Buddhism

This Teaching considers itself quasi-Buddhist in orientation. The form of Buddhism espoused by this Path is not mainstream Buddhism however. Buddhism is a very old religion which even predates the "Buddha", at least the one called Sidhartha Guatama so revered by modern Buddhists.

We teach that Sidhartha Guatama is not the source of even the Buddhism that is attributed to him. Sidhartha is a  figurehead to which many diverse forms of older Buddhism were associated.  This Path's respect for Buddha is not Sidhartha Guatama based, and many of the ideas of early Hinayana Buddhism of India are rejected as inharmonious with this Teaching, as well as with deeper Mahayana and Tantric teachings of other non celibate Buddhas that predated Sidhartha Guatama. We see the deeper and more beautiful truths of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism as originating in teachers other than Sidhartha. Central Asian Buddhism and Bon are not seen as offshoots of Sidhartha's Buddhism or Hinduism and the more ancient vegan Jaina current of India is considered more pure than Sidhartha's, especially when one goes back as far as Parshva. The modern forms of Buddhism closest to the ideals set forth by this Teaching are those of the vegan Ch'an sects of China.

The roots of Buddhism go back beyond Sidhartha's alterations of Jainism, and back beyond the beginnings of Pashva's and Mahavira's historical Jainism. They even go back beyond the first Mt. Kailish Buddhas recognized by both the Jains of India and by the Bonpos of Tibet. Buddhism is a very ancient religion which the Bonpos tell us came from Persian speaking lands west of Tibet. Ancient buddhas taught the dharma centuries before it flourished in the ancient kingdom of Zhang-zhung which chose Shenrab as its founder. This Path rejects the notion that Mahayana Buddhism grew out of a redefining of Sidhartha's Hinayana or Theravadic Buddhism. Northern Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, although mixed with some elements of Southern Buddhism, have their true origins among the tall, blue eyed, and  long haired Caucasoid Guishuang tribe of the Yuezhi (lit. "Moon People") "Yuezhi"  was the name used continuously by ancient Chinese historians to designate the tribe throughout its migrations, from the time it was in the Tarim Basin (7th to 2nd century BCE) to the time it ruled the Kushan Empire in India (1st-3th century CE).)

The teachings of Bon were said to be revealed by Tonpa Shenrab who replaces Sidhartha as the Buddha of the Bonpo sect of Tibet. Their origin is said by them to have been to the west and north of western Tibet, brought by white robed Priests from Persian lands. This Bon legend is a reframing of the introduction of Manichaeism into Tibet from Persia, and the legend of Tonpa Shinrab is a reworking of the prophet Mani conflated with a Bon priest named Shinrab Miwo who was active in Tibet about the time Buddhism was being introduced there from India.  Both the Jain and the Bon religion use the swastika, and this usage no doubt go back to the same source - the swastika using Yuezhi "Moon People" . Both Bonpos and Jains trace their origins to Mt. Kailish in western Tibet. Mt. Kailish was an ancient hub of a type of Buddhism that eventually became Ch'an, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Its multi-buddha worship is in stark contrast to the atheistic branch of Indian Buddhism promoted by Sidhartha.

Three contemporaries contributed to Indian "southern"Buddhism - Mahavira, Gosala, and Sidhartha. All were members of the Jain faith, including Sidhartha, and all claimed to be the twenty-fourth and final buddha in a line of ancient buddhas.

• Mahavira was accepted by many as the great Buddha, and is still revered by millions of Jains in India and elsewhere. Unlike Sidhartha, he believed in vegetarianism and a soul.
• Gosala went on to create Ajivikism. Gosala had been a companion of Mahavira for six years until they parted ways in an unfriendly manner. His sect seems to have eventually been absorbed into the Digambara branch of Mahavira's Jain followers. There are many doctrinal similarities between Gosala's Ajivikism and Jainism.
• Sidhartha Guatama, who was a bit younger than Mahavira and Gosala, started his own watered down version of what the other two had been teaching. His followers would eventually die out from their original Indian homeland, but he would become the figurehead for all things "buddhist" in other countries outside of India. Buddhism had been around for thousands of years when this Sidhartha Guatama (Sakyamuni) was born, but this does not stop many from crediting him with all of it. He encouraged the eating of what he called "pure meat", meaning meat not killed directly by one, for one, or in front of one. He also rejected the concept of the soul.

Historical Jainism begins with the understandings of Parsva (877-777 BC) in the Parasanatha Hills (in Bihar). He was the son of the king of Varanasi (Benaras) in India. Parsva renounced the worlds at the age of thirty and after a season of  meditation and austerity he attained enlightenment. Thereafter he preached his message and gathered followers around him. He died at the age of 100, about 250 years before the time of the next famouse Jain Buddha - Mahavira. He taught four of the five great moral precepts of Jainism, non-violence, truthfulness, non- stealing and non-acquisitiveness. Parsva and older Jainism/Buddhism did not teach the vow of sexual restraint which was added 250 years later by Mahavira and Sidhartha. The more ancient teachings of Parsva differed from Mahavira's thusly:
 

(1) Parsva taught a four fold vow. Mahavira added celibacy and preached  five vows.

