[Y-Indology] Upanisad later than the age of Buddha?

[Guest guest]

At 1:19 am +0000 6/11/02, rahula_80 wrote:

 

> > Though it is quite possible that some of the Upanishads are later

>> than the Buddha, there're quite a few which clearly predate the

>> Buddha.

>

>Which predate the Buddha? Brha-daranyaka and Chandogya?

 

The BRhadAraNyaka appears to pre-date the earliest Buddhist texts.

In it (III.2.13), the law of karma is presented as something new and

esoteric, whereas the Buddhist texts have it in a fully developed

form. The ChAndogya is generally thought to be about the same date

as the BRhadAraNyaka, though the relationship with Buddhist texts is

not so clear--by which I mean that it's not necessarily arguing about

the same things.

 

>

>> The doctrine of anatta itself presupposes a well established atman

>> doctrine - as taught by the Upanishads. And in the Vedas it is the

>> Upanishads which dwells on such issues.

>

>I was told that the concept of anatman was present in Upanisads. (And

>the Buddha was actually preaching Upanisads doctrine)

 

I don't think the concept of anAtman is taught in any of the

principal UpaniSads. The MaitrI, which is late and shows strong

Buddhist influence, frequently uses nirAtman, "selfless", of an

enlightened person (e.g. at VI.20), and once has nairAtmya,

"selflessness" as an apparent synonym for anAtman in a very

uncomplimentary passage aimed at Buddhists (VII.8. (Editions of the

MaitrI/MaitrAyaNIya vary drastically in their order, numbering etc:

these are from Van Buitenen's edition.)

 

Dr Valerie J Roebuck

Manchester, UK