Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism

Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism
	Swami Vivekananda in Chicago in 1893
Date	26 September 1893
Location	Chicago, United States
Website	www.parliamentofreligions.org

"Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism" is a lecture delivered by Indian Hindu monk and expounder Swami Vivekananda on 26 September 1893 at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. In this lecture, he expressed his opinion that "Buddhism was the fulfilment of Hinduism."^[1]

Background

In 1893, Swami Vivekananda went to the United States and joined the Parliament of the World's Religions as a delegate of Hinduism and India, which ran from 11 to 27 September in that year in Chicago. This event also marked the first world conference of the representatives of Eastern and Western religions. After his introductory speech to the Parliament of religions on 11 September 1893, which was of a general nature stating no religion was superior or inferior to the other, his subsequent lectures were on 15th, 19, 20 and 26 September were on specific issues of religion.^[2]

Lecture

This lecture was delivered on 26 September 1893.

Jesus Christ crucified him, while in India in contrast Buddha was worshipped as God. He was also critical of the way Buddhism was practised in the world now.^[3]^[5]

Swamiji elaborated on the reasons for the near total elimination of the Buddhist religion (

Mahayana Buddhism) from India. He said that "At the present day there is not one who calls oneself a Buddhist in India, the land of its birth." This was because Buddha's philosophy clashed with the "eternal rocks of the Vedas" to which people, Brahmin's in particular, were wedded and did not want to accept change. Thus, Buddhism could not survive in India. When Buddha was asked by his Brahmin disciples to translate his works, which were in the local language of the people, to Sanskrit, his reply was "I am for the poor, for the people; let me speak in the tongue of the people." Swamiji also mentioned in his speech the loss to India was the "reforming zeal, that wonderful sympathy and charity for everybody, that wonderful leaven which Buddhism had brought to the masses." ^[3]^[5]

Swamiji also stated that Buddhism should not be confused with

Salvation Army is not to be confused with Christianity.^[5] Swamiji also opined that Buddhism was the "fulfillment of Hinduism" and thus Buddhists were wedded to the "brains and philosophy of the Brahmins" and similarly the Buddhists were the heart of the Hinduism.^[1]

Significance

According to Rabindra Kumar Dasgupta, the author of Swami Vivekananda on Indian philosophy and literature, it was his "historic address on Buddhism".[6] A summary of the lecture was published The Indian Mirror on 29 June 1895, which emphasised the concluding words of the lecture—^[7]

We cannot live without you, nor you without us. Then believe that separation has shown to us, that you cannot stand without the brain and the philosophy of the Brahman [sic], nor we without your heart. This separation between the Buddhist and the Brahman [Brahmin] is the cause of the downfall of India. That is why India has been the slave of conquerors for the past 1000 years. Let us then join the wonderful intellect of the Brahman [Brahmin] with the heart, the noble soul, the wonderful humanising power of the Great Master.

The Srilankan Buddhist Dharmapala equally spoke at this gathering and stressed on Buddha's word as a universal Teaching.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b Amore 1979, p. 74.
^ Ghosh 2003, p. 81.
^ ^a ^b ^c Vivekananda, p. 28.
^ "The 1893 World's Fair". Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e King 2013, p. 97.
^ Dasgupta 1996, p. 102
^ "A summary of Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism". The Indian Mirror. 29 June 1895. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)