the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (also known as Czech Woodstock) continues for three and a half days. Mostly we do chanting and distribution of spiritual food. Beyond that there is bharat-natyam dance, face painting, a questions and answers booth, and of course, a book table. We are friends with Martin, the organizer, who loves the form of Lord Jagannatha, and includes His face on all the stages, wristbands, and promotional material. 

Thus we have our own stage and camp. There are other stages, and we also got to chant and discuss our philosophy on the stage next to the main stage this year for a change.

I danced with the mantra sign in front of the stage because I could not find a good place to put it on the stage.

Guru Das (center above), disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who joined in San Francisco in 1967, was our guest this year, and he spoke several times at a couple different venues. His theme was that open air music concerts were about more than music and drugs, but a place where people can get to together and share ideas about living a better life and benefiting the world.

He talked about the history of open air music events beginning in the sixties and of his relationship with George Harrison and the Beatles. He was happy doing his own thing in those days, but when he met Srila Prabhupada he became even happier. The high of drugs wore off and became a low, but the swami had a program for staying high forever, and it worked. “Don’t take my word for it,” he said. “Try it yourself. Chant Hare Krishna.” I think anyone with a tendency to seek a higher consciousness would have been moved by his words and his friendly appeal. One young lady in the front row of the audience laughed at the humorous points he made during one talk, so I decided to give her a mantra card and invitation to our programs, which she gave to a friend. That night she returned and sat again in the front row, listening to the kirtana. Then she suddenly jumped up and began chanting and dancing like everyone else in front of her. Then she would sit down for a little bit, but it would become to ecstatic, and again she would get up and chant and dance. The beautiful thing about Trutnov is you can see attendees gradually advance in attraction to Krishna even in the course of a single festival.

One girl stayed in our tent for over an a hour with her boyfriend, who was often chanting, but although she smiled, she never chanted the whole time. I wondered, “What will it take to get that girl to chant?”

The next day the couple met us on harinama and during the harinama she began to sing along. Later she came to our camp and chanted with us as well.

Poland Padayatra 2012

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada were the actual leaders of the Polish Padayatra, whose participants walked for five days, August 19 to 23, between and through villages around New Shantipur farm in southwestern Poland. 

The Polish devotees did padayatra with a small ox cart pulled by one bull. 

Here we passed cows in the field, and they looked like they longed to join our party.


The devotees did a two-hour evening program with sit down bhajans,

Ramayana puppet show, lecture,

a stand up kirtana, 

and prasadam each evening.

During the walk we would chant Hare Krishna the entire time. One or two devotees would distribute books.

Also a teenage devotee girl named Devaki would distribute prasadam cookies, and she was very successful, getting almost everyone to take one, and friend of hers took pictures. Sometimes during the afternoon one or two devotees would distribute books in the village where the evening program was to be held and invite people to it.

The people in general were happy to see the devotees. One man removed his hat and waved it in salute, speaking words of praise as the cart bearing Gaura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, and followed by their harinama sankirtana party, passed. One man offered a military salute. Many people waved, smiled, and took pictures. Even the drivers of cars passing us slowed down and took pictures.

One car had a sun roof, and a child stood on the seat of the car and took pictures from the opening in the roof as the car drove slowly by. From the same car, an adult took pictures through the opened window on the passenger side of the vehicle. One car passed us and stopped, and a lady got out to take pictures. I thought about Lord Caitanya’s prediction of his name being chanted in every town and village and was filled with ecstatic emotions seeing it gradually happening. I usually focus on chanting in the cities because more people benefit, but Lord Caitanya actually said “nagaradi grama,” every town and village. He is so merciful, He wants to benefit everyone everywhere, in all the teeny little villages, not just the masses in the cities.

The family of Visvakarma Prabhu, a former head cook on the Polish tour, impressed me with their participation in the evening bhajanas. Husband, wife, and children were very much into the kirtana, all happily chanting, and the young twin girls were singing, smiling, clapping, and swaying back and forth with the music the entire time. Usually kids space out after awhile and lose interest, but the twin girls were enthusiastic the whole time, and it was beautiful to see.

Srila Prabhupada says on his popular recording describing the Hare Krishna mantra that “even a dog can take part in the chanting.” I never had so much realization of the truth of this as at one evening program on the padayatra, when four kids from the audience danced to the kirtana, with their pet dog in the middle of them.

Two kids were on each side of the dog, with the two kids next to the dog each holding one of the front paws of the animal, while it danced on its back two legs. It was amazing to see. 

Here is a video with some highlights of the Polish Padayatra:

We must have had about twelve devotees, led by Janananda Goswami, on harinama in Roznava, a district town in eastern Slovakia.

You could understand Hare Krishnas were a rare sight in Roznava by seeing the reactions of the people, but there are always some who smile approvingly, who give the old thumbs up, or take pictures. We started at Tesco, a traditional harinama meeting point in different cities, only surpassed by Marks and Spencers in the UK. Unfortunately we could not even stay a whole hour as we had to catch a couple buses to Hankova, which Maharaja has a disciple and where we stayed the night.

