Member-only story

Starving Buddha versus Playful Krishna

Kenneth Leong
5 min readJul 25, 2021

--

Is there any major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism in terms of their respective philosophies and worldviews? The answer depends on which specific schools of Buddhism and Hinduism we are comparing. As a whole, however, there is a big difference between the two in terms of their respective practices of detachment. We can catch a glimpse of such differences simply by looking at the religious imageries and icons. If you do a Google search of the images of Buddha, you are likely to find him portrayed in various meditative poses. Occasionally, you will find the image of the Starving Buddha, featuring him in an emaciated state when he was practicing severe asceticism. Buddha appears to be solemn in all these images. On the other hand, if you Google images of the Hindu deity, Lord Krishna, you will get very different results. Lord Krishna is often shown playing his flute. He is the god of music and dance. He is also often shown in the company of women — either in a romantic pose with Radha (his consort/lover) or dancing with the gopis (cowgirls). These images give us a quick overview of the respective worldviews.

A little bit of historical context helps. Remember that Buddhism arose in the world as part of the Sramana Movement(dated prior to 6th century, BCE), and as a defiant response to the Brahmanism during Buddha’s time. As a result, while Hinduism tends to be world-engaged, Buddhism(at least early Buddhism) tends to be otherworldly. Traditionally speaking, joining the Sangha means leaving home. Many of the early Buddhists were ascetics who rejected the secular world and sensual pleasure in the pursuit of Nirvana. Nietzsche called Buddhism nihilistic. This is not entirely true, especially in light of the history of Mahayana Buddhism and Zen, but there is an element of truth in this characterization. After all, the goal of the Arahant is to leave this world of Samsara and never return. Detachment in Hinduism is totally different, both in its philosophy and in its actual practice. The Bhagavad Gita says, “One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by muddy water.”( Bhagavad Gita 5.10) Thus, the practitioner does not have to leave the secular world to pursue a spiritual life. He can be fully engaged with it. The key is to have a mind of…

--

--

Kenneth Leong
Kenneth Leong

Written by Kenneth Leong

Author, Zen teacher, scientific mystic, professor, photographer, philosopher, social commentator, socially engaged human

No responses yet

Write a response