[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Originally Posted by r_kk Originally Posted by asitaraman Also, Buddha, an avatar of God, expounded a philosophy already in vogue but largely forgotten (as did Mahavira).

(red marking was done by me)
It is very unfortunate that a great non-believer of God had become avadhar of God. A simple way to reject Buddha's practical philosophies is to idealizehim as God and declare that he can only be praised (as supernatural human or avathar) but can't be followed. Another method is that absorbing the great part of his teachings and declare as part of the belief system which he had opposed. This is what the people of opponent belief system were/are doing! This is not an attempt to abbrogate or assimilate philosophies into one "religion." Buddha saw the injustice in society at that time and showed a way to ease peoples' suffering. If that is not an avatar/manifestation what else can be?

Would we reject Krishna as an avatar just because he debunked Sankhaya Yoga that was prevalent at that time? We should remember that "Hinduism" as we know it today was an amalgamation of many beliefs, faiths, and philosophies. While Buddhism has unique characteristics, the concept of ahimsa and service was not unknown.

Rgds, Aravind In essence Buddha was against God. Any association to God and Buddha is an insult for the greatest son of India.