[Advaita-l] Ahimsaa and Buddhism

[Siva Senani Nori]

Thank you Subrahmanian ji.

Regards
N Siva Senani 
 
  On Sat, 7 Jan, 2017 at 11:17 p.m., V Subrahmanian<v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:   

On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 8:56 PM, Siva Senani Nori via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

Modern textbooks state that Buddha denounced the hiMsaa in Yajnas. This is so well propagated, that it is now accepted as a fact that Yajnas involve hiMsaa. Such an objection is met with in Niruktam (through the words of Kautsa) and refuted by saying that hiMsaa  is injury done outside Yajnas. Then there is a mention in caarvaaka darSana about hiMsaa (if the sacrificed creature indeed goes to heaven, why don't you sacrifice your father?) Beyond these two mentions I do not recall any discussions.
I admit that I have not read Buddhist texts, but I have seen that most criticisms (of sanaatana dharma) are discussed and refuted in different ways in Nyaya, Mimamsa and Vedanta. However hiMsaa does not seem to have been discussed. Please give me pointers to where there were discussed in traditional texts.


One reference that comes to mind is the brahma sutra 3.1.25 and bhāṣya:
अशुद्धमिति चेन्न शब्दात्भाष्यम्यत्पुनरुक्तम् — पशुहिंसादियोगादशुद्धमाध्वरिकं कर्म, तस्यानिष्टमपि फलमवकल्पत इत्यतो मुख्यमेवानुशयिनां व्रीह्यादिजन्म अस्तु ; तत्र गौणी कल्पना अनर्थिकेति — तत्परिह्रियते — न, शास्त्रहेतुत्वाद्धर्माधर्मविज्ञानस्य ; अयं धर्मः अयमधर्म इति शास्त्रमेव विज्ञाने कारणम्, अतीन्द्रियत्वात्तयोः ; अनियतदेशकालनिमित्तत्वाच्च — यस्मिन्देशे काले निमित्ते च यो धर्मोऽनुष्ठीयते, स एव देशकालनिमित्तान्तरेष्वधर्मो भवति ; तेन न शास्त्रादृते धर्माधर्मविषयं विज्ञानं कस्यचिदस्ति । शास्त्राच्च हिंसानुग्रहाद्यात्मको ज्योतिष्टोमो धर्म इत्यवधारितः, स कथमशुद्ध इति शक्यते वक्तुम् । ननु ‘न हिंस्यात्सर्वा भूतानि’ इति शास्त्रमेव भूतविषयां हिंसाम् अधर्म इत्यवगमयति ; बाढम् — उत्सर्गस्तु सः ; अपवादोऽयं ‘अग्नीषोमीयं पशुमालभेत’ इति ; उत्सर्गापवादयोश्च व्यवस्थितविषयत्वम् ; तस्माद्विशुद्धं कर्म वैदिकम्, शिष्टैरनुष्ठीयमानत्वात् अनिन्द्यमानत्वाच्च ; तेन न तस्य प्रतिरूपं फलम् जातिस्थावरत्वम् । न च श्वादिजन्मवदपि व्रीह्यादिजन्म भवितुमर्हति ; तद्धि कपूयचरणानधिकृत्य उच्यते ; नैवमिह वैशेषिकः कश्चिदधिकारोऽस्ति । अतश्चन्द्रमण्डलस्खलितानामनुशयिनां व्रीह्यादिसंश्लेषमात्रं तद्भाव इत्युपचर्यते ॥ २५ ॥Someone may please provide the English translation for the benefit of others.regardsvs

 
Overplaying of this hiMsaa aspect seems to be the result of a modern historian's enthusiasm rather than fact because so many ready arguments are available. For instance, animals are food fir human beings and not all Buddhists are vegetarians (which again are lifeforms). Comments of scholars are solicited.

Regards
N Siva Senani
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