The Roots of Buddha and Buddhism

After studying Buddhism for a very long time, reading the Buddha's sutras, and learning about some of the events in his life, I suddenly came upon the realization that I understood almost nothing about the Buddha's environment. Gautama grew up as a Hindu, surrounded by Hindu religious beliefs, with Hindu parents, with Hindu educators, with Hindu friends and with a Hindu wife. Yet somehow, the writers about Buddha that I have read from, mostly in the context of Soka Gakkei, have never seen fit to enlighten me about this environment.

I decided to put an end to that and start learning about Hinduism, with even the goal in mind to understand the Hinduism of Buddha's time and location. Gautama certainly participated in the Hindu rituals, was baptized (and other things) in Hindu tradition, and maybe learned yoga, meditation, chanting, commandments, rituals, and more from his Hindu tradition. What exactly of his teachings is different, and what is carried over from his Hindu past?

India, in the common American view, is like Africa, primitive, unhygenic, poorly educated and not a place to go on vacation. Except for a few travel ads for the Taj Mahal, it is hardly mentioned. It almost has not entered most Americans' consciousness. Our geographic ignorance is legendary around the world, and I doubt many Americans could describe where it is located. Since it is so backward, why learn anything about it? So we Americans grow up without hearing anything about India, or about Hinduism, except for a few news flashes, as when someone important is assassinated. But then again, we don't much keep up with anywhere but home anyway...

Yoga comes from India, and many Americans are taking up yoga. But they do so without understanding its position in Hindu life and the Hindu religion. It is almost like it is some sort of exercise regime that someone dreamed up, and we can learn about.

These two factors, that Buddhist thought more or less ignores Buddha's Hindu roots, and America's (maybe Europe's too) disdain for the culture have certainly combined to leave me with a black hole where my education about Hinduism should be. Time to fix that.

A quick read of a simple book on Hinduism left me in shock. Such a huge amount of religious thought, continuing on after Buddha of course, was laying in wait for the interested reader. I can see spending the next year studying, not about Buddhism, but about Buddha's roots -- following a fascinating track back to the time 25 (or 30 in some people's opinion) centuries ago.