Buddhism is classified as a Greco-Indian religion
Nobody can tell you what it was before Alexander but they can try and tell you - it that’s possible - that the religion was strongly influenced for more than 1000 years by the Greeks who converted to the religion and built statues and temples which did not exist before Alexander going to the East.
We are talking about an influence for more than 1000 years - an influence that made it into something it was never before
So QED Buddhism is a Greek religion because of Alexander the Great
Buddhism is classified as a Greco-Indian religionThere's just so much to unpack with you. By time we address one thing, you've started with another. Offler used the correct terms and the correct cause and effect. He understands what you mean, and is trying to help you. You are trying to appear smarter than others, and instead showing the opposite. "Greco-Indian" is not a classification of religions in which Buddhism is one that fits. So, you're using the words wrong. Greco-Indian describes a specific cultural blend. You understand some of the history of where it came from. That's great, good for you for reading something. But saying things like "no one knows what Buddhism original was" is true, but useless. In a sense, no one knows anything, but then you've made the words useless, so that's useless to phrase it like that. With science, we can demonstrate what is known, always holding out for it to be disproven by a new demonstration. With history, it's gone, you can't go back and do any experiments. It has less certainty than other sciences. The further back you go, the less there is. So, yeah, pre-Alexandrian India, we're not going to know much.
Buddhism is classified as a Greco-Indian religion Nobody can tell you what it was before Alexander but they can try and tell you - it that's possible - that the religion was strongly influenced for more than 1000 years by the Greeks who converted to the religion and built statues and temples which did not exist before Alexander going to the East. We are talking about an influence for more than 1000 years - an influence that made it into something it was never before So QED Buddhism is a Greek religion because of Alexander the GreatWell that claim has two-three flaws. Culture is much wider term than just religion. Statues, coins, government... Indo-greek culture was established mainly in current Iran. Since then Islam took over the area and culture as well. Also if you check here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism There is a table mentioning various branches, and sorry for using Wikipedia, dont have time to get better sources. Indo-greek was (until 6th century) one of the schools. Indo-greek does not equal greek.
well tell me what Buddhism was before Alexander - it was obscure and dying out
And compare that to what it is now
the Statues and temples are all Greek - the first statues are Greek
the religion is Greek
<span style="color:red]Greek monks played a direct role in the upper hierarchy of Buddhism, and in its early dissemination. During the rule (165 BC - 135 BC) of the Greco-Bactrian King Menander I (Pali">
Buddhist monks from the region of Gandhara in Afghanistan, where Greco-Buddhism was most influential, later played a key role in the development and the transmission of Buddhist ideas in the direction of northern Asia. Greco-Buddhist Kushan monks such as Lokaksema (c. 178 AD) travelled to the Chinese capital of Loyang, where they became the first translators of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.[32] Central Asian and East Asian Buddhist monks appear to have maintained strong exchanges until around the 10th century, as indicated by the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves frescos from the Tarim Basin. In legend too Bodhidharma, the founder of Chán-Buddhism, which later became Zen, and the legendary originator of the physical training of the Shaolin monks that led to the creation of Shaolin Kung Fu, is described as a Buddhist monk from Central Asia in the first Chinese references to him (Yan Xuan-Zhi, 547 AD).[33] Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as a rather ill-tempered, profusely bearded and wide-eyed barbarian, and he is referred as “The Blue-Eyed Barbarian” (碧眼胡:Bìyǎn hú) in Chinese Chan texts.[34] In 485 AD, according to the 7th century Chinese historic treatise Liang Shu, five monks from Gandhara travelled to the country of Fusang (“The country of the extreme East” beyond the sea, probably eastern Japan), where they introduced Buddhism:
“Fusang is located to the east of China, 20,000 li (1,500 kilometers) east of the state of Da Han (itself east of the state of Wa in modern Kyūshū, Japan). (…) In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion, but in the second year of Da Ming of the Song dynasty (485 AD), five monks from Kipin (Kabul region of Gandhara) travelled by ship to Fusang. They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result the customs of Fusang changed”
All very interesting Boris. And nothing there says “Buddhism is Greek”. You have genetics and philosophy mixed up. I can go Ireland and learn Gaelic and eventually teach Gaelic, that wouldn’t make Gaelic America. When doing a history of philosophy, showing names and dates and positions isn’t only the beginning. You have to show writing where the precepts of the one commented on the other and then others followed one of those directions and changed how they acted because of it. Stuff like that.
