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Bhagwan Buddha
121
It was a goal set by the Hinayāna that Buddha should be described as gettings alvation at the end of an allotted span of life. Contrary to this, Mahāyānis describe that Buddha can have no salvation because he can not aspire for it as long as there is even one being in bondage in this world. Because of this belief of Mahāyānis, there is a change found in the biographies falling in the third stage.
Similarities found in both of them
(1) Protest against Vedic traditions
Bhagawan Mahāvīra and Buddha flourished at one and the same time and both launched a campaign against the existing conditions and situations with a unitorm vehemence. Both opposed Vedic traditions; both devalued the greatness of the Vedic gods and both gave separate forms and colours to the Bhāratiya religions. The contribution of both of them is noteworthy as regards gods to be propitiated. Vices such as are found in man, namely, anger, partiality, love, hatred etc. were, no doubt, there in the gods. Both planted a strong and grand belief in the minds of people to the effect that he only can be a symbol of god-hood in whom there are no vlces mentioned before.
The credit of spreading the idea of unity between various sections of mankind in place of that of a high and low goes, indeed to both of them. In the domain of religion, the system of priest's intervention everywhere was in vogue. This they removed and declared unequivocally that intervention in matters religious was absolutety unnecessary. As there is inberent unity between various sections of humanity at large and as all human beings were equal, both made it be known that the status of a teacher or a preceptor which uptill now went to the Brāhmins be transferred generally to one who was superior in merits-though he may by birth be a chāndal in the order of monks. So far as spiritualism is concerned, they gave equal rights and consideration to both man and woman. Both underlined the superiority of spiritual wealth to material weath and both preferred vernaculars to Sanskrit.
On account of many such similarities and on account of the fact that the names of the relatives of both of them were the same, there was a time once when it was believed that both Mahavira and Buddha were one and the same. But as the works bearing on Jainism and Buddhism began to come to light and to be studied by scholars that belief proved to bega delusion and now it is unanimously accepted that both are different personalities.
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