Monks, I am a Brahmin, one to ask a favour of, ever clean-handed, wearing my last body, incomparable physician and surgeon. Ye are my own true sons, born of my mouth, born of dharma, created by dharma, my spiritual heirs, not carnal heirs. — Itivuttaka 101
In Sanskrit, the word “Brahman” (including Brahma as meaning “related to Brahman”), generally means “supreme impersonal spirit” or the same, the absolute. It originally was neuter. Eventually, the grammatical gender of masculine and feminine developed out of the older neuter.
It needs to be underscored that the Buddha, in his discourses, was not opposed to using this term frequently. In fact, he makes the word ‘Brahman’ synonymous with nirvana and Dharma. In a discourse (M.i.386) the Buddha says that one who has attained nirvana is said to become Brahman (brahmanbhuto). Further, the Tathagata is said to have both Dharma and Brahma as his body; to be convergent with Dharma and with Brahma (D.iii.84).
“The body of Dharma that is the body of Brahma, or become Dharma, that is also become Brahma.”
The Eight-fold path leading to nirvana is sometimes referred to as Brahmayana, i.e. the Brahma vehicle. The Buddha is said to turn the wheel of Dharma and Brahman. He also said that to dwell in the Dharma is the same as dwelling with Brahman (S.v.5). With regard to self or atman, Buddha said that the Brahma vehicle “originates within the self” (S.v.6).
The Buddha’s use of the word Brahman or Brahma appears not to be used in the sense of a personal god except when qualified as a deity in the examples of Baka Brahma or Brahma Sahampati, etc. Neither can Brahman or Brahma be used, exclusively, as meaning ‘excellent’ or ‘divine’.
Using Brahman or Brahma less than it means in a spiritual context is an attempt by some translators to de-transcendentalize Buddhism as if to make it a system of ethics—a kind of latter-day Stoicism. As the reader may judge, if the Buddha equates Brahma with Dharma, then Brahma has to be used in the same sense as Dharma meaning, absolute.
that sounds like Hindooism, Gotama said screw that Hindoo-Atman bullsheyat. I think your smoking crack.
Posted by: suvimutta | March 04, 2008 at 12:24 AM