We believe in connecting everyone. The people of the whole earth are human. Sanatan Dharma declares – सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः May all be happy. All stay healthy. Everyone support each other. We want peace, we want goodwill. Buddhism also gives us this message, Sanatana also says the same. There is no teaching in the Dhammapada which is new to Vedic religion.
One day suddenly I asked my Buddhist friend- Is Buddhism different from Sanatan Dharma?
He replied bluntly – yes, of course. we are different.
How are they different? In Buddhist text Dhammapada says:-
Dham’maṁ carē sucaritaṁ na taṁ duccaritaṁ carē.
Dham’maṁ cārīsukhaṁ sēti asmiṁ lōkē paramhi ca. (Dhammapada, Loka Vagg, 3)
i.e. Practice good righteousness, don’t consume evil. The Dharmadhari (Purusha) lives happily in this world and the hereafter.
This is exactly what Shukla Yajurveda says-
Pari māgnē duścaritādvādhasvā mā sucaritē bhaja. (Shukla Yajurveda, 4.28.)
i.e. O fire. Protect us from evil and establish us in good.
In another quotation from Salechyaka Sutta it is said that
Tividhaṁ khō, gahapatayō, kāyēna dham’macariyā hōti,catuvvidhaṁ vācāya dham’macariyā samacariyā hōti,tividhaṁ manasā sa dham’macariyā samacariyā hōti. (Salechyak Suttam, Majjim Nikaya)
i.e. Homeowners! In the same way, there are threefold Dharmacharya and Samacharya from the body, threefold from the voice and threefold from the mind.
According to the Buddhist tradition, there are briefly three physical practices – (a) non-violence (b) celibacy (c) Do not steal. There are four verbal rituals- (a) Speak the truth (b) Do not gossip about others (c) mollities (d) Don’t say inconsistent things. Similarly there are three mental religious conducts- (a) greed (b) hatred (c) right vision. These ten religions fall under the general religion.
The same things are said about religion even in Vashishta Dharmasutra:
Paiśun’ya matsara abhimāna ahaṅkāra aśrad’dhā, anārjava ātmastava paragar’hā dambha lōbha mōha krōdha asūyā vivarjanaṁ sarvāśramāṇāṁ dharma iṣṭaḥ. (Vashishta Dharma Sutra,10.30)
I said- “Therefore friend, even in Buddhism there is no difference from Sanatana Dharma. We are all going to follow the same tradition.”
In India in the 19th century, an attempt has been made to separate Buddhism and Vedic Sanatana school. Earlier both the views were together. We do not accept political Buddhism.
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