>>16131835I spent 20 years as a Hare Krishna and was taught to hate Buddhism.
I left that religion and now do my own thing. I see Buddhism with much more respect now. It is actually older than the Upanishads and represents an ancient Shramana tradition, similar to Jainism, that resisted the spread of orthodox Hinduism into the Magdha Mahajanapada, the eastern portion of the Ganges plain.
I was taught to see it as a demonic atheistic aboration and rejection of an eternal Vedic dharma, but in reality it is likely older than the Vedic dharma, or at least it represents a tradition similar to one practiced in the Indian subcontinent before the Aryans migrated in.
I really love the Buddhist middle way philosophy or balance in all things, especially renunciation and enjoyment.
However I do not think annihilation of the illusory self is the true goal. I prefer seeing the Atma as an eternal ray of light of Brahman.
