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For those of us who live in the West and who have been shaped largely by European intellectual tradition, a good way to understand Buddha is through a comparison between Martin Luther and the Buddha. European history and Christianity itself were completely transformed when a monk named Martin Luther proposed alternatives to the Catholicism of his day. At the time, Catholic Christianity was largely a religion of rituals with an elite priesthood ruling over a complex theology. Luther was regarded as radical because he advocated individual effort, plain language, and a simple approach to life and faith.
Buddha acted in much the same way. Buddhism arose in northern India around 500 BCE in response to complex Hinduism. Like the Catholicism of Luther's day, Hinduism was a religion of rituals, an elite priesthood, a complex theology, many gods, and a caste system whereby people were rigidly divided and severely restricted to predetermined roles. Like Luther, Buddha stressed the importance of individual effort and direct personal experience, rather than relying on a priest to be an intermediary.
-Victor M Parachin, Eastern Wisdom for Western Minds
Buddha acted in much the same way. Buddhism arose in northern India around 500 BCE in response to complex Hinduism. Like the Catholicism of Luther's day, Hinduism was a religion of rituals, an elite priesthood, a complex theology, many gods, and a caste system whereby people were rigidly divided and severely restricted to predetermined roles. Like Luther, Buddha stressed the importance of individual effort and direct personal experience, rather than relying on a priest to be an intermediary.
-Victor M Parachin, Eastern Wisdom for Western Minds