Question

Did the image of Buddha as fat and jolly originate in the Nichiren sect of Buddhism?

Answer 1

People have argued that the material in the Pali Canon, particularly in the Sutta-Patika and Vineya Patika, being among the older, if not oldest, Buddhist scriptures, represent the closest we can get to the historical Buddha's teaching.. However, Edward Conze argues that in may not be that the older texts be the exclusive repository for the teachings of the Buddha--that Mahayana texts may also contain materials that go back to the historical Buddha.. Answer . There is no best of anything in Buddhism. The Buddha taught in many different ways about many different things to many different people. The reason for this is that each person needs to reach enlightenment by a different path because we all start from a different place. Therefore, the best in Buddhism is what works for YOU.