On the Buddha's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts

[Aloka]

I came across this article in volume 6 of the journal of the UK Oxford Centre of Buddhist studies - and thought I'd post it here:

"On the Buddha's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts" by Brett Shults.

http://jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/issue/archive



:hands:

[daverupa]

Prior to Asoka, it's a fascinating and difficult and oft-stalled effort to parse out the developments, the contexts, the points being made, the allusions, the whole shebang of this 'Indian imaginaire' & the Dhamma showing up there.

The assumed extent to which an arahant/the Buddha was still hemmed in by socio-cultural context is here given a bit of a jostle. A devoted & sincere monastic two centuries down the line would see all this in a very distinct way, as Asoka set about supporting the Sangha etc.

What made it into the texts because it was "obvious"?

Much to ponder.