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Indian Ethnicity and Religious Heritage
society was so orthodox that they would not allow so called Shudras even to learn Sanskrit so that they may not avail of religoius scriptures. It was for this reason that both these saints preached in the Prakrit language of the common man. It was Mahavira who introduced the concept of Brahmacharya as a separate foundation of religion and established the equal right of females to attain Moksha by giving them an equal place in the formation of Chatur Sangh of Shravaka, Shravakas, Sadhus and Sadhvis. All these things did give a distinct identity to Jainism and Buddhism.
It is true that Buddha did not dispute the existence of Atman, but his doctrine of transitoriness was applied even to Atma, which is basically contradictory to what Hindus and Jains believe. Buddha's doctrine of "Pratitya Samutpaada" (Dependent Origination) was quite novel and could not be accepted by those who believe that Atma is unborn and ever lasting. This is one more factor making Buddhism "distinct and apart" from Hinduism.
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