Lucenec:

1. Acting without considering the desire of Krishna.
2. Lessening one’s spiritual practice.
3. Becoming upset if we are not honored.
4. Blaming others for our failings.
5. Becoming upset when advised by others.
6. We see that Krishna, the material energy, and our guru all meant to serve us.
7. Showing off.
8. Faultfinding.
9. Inappropriately instructing others.
10. Making no effort to be attentive while chanting japa because you think you have something better to do.
11. You do not want to serve. You want to be served.
12. Never forgiving.
13. Forgetting the misery of being in maya (illusion).
14. Taking things for granted.

1. Because yoga, particularly astanga-yoga, is popular now.
2. Bhagavad-gita is very much a yoga scripture, and Krishna advises Arjuna to be a yogi. (Bg. 6.46)
3. The sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita is very much a summary of astanga-yoga.

1. ahimsa (nonviolence)
2. satya (truthfulness)
3. asteya (not stealing)
4. brahmacarya (celibacy, continence)
5. aparigraha (nonpossessiveness)

1. sauca (cleanliness)
2. santosa (complete satisfaction)
3. tapasya (austerity)Tapasya comes from tapas or heat, as austerity creates a kind of internal heat.

4. svadhyaya (study of the Vedas or self-study)
5. isvara-pranidana (surrender unto the Lord)
   This is one of the few places that Patanjali refers to the Lord.
   Some argue this surrender is only as a means to attain some goal,
   while others say that it reveals Patanjali’s nature as a devotee.

ISKCON Leicester’s new temple at 31 Granby Street

Some devotees will have watched on MTV the Snan Yatra festival this summer at the new Leicester temple.  Some will have been at the very first Guru Puja, and/or Leicester Rathayatra: because of all the heavy rain, the procession changed direction this year, starting at Cossington Park, Belgrave then pulling Jagganath’s Rath to the beautiful Town Hall Square, which the new temple backs onto.

Inside, it still looks like the bank it used to be.  Before devotees arrive, you could be forgiven though for walking in ready to ask for a loan!  Once devotees do arrive, things look – and sound – quite a lot different of course!  Look ahead, you will see the deities.  To the right, bank counters.  Up, beautiful stained-glass windows in relaxing greens and blues.

It’s true that cash does come into it: devotees have been busy fundraising ever since the gas explosion at the Thoresby temple on Srila Prabhupad’s Appearance Day in 2010. Since then, ISKCON Leicester has been in rented accommodation at various venues around the city including East West Centre and various devotees’ houses.  On a cold, dark December evening last year, a sudden text from Temple President, HG Pradyumna das, announced that the new temple had been acquired, and devotees hot-footed it down to Granby Street for the temple’s very first Guru Puja.

The location is perfect: ten minutes walk from Leicester railway station, only slightly longer from St Margaret’s Coach station (National Express, Skylink from East Midlands Airport, and local buses) and backing onto the beautiful Town Hall Square. 

There’s such a lot to be done.  To give just one example, there is no plumbing in there yet.  So you can imagine the amount of service available, and how much laxmi needs to be raised.  This is where YOU come in:

Please give alms!

We need YOUR help!  To donate, please click the link below and dig down deep into your pockets and handbags.  Your donation, however small, will help to achieve the goal that has been set, that Janmashtami 2013 will take place at ISKCON Leicester, 31 Granby Street.  To donate, please click the link below and choose your method.  Thank you.

http://www.iskconleicester.org/?q=node/3

(Plenty of pics on the site!)

Srila Prabhupad ki jai!

ISKCON Leicester ki jai!

                        Garlands 

Cut the roses in the early morning, when the sun shines from the East;

cut the heavy, sweet plump roses

that would charm you with their fragrance  if you breathed them,

but don’t breathe them yet.

Cut them far from the stems, so they can be chosen,

and when you trim them,

don’t clip too close to the stems, or the petals may fall,

nor too far, or the garlands won’t hang right.

When you thread them, go forwards with the needle

and be careful with the cotton when it squeaks,

and if you hurt your thumb, try not to mind;

thread two red roses, then a white

and, at the bottom, place one across, and then go up.

When the garland is perfect and heavy,

enter the temple room,

bow down at Prabhupad’s lotus feet,

and as you sense his presence,

rise, and place the garland around his neck.

And now they are blessed, breathe in the scent.

And know, then, that you are not this body.

(by Marion, with love)

25 August 2012 was a fab day: Cit Shakti finally made it to London! Spotted on MTV at Guru Puja by Julia, she seemed to have gone AWOL when we arrived at 11am, paid our obeisances in the temple room and scratched our heads as to where she might be. We had no idea there were so many floors! Anyway we found out she was up at the top with Tulsi, chatting to Jaga Mohini Mataji:

Downstairs for a chat to Bhava Bhakti, then to kirtan where we chanted, danced and took the flame together!  Next door to Govinda’s:

left to right: Julia, Marion, Krsnapriya, Cit Shakti, Lauren. Jai Nitai reserved us a table, brought us Maha Prasad, garlands, cakes and Subhadra’s rope for Cit Shakti! Jai Nitai ki jai!

Took the underground together…

Darshan at the Manor…

followed by the full visit including Srila Prabhupad’s rooms, and finally hugged each other goodbye.  We are already thinking about our next get-together and hoping other online devoteees can join us.

Thanks again to Jai Nitai prabhu and Bhava Bhakti mataji for the VIP treatment!