There is another way of looking at the truth we have been discussing: the Hindu way.
We claim that Buddha's great doctrine of selflessness can be better understood if it is looked at in our way.
In the Upanishads there is already the great doctrine of the Atman and the Brahman. The Atman, Self, is the same as Brahman, the Lord. This Self is all that is; It is the only reality. Maya, delusion, makes us see It as different.
There is one Self, not many. That one Self shines in various forms.
Man is man's brother because all men are one. A man is not only my brother, say the Vedas, he is myself. Hurting any part of the universe, I only hurt myself. I am the universe.
It is a delusion that I think I am Mr. So-and-so -- that is the delusion.
- Swami Vivekananda,
‘Buddha’s Message to the World’,
Talk at San Francisco
We claim that Buddha's great doctrine of selflessness can be better understood if it is looked at in our way.
In the Upanishads there is already the great doctrine of the Atman and the Brahman. The Atman, Self, is the same as Brahman, the Lord. This Self is all that is; It is the only reality. Maya, delusion, makes us see It as different.
There is one Self, not many. That one Self shines in various forms.
Man is man's brother because all men are one. A man is not only my brother, say the Vedas, he is myself. Hurting any part of the universe, I only hurt myself. I am the universe.
It is a delusion that I think I am Mr. So-and-so -- that is the delusion.
- Swami Vivekananda,
‘Buddha’s Message to the World’,
Talk at San Francisco
No comments:
Post a Comment