(2)  Parsva taught that a monk had to repent only at the instance of committing sins or violating his vows.  But Mahavira made repentance a daily-duty.

(3) Parsva did not advocate  nakedness for monks instead he allowed one or two clothes for monks, while Mahavira made nudity a must.

(4) Parsva taught that a monk could accept the invitation for food and was also allowed to take the food, prepared for him, but for that of Mahavira it was strictly prohibited.

(5) Parsva allowed his monks to accept the meals prepared for the king, while Mahavira  prohibited this also.

(6) Parsva taught that a monk could stay at one place so long as he wishes.  To keep on moving was essential in Mahavira's tradition,  but it was optional in Parsva's tradition.

(7) Mahavira stressed that a monk should stay at one place in the rainy season for four months while in Parsva's tradition it was also optional.

(8) According to Mahavira, first an aspirant should be initiated probationaly.  After this period if he is found eligible, then he should be allowed to ordinate second time and his seniority is to be fixed accordingly in the samgha (order of monks).

This Path considers Parsva a greater teacher than Mahavira, and  the Svetambara branch the more ancient and more original of the two, since they wear white, accept woman as equals and acknowledge a female in the list of 24 buddhas. The nude Digambara sect probably originated from the followers of Gosala who was a companion of Mahavira.
 

"It has also been advanced that the pervasive influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar gave rise to Buddhism.  The Buddhists always maintained that by the time Buddha and Mahavira were alive, Jainism was already an ancient and deeply entrenched faith and culture in the region. Buddhist scriptures record philosophical dialogues between the wandering seeker Buddha and Jain teachers such as Udaka Ramaputta. Early Buddhists posited the existence of 24 previous Buddhas (Buddhas who walked the earth prior to Gautama Siddhartha) many of whose names are identical to those of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras and other traditional Jain figures. Buddhist scriptures attest that many of the first Buddhists were in fact Jains (Nirgranthas as they were then called, meaning "the unbonded ones"), whom Buddha encouraged to maintain their Jain identity and practices such as giving alms to Jain monks and nuns. The famous ancient parable of the blind men and the elephant illustrates the Jain science of Anekantavada, and is found in the Buddhist Pali text called Udana. Like most splinter groups generally, writers of the Pali texts clearly rejoiced in criticizing (and at times ridiculing) the Jains and celebrating the conversion of another Jain to Buddha's path. The texts show that Buddha vigorously appealed to the Nirgranthas that his path was nothing different from that with which they were already familiar, simply better.

 The Buddhist formulation of the "Middle Way" was a post-Buddha response by the Buddhist monastic community to criticism by the Jains (as seen in Jain texts such as the Sutrakritanga Sutra and Acharanga Sutra) that the Buddhist Bhikkhus (mendicants) were lax and not living the rigorous life of a true ascetic or Shramana (Samana in Prakrit). In defining the Middle Way, Buddhist scholars branded their faith with a unique identity that distanced itself from Jain tradition by providing an alternative to "extreme asceticism" (i.e., Jainism) on one hand and Buddha's own princely hedonism on the other. In describing Buddha's six-years of spiritual searching after leaving his family, Buddhist scriptures from the early post-Buddha period detail certain fasts, penances and austerities which Buddha undertook whose descriptions are elsewhere found only in the Jain tradition (for example, the penance by five fires and the consumption of food using only one's cupped hands). To this day, many Buddhist teachings, principles and terms remain identical to Jain ones. In short, a large body of evidence suggests that Buddhism is, in large measure, an offshoot of Jainism. The Jain teacher Mahavira was a senior contemporary of the Buddha, however there is no evidence the two teachers actually met." - www.Wikipedia.org

Gautama Buddha (563-483 BC.), the founder of these types of Buddhism, was the junior contemporary of Mahävïra. We possess no authentic accounts of his life and teachings. Having taught for forty-five years from his supposed enlightenment to his death,  Gautama supposedly left behind a large compendium of oral teachings that were memorized by various of his disciples, yet none of his teachings were written down until several hundred years later. There is much controversy on just what is authentic in these suppossed teachings. The gnostic prophet Mani taught that these teachings were not preserved in purity and contain error. Mrs. Rhys Davis, and other scholars, have observed that "Buddha" found his two teachers Alara and Uddaka at Vaisali and started his religious life as a Jain.  (Mrs. Rhys Davis, Diwakar S. C., Glimpse of Jainism ) It is the position of this Teaching that Sidhartha was not an enlightened being and that most of the changes he made in the Jain faith were not for the best.

Frightened by what they considered Buddhist heresies, a council of conservative Buddhist monks was convened at the Mauryan capital of Patna during the third century BC to purify the doctrine. This is similar to the Christian Council of Nicene where orthodox Bishops condemned gnostic ones. What arose were the teachings of Theravada Buddhism which would  undergo little change. Theravada Buddhism focused primarily on meditation and concentration, the eighth of the Eightfold Noble Path; as a result, it centered on a monastic life and an extreme expenditure of time in meditating. Theravadists consider Sidhartha the historical Buddha as their founder.

