Abstract

How to understand Buddhism today? It seems quite important to look back at the origin of Indian Buddhism to have a clear view of his path. Did Buddhism emerge has an independent and new religious scheme or rely on the ground of the Hindus? Is there several factors which contributed to the rise of the Indian buddhism? For that, we have to look back between 3000-1000 BC and the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley and the interactions with the Aryans, but also the brahmanical movement and the sramanas sect.

From 1500 to the sixth century BCE in fact the time of the Buddha, there is an interaction between two opposed traditions namely the Indian valley civilization and the Aryans. The ground of the origin of Indian Buddhism can be found through these religious culture. However, Buddhism draws most of its inspiration from the religious culture of the Indian valley civilization. Many elements can proof that. For instance, the elements of renunciation, meditation, rebirth, karma and liberation. All these characteristics were important components of the religious culture of the Indian Valley Civilization are also in Buddhism. There is a kind of continuity between the religious culture and traditions of the Indian Valley Civilization and Buddhism. In this situation, the opposite religious culture from the Indian Valley Civilization and the Aryan began to interact, influence and even merge with each other. The result was that at the time of the Buddha, a very heterogeneous religious culture flourished in India. Aryans became increasingly under the influence of religious attitudes, practices and values from the religion of the Indian Valley Civilization. The distinction between these two traditions was more and more difficult to draw.

In addition, at the time of the Buddha, major political and economic changes were occurring especially in central India. It means that the old system of social class was disintegrating and the Brahmans lost their influence. People could no longer be satisfied with primitive religious beliefs, especially sacrifices, which deified natural phenomena. Also, the teaching and doctrine of Buddha has sometimes been seen as an attempt by the royal Kshatriya power to go away from the domination of the sacerdotal Brahman and to unite both spiritual and temporal power in the same hands. Buddhism did not start as a new and independent religion. However, it was an offshoot of the ancient faith of the Hindus, maybe a schism or an heresy. In a way the Buddha agreed with the faith he inherited but he protested again some practices which were in vogue at this time and he refused to acquiesce in the vedic ceremonialism. Buddhism denounced all claims of superiority on the ground of birth as the brahmanas said, and he protest against distinctions between man and man and claim that it was karma, the action of man that determined the eminence or lowness of an individual.