Hinduism views on Buddha

Due to the diversity of traditions in Hinduism, there is no generally accepted point of view on the attitude of the Buddha to the Vedic tradition.

The influential Vaishnava poet Jayadeva (XII century) in the famous lyric poem Gitagovinda included Buddha among the ten main avatars of Vishnu and wrote a prayer addressed to him:

You condemn the custom of sacrifice established by the Sruti, with compassion in your heart at the slaughter of livestock. – Keshava, endowed with the body of Buddha, conquer, master of the world, Hari!

This view of Buddha as an avatar who spread the idea of ​​nonviolence (ahimsa) is generally accepted in a number of modern Vaishnava organizations, including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

In Vishnuism, it is believed that the avatar of Vishnu in the form of a Buddha dominates the head from all parts of the body. Buddha personifies the spiritual development of a person.

The modern popularizers of Hinduism, Vivekananda and Radhakrishnan, regard Buddha as the teacher of the universal truth underlying all religions in the world.