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Expert: - 7/24/2010


Question
when did hinduism and buddhism first encounter eachother? did they get along at first or were their conflicts with eachothers ideas?

Answer
Hi Alex,
Hinduism was not a religion as such until relativey recently. Buddhism emerged as one of many movements against an Indian background. For various reasons Buddhism became identified as a specific tradition, at first, as I said, in the Indian context. Only much later did "Hinduism" become thought of as a specific tradition, so Buddhism and Hinduism have only been able to "meet" since about the nineteenth century.
Does that help?

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Alex Wilding

Expertise

I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.

Experience

I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice. I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.

Education/Credentials
My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.

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