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Originally Posted by sky123
Buddhism is not an offshoot of Hinduism as we know it today, Buddhism came before Hinduism.
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I have to disagree. You may be making a distinction between Vedic Hinduism and Puranic Hinduism, but most practicing Hindus don't make any distinction. There is no date on the calendar when it changed from Vedic to Puranic. Vedic rituals are in use today, the marriage ceremony for one. We chant Vedic Sanskrit in temple, and in our prayers and mantras. One might say Puranic Hinduism is an add-on. But they unquestionably overlap.
Puranic Hinduism may be to Vedic Hinduism what Vulgar/Everyday Latin was to Classical Latin, or the prakrits to Classical Sanskrit. The Buddha, believed by many (but certainly not all) Hindus to be the 9th avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born in about 500-480 BCE. "Hinduism" goes back at least 3,000 - 5,000 years prior. The Mahābhārata and Bhagavad Gita are dated to about 3100 BCE, in Vedic Sanskrit.
The Buddha railed against the practices of the brahmins, their sacrifices and misuse of the Vedas and Vedic rituals. He sought to reform Hinduism. As far as non-theism, the Buddha said he could find no evidence for the existence of God. Tibetan Buddhism is replete with deities. Moreover, I did not say Buddhists don't eat meat. I said "...Buddhism and Hinduism recommend vegetarianism ...".
I don't know if you're Hindu or not. If you are, Hinduism has lots of room for lots of beliefs, including atheism, believe it or not. If you're not Hindu, the one thing that rankles Hindus is us being told our own religion and beliefs by those who are not Hindu, especially when it's based on "study" and not practicing/living it.