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I think it's fair to say that the caste system is greatly influenced by the flavor of reincarnation in hinduism and vice versa. the buddha himself set out to se

I think it's fair to say that the caste system is greatly influenced by the flavor of reincarnation in hinduism and vice versa. the buddha himself set out to seek enlightenment and free himself from suffering when he saw that so many people from the lower castes are suffering. it eventually led him to reject hinduism and teach that nobody suffers in this life because of something that happened in "past" lives (in fact, he almost categorically rejected reincarnation as a process where individuals are born again and again, something many buddhists today do not understand), that everyone can attain true freedom and happiness. I assume this teaching is why Ambedkar came to reject hinduism and embrace buddhism as shown in the article.

phyzix5761 5y ago
As a Theravadan Buddhist I can say you are mistaken. There is the concept of rebirth in Buddhism and dependent origination which starts with actions that happened in the past. Including actions in past lives. In fact, there are multiple realms where one can be reborn like heaven, human, animal, hungry ghost, hell, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada#Core_teachings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada#Core_teachings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology
kumarvvr 5y ago
What are you talking? https://www.learnreligions.com/reincarnation-in-buddhism-449994#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20permanent%20essence,it%20that%20is%20%22reborn%22%3F https://www.learnreligions.com/reincarnation-in-buddhism-449... Buddhism has a similar concept, named and understood differently.
zozbot234 5y ago
Reincarnation does not involve the ordinary notion of "individuals'" personal identity in Hinduism properly understood, only a generalized awareness called 'Atman', which is indistinguishable from the universal awareness called Brahman. The belief in personal identity is decried in Hinduism as one of many attachments that lead directly to suffering and the cycle of Samsara. Buddhism has a very similar understanding, except that they go as far as to pragmatically even discourage any belief in Atman because it's believed that this will not be useful, but will only cause attachment and suffering. "Universal" awareness and liberation from suffering is instead sought mainly as a direct experience via stream entry, which is only one of many avenues in Hinduism and not privileged over others. There are plenty of folk superstitions in both Hinduism and Buddhism, so it's not impossible that some folks may have believed what you wrote above at some point. But the actual agreed-upon views are pretty clear.
tsol 5y ago
You'd be surprised by the diversity in Buddhism. Once I got a book on Buddhism and was reading it in front of my Indian Muslim parents. They gave me a strange look and asked me if I was going to convert. I laughed and explained, as a western educated person does, that Buddhism is more like a philosophy than a religion and that they don't actually pray to the Buddha. My mom laughed and said the Buddhists in her village would pray to the Buddha every day and give sacraments to the statue. This is when I realized that everyday folk religion is very different from what you find in books and summaries. No one goes around telling Buddhists in obscure small villages that they're not supposed to pray to the Buddha. If anything, the idea that the Buddha isn't a god like figure comes more from a western understanding of Buddhism that tries to summarize the global collection of practices into a single ethos

phyzix5761 5y ago

As a Theravadan Buddhist I can say you are mistaken. There is the concept of rebirth in Buddhism and dependent origination which starts with actions that happened in the past. Including actions in past lives. In fact, there are multiple realms where one can be reborn like heaven, human, animal, hungry ghost, hell, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada#Core_teachings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada#Core_teachings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology

kumarvvr 5y ago

What are you talking? https://www.learnreligions.com/reincarnation-in-buddhism-449994#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20permanent%20essence,it%20that%20is%20%22reborn%22%3F https://www.learnreligions.com/reincarnation-in-buddhism-449... Buddhism has a similar concept, named and understood differently.

zozbot234 5y ago

Reincarnation does not involve the ordinary notion of "individuals'" personal identity in Hinduism properly understood, only a generalized awareness called 'Atman', which is indistinguishable from the universal awareness called Brahman. The belief in personal identity is decried in Hinduism as one of many attachments that lead directly to suffering and the cycle of Samsara. Buddhism has a very similar understanding, except that they go as far as to pragmatically even discourage any belief in Atman because it's believed that this will not be useful, but will only cause attachment and suffering. "Universal" awareness and liberation from suffering is instead sought mainly as a direct experience via stream entry, which is only one of many avenues in Hinduism and not privileged over others. There are plenty of folk superstitions in both Hinduism and Buddhism, so it's not impossible that some folks may have believed what you wrote above at some point. But the actual agreed-upon views are pretty clear.

tsol 5y ago

You'd be surprised by the diversity in Buddhism. Once I got a book on Buddhism and was reading it in front of my Indian Muslim parents. They gave me a strange look and asked me if I was going to convert. I laughed and explained, as a western educated person does, that Buddhism is more like a philosophy than a religion and that they don't actually pray to the Buddha. My mom laughed and said the Buddhists in her village would pray to the Buddha every day and give sacraments to the statue. This is when I realized that everyday folk religion is very different from what you find in books and summaries. No one goes around telling Buddhists in obscure small villages that they're not supposed to pray to the Buddha. If anything, the idea that the Buddha isn't a god like figure comes more from a western understanding of Buddhism that tries to summarize the global collection of practices into a single ethos