Textual evidence suggests Buddhists began this process in the 5th century BCE, while Hindus included the Buddha as an avatar around the 4th–5th centuries CE.
**Buddhist Incorporation of Hindu Deities (5th Century BCE Onward)**
Buddhism began in the 5th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563–483 BCE), engaging with the Vedic religious context. The *Pali Canon*, the earliest Buddhist scriptures, was composed orally during and after the Buddha’s lifetime and written down in Sri Lanka by the 1st century BCE. In texts like the *Samyutta Nikaya* and *Majjhima Nikaya*, Vedic deities such as Indra (called Sakka) and Brahma appear as *devas*—celestial beings subject to karma and rebirth. For example, Brahma Sahampati in the *Ariyapariyesana Sutta* venerates the Buddha, showing their subordinate role in Buddhist cosmology. This incorporation started in the 5th century BCE.
**Hindu Incorporation of the Buddha (4th–5th Century CE)**
In Vaishnava Hinduism, the Buddha was included as an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, listed among the ten principal avatars (*Dashavatara*). This appears in Puranic texts like the *Vishnu Purana* and *Bhagavata Purana*, compiled around 300–500 CE during the Gupta Empire. These texts name the Buddha as the ninth avatar, after Krishna and before Kalki, often describing him as a form of Vishnu to guide beings or reform practices.
riesen_Bonobo on
This is the kind of fun I miss with monotheist and overly doctrinal religions
IllConstruction3450 on
Abrahamics: your gods are actually our angels, pagan.
Pagans: sweet, new god to add to my collection.
poiyurt on
Another example of this kind of Buddhist syncretism happened in China. According to Buddhist legend Guan Yu appeared to a Buddhist master one day and asked to study Buddhism, then became a Bodhisattva.
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Textual evidence suggests Buddhists began this process in the 5th century BCE, while Hindus included the Buddha as an avatar around the 4th–5th centuries CE.
**Buddhist Incorporation of Hindu Deities (5th Century BCE Onward)**
Buddhism began in the 5th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563–483 BCE), engaging with the Vedic religious context. The *Pali Canon*, the earliest Buddhist scriptures, was composed orally during and after the Buddha’s lifetime and written down in Sri Lanka by the 1st century BCE. In texts like the *Samyutta Nikaya* and *Majjhima Nikaya*, Vedic deities such as Indra (called Sakka) and Brahma appear as *devas*—celestial beings subject to karma and rebirth. For example, Brahma Sahampati in the *Ariyapariyesana Sutta* venerates the Buddha, showing their subordinate role in Buddhist cosmology. This incorporation started in the 5th century BCE.
**Hindu Incorporation of the Buddha (4th–5th Century CE)**
In Vaishnava Hinduism, the Buddha was included as an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, listed among the ten principal avatars (*Dashavatara*). This appears in Puranic texts like the *Vishnu Purana* and *Bhagavata Purana*, compiled around 300–500 CE during the Gupta Empire. These texts name the Buddha as the ninth avatar, after Krishna and before Kalki, often describing him as a form of Vishnu to guide beings or reform practices.
This is the kind of fun I miss with monotheist and overly doctrinal religions
Abrahamics: your gods are actually our angels, pagan.
Pagans: sweet, new god to add to my collection.
Another example of this kind of Buddhist syncretism happened in China. According to Buddhist legend Guan Yu appeared to a Buddhist master one day and asked to study Buddhism, then became a Bodhisattva.