which a Brahmin is presented as defending points of
view that are associated with the Vedic Upanisads. This
confirms the conclusion that Buddhism did not arise
as a reaction against Vedic religion in any of its forms.
However, the preaching Buddha and his early follow-
ers did come across Vedic Brahmins and had to take
position with regard to their views; traces of these con-
frontations have been preserved in the Buddhist canon.
Philosophy
It was pointed out above that Hinduism underwent
major developments during which it absorbed several
features from the S ́ramana movement. Once Bud-
dhism had been established as an independent tradi-
tion, Hinduism started to absorb certain features
directly from Buddhism. An important form of inter-
action between the two was, for a long time, that of in-
tellectual debate. This explains that mutual influence
is clearly discernible in the systems of thought (phi-
losophy) that developed within the two religions.
Surviving texts—both Chinese translations and
original manuscripts dating from the first centuries
of the common era, along with indirect evidence—
support the view that systematic philosophy arose in
Buddhism before it made its appearance in Hinduism.
Perhaps the first to systematize Buddhist teachings into
a coherent whole were the Sarvastivadins, who elabo-
rated a vision of the world in which no composite
wholes were believed to exist: Only the ultimate con-
stituents of all there is (called dharmas) really exist. In
a similar manner no entities extended in time were
considered to exist. As a result only momentary dhar-HINDUISM ANDBUDDHISM
The Hindu deities Brahmaand Indra invite the Buddha to preach. (Gandhara, first–second century.) © Scala/Art Resource, NY. Re-
produced by permission.