i.e. Christianity is Jewish. Paul claimed to have actually had a vision of the messiah, a Jewish idea. Later people built on, or perhaps misunderstood what that meant, and Christianity became it’s own thing.
Judaism and Christianity are Persian - pure Zoroastrianism
Yes as you can see the Greeks were heavily involved in Buddhism because of Alexander
If not for the Greeks none of that would have happened
Karate is Greek Pankration - one of the events at the Greek ancient games - the Greek Monks spread it with Buddhism
Err if you click the link its all about Greco-Buddhism the word Greek is mentioned 99 times
Dharma was actually Greek
The Greek built the statues and temples
Here is a quote
The Mahavamsa, ch. 29, records that during Menander’s reign, a Greek thera (elder monk) named Mahadharmaraksita led 30,000 Buddhist monks from “the Greek city of Alexandria” (possibly Alexandria on the Caucasus, around 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of today’s Kabul in Afghanistan), to Sri Lanka for the dedication of a stupa, indicating that Buddhism flourished in Menander’s territory and that Greeks took a very active part in it.[18]
Several Buddhist dedications by Greeks in India are recorded, such as that of the Greek meridarch (civil governor of a province) named Theodorus, describing in Kharosthi how he enshrined relics of the Buddha. The inscriptions were found on a vase inside a stupa, dated to the reign of Menander or one of his successors in the 1st century BC.[19] Finally, Buddhist tradition recognizes Menander as one of the great benefactors of the faith, together with Ashoka and Kanishka the Great.
Buddhist manuscripts in cursive Greek have been found in Afghanistan, praising various Buddhas and including mentions of the Mahayana figure of “Lokesvararaja Buddha” (λωγοασφαοαζοβοδδο). These manuscripts have been dated later than the 2nd century AD.[20]
Alexander’s Empire was just the beginning as Menander - the descendant of one of Alexander’s generals of the House of Euthydemus continued to build cities and spread Greek thought and culture - it didnt just fall over with Alexander - it started with Alexander and continued.
rubbish it is what I have said all along Buddhism is a Greek religion because of Alexander - deal with itBuddha is NOT Greek. He was born in NEPAL!! He studied Hinduism and branched out his own version of it, which eventually became Buddhism. Just like what Martin Luther did with Catholicism. He didn't mean to do that. He wanted to just correct their quazi big screw Ups for them, but it ended up breaking from the cult and Protestantism was born. Now don't go out and tell me that Martin Luther is a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness LOL. Pleeease. ...
Buddhism was contributed to by the Greeks so much that the original religion is lost
What remains is Greek
Err if you click the link its all about Greco-Buddhism the word Greek is mentioned 99 timesBuddha, Buddhist or Buddhism occurs 178 times. Also, most people say the sky is blue.
well you just can’t learn anything new - that sucks for you
It is about god - he changed its his history He started off as El with a wife Asherah and 70 children - a pantheon of gods But as soon as the Persians took Babylon the Zoroastrians edjamaked the Jews and El became YHWH who is one and the same with the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda Yes the car was named after the Zoroastrian god. So the Jewish Christian Muslim god of today changed dramatically over the centuries and is now the Zoroastrian god with no wife and no childrenNo gods exist, which is all we need to know. What’s the use of looking into the history of fictional characters? All it does is reveal the inanity of the human mind. Lois
It is about god - he changed its his history He started off as El with a wife Asherah and 70 children - a pantheon of gods But as soon as the Persians took Babylon the Zoroastrians edjamaked the Jews and El became YHWH who is one and the same with the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda Yes the car was named after the Zoroastrian god. So the Jewish Christian Muslim god of today changed dramatically over the centuries and is now the Zoroastrian god with no wife and no childrenNo gods exist, which is all we need to know. What’s the use of looking into the history of fictional characters? All it does is reveal the inanity of the human mind. Lois to prove it doesn't exist
This is a Greek statue?
