BRAHMANISM AND THE VEDIC SCRIPTURES (VEDAS) The basis for this social structure was Brahmanism [the Brahman religion], whose Rig-Veda the Aryans made their fundamental scripture. The Aryans were a religious people by nature and awed by natural phenomena, they deified the forces of nature. The Aryan scripture a collection of songs of praise, prayers, incantations, music and the like, to these deities of nature - is called the Rig-Veda. ("Veda" literally means "sacred wisdom.") While this Rig Veda was their basic scripture, another three Vedic scriptures [Sama-Veda, Atharva-Veda and Yajur_'Veda] were also compiled.
In the Gosho, the Daishonin referred to these four Vedas as the "Shirida." As indicated by the fact that the period in India between around one thousand five hundred and five hundred B.C. is known as the Vedic Period, Brahmanism, was widely practiced, and under its influence, the Four Caste System became firmly established. Hinduism, known for its custom of bathing in the Ganges River and its worship of the cow, is a religion based on the ideologies of Brahmanism. Over the many years during which the Vedic scriptures were esteemed, ideologies came into being for various festivals and ceremonies, which were represented within the Brahmans scriptures. Further, due to [Aryan] respect for wisdom, the ideology and search for fundamental truths about the universe took shape. In particular, circa eight hundred to five hundred B.C., the ideology of a search for truth, which had arisen from the Rig-Veda, came to fruition as a philosophy in the Upanishads (writings of profound significance).
The basic ideological thought in the Upanishads is that the fundamental principle of the universe, called Brahma in Sanskrit, and the fundamental principle of the existence of the personal self, known as Atman, were one and the same. (The oneness of the universe and the self.) In addition to the above ideologies, there were also the schools of thought of the three Brahman sages (three ascetics), Kapila, Uluka and Rishabha, who are mentioned in the Gosho, "The Opening of the Eyes Moreover, during the period in which Shakyamuni made his advent, there were six non- Buddhist teachers who exerted great influence in central India.
In the Gosho, "Three Tripitika Masters Pray for Rain," there is a passage which states: The Brahman teachings date from about eight hundred years before the time of the Buddha. At first they centered around the two deities and the three ascetics, but eventually, they split into ninety-five schools. . 6, p. 117) The two deities referred to in this passage are Shiva and Vishnu, were worshipped in ancient India. In The Opening of the Eyes, the Daishonin had the following to say about non-Buddhist ideologies, including Brahmanism: "And yet the final conclusion of those non Buddhist teachings constitutes an important means of entry into Buddhism." Of. IV, Vol. 2, p. 77) From the viewpoint of his own enlightenment, the Daishonin recognized the partial usefulness of non-Buddhist ideologies. These non-Buddhist ideologies and religions do not clarify the law of cause and effect. Because these teachings were removed from the realities of life, they fundamentally had no power to bring salvation to all mankind, and could not reform a social structure dominated by the caste system .
THE LIFE OF SHAKYAMUNI Today, there are various explanations about the period in which Shakyamuni lived, and about Shakyamuni's life. But here, we wish to present Shakyamuni's life following the explanation given in the Shusho Iki, said to have been used by Nichiren Daishonin.
