Lesson Two: The Buddha's Response to Hindu Questions

Objectives:

Procedure:

Introduce students to the following ideas:

Buddhism was, in many ways, a response to the beliefs and practices of Hinduism, so it is helpful to see Buddhism in its historical context; engaged in conversation with the Hindu tradition.

The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Hindu philosophical tradition and is very concerned with abstract concepts dealing with the nature of existence, of the self and the universe. The Buddha's famous "Questions That Tend Not to Edification" can be seen as a response to the philosophical tradition within Brahminical Hinduism.

Ask students to review The Bhagavad Gita from the Hinduism Belief section, then ask them to read the two versions of "Questions That Tend Not to Edification." Discuss or have the students write on the following questions:

  1. What are some of the main concerns of the Bhagavad Gita?
  2. Do you think Malunkyaputta and Vaccha in "Questions" are concerned with the same sorts of questions as the characters in the Bhagavad Gita?
  3. What does the Buddha's response tell you about his attitude towards Hindu philosophy?