Interesting topic.
My conclusions:
As the Exodus has been shown to be a myth and the Jews a group of Canaanites, the easiest way to understand the background of Judaism is through the light of the Ugaritic material. It shows EL and ASHERAH as the parents of some 70 “sons of EL” (“gods”). As history shows, these were never completely replaced, but under Yahwism an autocratic faction took control, denouncing all other gods and creating the books of the TANAKH (also found as Septuagint and Old Testament). This became consolidated under the Zoroastrian influence of their liberator kin Cyrus (called “messiah” in Isaiah), YHWH was associated with AHURA MAZDA, and became referred to as “The Lord” (ADONAI). Christianity may have evolved from the identification of the Greek THEOS with EL, and the LOGOS of Philo of Alexandria as the “son of God” with the Jesus Christ of Paul and elaborations in the Gospels.
This is a Greek statue?The very first statues of the Buddha were made by Greeks and the religion was spread by Greeks and what was taught was Greek as the religion was contributed largely by Greeks. So the answer: That statue and all the others is Hellenistic
Interesting topic. My conclusions: As the Exodus has been shown to be a myth and the Jews a group of Canaanites, the easiest way to understand the background of Judaism is through the light of the Ugaritic material. It shows EL and ASHERAH as the parents of some 70 "sons of EL" ("gods"). As history shows, these were never completely replaced, but under Yahwism an autocratic faction took control, denouncing all other gods and creating the books of the TANAKH (also found as Septuagint and Old Testament). This became consolidated under the Zoroastrian influence of their liberator kin Cyrus (called "messiah" in Isaiah), YHWH was associated with AHURA MAZDA, and became referred to as "The Lord" (ADONAI). Christianity may have evolved from the identification of the Greek THEOS with EL, and the LOGOS of Philo of Alexandria as the "son of God" with the Jesus Christ of Paul and elaborations in the Gospels.Well you get high marks from me as you have done well with that post and your conclusions The Hebrews (not Jews) were Canaanites as proven by the findings of Ugarit - wel done. The Jews were the returnees from Babylon liberated by Cyrus - the Christ according to Isaiah 45:1 The Jews brought back Zoroastrianism as the god of the Second Isaiah - Isaiah 40 to 48 was copied and paralleled of and from Yasna 44 of the Gathas written by Zoroaster and is pure Zoroastrianism. The Jewish religion was changed to Zoroastrianism by Zoroastrians and they adopted the Zoroastrian god and laws - purity is one example given by Ezra and Nehemiah the Sadducees were all wiped out as were all but one Pharisee by the Romans so only Phariseeism survived which is pure Zoroastrianism
If you’re using the Bible or any religious document as a source then you are in fact talking religion not history.
Peering back thousands of years through a lens that is subjective not objective in nature is not going to give you a clear picture at all of what actually happened…
See this here all the time, because it was written in some religious script it must therefore by “true”.
They’re stories, in many cases nothing more…
well here is a fact for you Sherlock
The Second Isaiah is a “striking parallel” of Yasna 44 of the Gathas written by Zoroaster and the 2nd Isaiah was a revolutionary new religious development for the Hebrews - it was the first imprint of Zoroastrianism
well here is a fact for you Sherlock The Second Isaiah is a "striking parallel" of Yasna 44 of the Gathas written by Zoroaster and the 2nd Isaiah was a revolutionary new religious development for the Hebrews - it was the first imprint of ZoroastrianismStill talking religion not fact. Look at how uncertain information is right now then add thousands of years of stories being passed down that in many cases probably were oral in origin. We live in a world where probably several billion people believe in the existence of a "man" that has virtually zero historical basis. Go ahead and speculate, but that is all it really is... sherlock...