What Hinduism Failed to Learn from Buddhism.

*The views presented here are of my own and not the order which I belong to. I am sorry if this post hurt any religious sentiments of our friends. 

The Hindu religion failed to incorporate many important aspects of Buddhism, with the exception of the fact that we declared him (Buddha) as an Avatar in a typical Hindu manner of idolization, and the result of which we are bearing the brunt at present times. The religion which is able to translate the highest ideals and which is able to incorporate it into the society is a successful one. The religion which fails to do so will work only in mountains, forests, and in monasteries. The highest aspect of Hindu religion, i.e. the Advaita philosophy can be summed up in one word - 'Oneness'. The Brahman is one without a second. Nowhere in the history of religions had oneness been taught so boldly and vigorously than the Hindu religion.

But the highest ideal failed to translate itself into the social level. The progression of caste remained the basis of Hindu religion. In the beginning, people of all caste had the entitlement to attain Brahminhood but later the structure became rigid. The caste system in India became more of heredity than by character. As a result, people of lower classes were barred from religious doors. They were kept in the dark about the religious ideals. More brutal methods of punishment were incorporated upon the lower classes of the society.

Then came the Buddhism. Buddha opened the doors of spirituality to one and all. Everybody had the right to spiritual pursuit regardless of the caste and the strata in the society. This paved the way for the shattering of the caste structure based on heredity. The society based on no caste became one of the key ingredients of Buddhism. The Hinduism received a tremendous jolt in its conscience, and, later, during the downfall of Buddhism and during the re-emergence of Hinduism, it failed to learn the lessons from the latter. The rigid caste structure was incorporated again into the society.

Buddha and his disciples.

India though saw its golden period during the Gupta dynasty fell from its grace during the subsequent periods. The caste based society had always developed deep fissures within. As a result, they failed to present themselves as a united front. A society which is not united will not be able to defend itself against an external aggression. As a result, India became a subjugated nation under the invaders from the west. The Mohammedan rulers exploited this fissure; the British rulers exploited this fissure, and so on. We remained as slaves for thousands of years.

The British East India Company.

Even after independence we are no different. The Indian nation is still clueless about the origin of the conflicts. Even now, in 2016, we had a Jat agitation for quota in Haryana. The agitators blocked all waterways and roadways and went on a violent spree throughout Haryana. We had a Patel agitation for quota in Gujrat. The violence spread to many cities and again claimed many innocent lives. We had Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan and so on. We are still clueless about how many agitations are still left. The surprising thing about quota agitation is that all these castes wanted to demote themselves in status so that they will get government benefits. They were made a laughing stock in newspapers across the world. Therefore, the progression of caste in the social level is only a failure. It failed to unite us into a single race.

Jat agitation in Haryana, 2016.

We are proud that India is the largest democracy in the world. But we must understand the meaning and the workings behind the real democracy. Democracy is based on social equality and freedom. In India, democracy hinges on a caste vote bank. Most of the political parties and political leaders are but caste representatives. They ensure that the people remain divided so that they may remain in power all the time. The outcome of such caste based politics would be an uneven development and an atmosphere charged with tension and mutual suspicion.

The religious conversions thrive in such an atmosphere. The missionaries target mainly the backward classes and underprivileged people. Now is the time for the Hindu religion to reform itself and present a united front. The first thing would the elimination of caste certificates. Everything must come to the one word 'Hindu'. Also, quota must be based on economic backwardness rather than caste. Every Hindu must be entitled to Brahminhood. Some political parties in the south tried their best to pull down the ideal of Brahminhood under the garb of atheism but is a failure.

The next thing which we failed to learn from Buddhism is the stopping of this cruel animal sacrifices. Ahimsa remains the basis of all religions.  The practice of proper Hindu religion begins with the practice of Ahimsa. Ahimsa is one of the preliminary requisites of Ashtanga Yoga. But in India and in Nepal, the animal sacrifices in the goriest forms still exist. In a festival for Goddesses (Gadhimai festival) in Nepal, an estimate suggests that around 10,000 buffaloes and 1, 50, 000 goats were sacrificed. (http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/29/world/asia/nepal-gadhimai-ritual-slaughter/)

Animal sacrifices in Nepal.

Also, there is a need for a proper religious education in India. The Hindu religion is the best when it comes to the broadness and accommodation of various philosophical thoughts. This gave rise to a maze of scriptures and reading of which will take a lifetime. What we need is the simplification of the process of study. For example, Buddhism begins and ends in four noble truths. It is simple and easy to grasp. The higher philosophical speculations of Nagarjuna and other thinkers comes later. The Bhagavad Gita must be made the central key to unlocking the treasures in Hinduism. The Upanishads and yoga must form the basis of proper religious education. Otherwise, the confusion prevails as to what exactly the Hinduism is. I am not sure as to how of us have actually read and understood the concepts of Brahman and Atman in Bhagavad Gita. This is the state of our religion in India.

The Hindu religion still remains mired in the caste system. We have learned nothing from Buddhism and the result of which is a fractured community based on caste lines. We need a lot of introspection to bring change to our community.

Thank You.

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