I haven't much about this in the search, so I thought I would start a new thread.
I am interested in the context of the birth of Buddhism, specifically the period in which Buddhism really begins to emerge as a serious religious (maybe) philosophy. I know very little about this time, other than the old communal systems were dying out and new caste and social class systems were replacing them and in this context it seems one of the more path breaking philosophical contributions of Buddha was a particular kind of dialectics which seemed to be contrary to the old Vedic system, and I believe Buddha is quoted somewhere saying he rejected the authority of the Vedas. The caste system enforced by the Brahmans were probably threatened by a teaching that taught directness and a form of social egalitarianism, even *gasp* women could be enlightened according to Buddha. Does anyone have more information on this or suggested books on Buddhist philosophy and history, especially how it related to other teachings such as Jainism?
Anyway, I will leave you with some entertainment [youtube] [/youtube]
I am interested in the context of the birth of Buddhism, specifically the period in which Buddhism really begins to emerge as a serious religious (maybe) philosophy. I know very little about this time, other than the old communal systems were dying out and new caste and social class systems were replacing them and in this context it seems one of the more path breaking philosophical contributions of Buddha was a particular kind of dialectics which seemed to be contrary to the old Vedic system, and I believe Buddha is quoted somewhere saying he rejected the authority of the Vedas. The caste system enforced by the Brahmans were probably threatened by a teaching that taught directness and a form of social egalitarianism, even *gasp* women could be enlightened according to Buddha. Does anyone have more information on this or suggested books on Buddhist philosophy and history, especially how it related to other teachings such as Jainism?
Anyway, I will leave you with some entertainment [youtube] [/youtube]
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