This Buddhism is often called reformed Buddhism but in reality it is the product of another flow of gnosis that did not originate in eastern India but among central asians. It became established as Mahayana by the people of the Kushan empire in the first century AD. It is called the "Greater Vehicle", or "The Greater Ox-Cart", or Mahayana. (Mahayanist oft refer to Theravada as Hinayana, or "The Lesser Vehicle.") Mahayanists present Buddhism in various levels of bodhisattvahood that terminate in Buddhahood. Mahayana Buddhism divided into two central schools, the Madhyamika, or "Doctrine of the Middle Position," and the Vijnanavada, or "Doctrine of Consciousness." Each of these schools believed that all of physical reality was an illusion. The only thing that existed was Void or Emptiness. Mahayanist often consider Sidhartha the historical Buddha as their founder, but this is false.
 

"In the first century AD, when the Mahayana doctrines were organized and put to writing (in the Kushan Empire), Gautama was assimilated into the Mahayana as Shakyamuni Buddha, and his teachings given new meanings and interpretations. The Mahayana needed a framework to push their doctrines, and Gautama’s life fitted the bill for its moral and humanistic content. More importantly, his teachings have a high appeal among the people of the day." - The Kushans (Gasshi) and Mahayana Buddhism

Mahayana, when mixed with Manichaeism, eventully developed into Vajrayana, of which there are 5 main schools. The Bonpo and the Nyingma are considered to be the oldest and are the most harmonious with Manichaean and Gnostic philosophy and practice.

The Tantric Buddhists taught that just because the physical world doesn't exist doesn't mean that one should reject it.  One could  use the physical world and one's perceptions of it as a means towards enlightenment. All activities, including sex, can be used as a meditative technique. This was called Vajrayana, or "The Vehicle of the Thunder-Bolt." Many believe that Tantric Buddhism was taught by Sidhartha Buddha, but this is unlikely. Tibetan Buddhists consider Sidhartha the historical Buddha as their founder, but this is only partially true. Much of what has become Vajrayana Buddhism actually comes from the Older Bonpo faith and various versions of central Asian Buddhism and Manichaeism. Later some admixture did came from India and all older ideas were disassociated from their true source as much as possible.

Zen maintains the doctrine that enlightenment can be attained through direct intuitive insight. Called Chaan in China and Zen in Japan.

To become a Messenger of Light it is necesarry to take upon oneself the Boddhisattva Vow of service to all living beings (i.e. Directly toward all the seed of Light and indirectly toward all animated beings in all worlds).

Some scholars assume that Mani meant Sidhartha when he spoke of Buddha being a Messenger of Light, but Mani may have meant Shenrab, Parsva, Mahavira or another Buddha. David A. Scott, in his Manichaean Views of Buddhism, writes:
 

"In 982 an envoy, Yang yen-te, sent by the Chinese court to the Uighur ruler Arslan, noticed at the Uighur center of Turfan some fifty Buddhist convents dating from the time of the T'ang dynasty together with a library of Chinese Buddhist texts. He also described a shrine to Mani (Ma-ni-ssu) "attended by Persian priests who carefully observe their particular regulations and declare the Buddhist books as heretical."" Yang yen-te's observations show that, after a century and a half of Manichaean dominance in Uighur political circles, Buddhism was still numerically strong. This suggests that there had indeed been no direct Manichaean persecution of its Buddhist rival. Furthermore Yang yen-te's brief words are important for showing current Manichaean attitudes toward Buddhism, which were that Buddhism had indeed some truth but that through misunderstanding and corruptions it had then diverged from the path taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, the Messenger of Light, and so had lapsed into heresy, unable to accept thereafter the renewal offered by Mani. As usual it was the Manichaean electi who were able to sort the wheat from the chaff in the various traditions encountered. From a Manichaean perspective the Buddhists were indeed tinged with heresy, for they had diverged and lapsed from the previously pure message brought by Sahkyamuni Buddha, which was the same as that later one brought by the equally enlightened Mani."

There exists a very definite link between the true Gnosis and its Dzogchen, Ch'an, Bon, Jain and Buddhist equivalents. There are philosophical similarities between Gnosticism and Buddhism, and there are historical connections between the two, especially through the Manichaeans. Some scholars, like Edward Conze, a leading expositor of Buddhism to the  western world, has written of many similarities between Mahayana Buddhism and the Gnosticism. Others have also suggested the influence of Gnosticism on Buddhism:
 

"People have sometimes spoken a lot, in mysterious terms, of such an influence, which would be exerted on the very formation of the Mahayana, “in the north of India, where already, through Persia, the evangelical preaching had certainly penetrated” -History of Pure Land Buddhism

For Nazmani, an important flow of Buddhist dharma also went along the silk road from central Asia to China where it was mixed with Taoism and transformed into Ch'an, and from China to Japan where it became Zen.  Many important and valid differences exist between this Chinese form of Buddhism and the Indian one, such as the move away from begging to self sufficient farming.