What civilization started Buddhism?
Answers
Buddhism arose out of a 6th-5th century counterculture movement called the samanas (lit. “ascetics” or “recluses”), which developed out of the same spirit of spiritual inquiry as the Upanishads (800–300 BCE). The Bodhisattva began his career as a recluse in the streets of Rajagaha (Rajgir), where he begged for his living. The samana movement arose as a reaction against the decadence and social irrelevance of the late Vedic religion. The samanas generally lived alone or in small groups, often wandering, philosophizing and engaging in spiritual austerities. There were many alternative philosophies, including hedonism, materialism, agnosticism, and even nihilism. The Bodhisattva, however, sought to understand the Indian spiritual tradition in the context of its origins, referring to an “ancient tradition” which is like an ancient and abandoned city in a forest where the paths are overgrown and barely discernible. From various positive references in the Pali Canon it may be inferred that the Buddha was referring to the rishis (lit.”seer” or “sage”), male and female ecstatics who worshipped a mysterious mind-altering beverage called “soma” and composed the hymns of the Vedas, or perhaps even to the mysterious Indus Valley civilization. Derided by some as a rationalist intellectual, by others as a libertine, the Buddha’s project was to understand the degenerate and superstitious beliefs and practices of the Brahmans in terms of a primordial spirituality that had been lost but is recurrently rediscovered and taught by a succession of buddhas (“sages”), resulting in the cyclical revitalization of society. The Buddha never claimed to be the originator of this dharma, but rather a reformer. He also made it clear that dharma transcends religion and mere ethics. The Buddha’s view is not dissimilar from the European belief in a philosophia perennis or prisca theologia which goes back to the fifteenth century with its roots in Neoplatonism.
During the last decades, Buddhism has also gained a significant presence outside Asia. With the number of adherents estimated to be almost 400 million people, Buddhism in our day has expanded worldwide, and it is no longer culturally specific. For many centuries, this tradition has been a powerful force in Asia, which has touched nearly every aspect of the eastern world: arts, morals, lore,mythology, social institutions, etc. Today, Buddhism influences these same areas outside of Asia, as well