new to Buddhism with a question

Is Buddhism influenced by the Bhagavad Gita and/or the Vedas or both maybe. Where did the spiritual beliefs of Buddhism come from?

[sunsoul]

In a nutshell...

The Buddha was a Hindu and from a local royal family in Northern India. He learnt the Vedas and other texts of note. When he went on his journey of renunciation he lived among the Hindu yogis and ascetics. So, there were a number of influences.

Buddhism, as in Indian Buddhism, had most parallels to classical yoga (as outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras), and Jainism (an ascetic tradition similar to Buddhism). It was a sramana tradition, heterodox in outlook, and born in the mountains and jungles of India. The Buddha rejected a lot of Hindu social norms like the caste system and the over-reliance on rituals and animal sacrifice, etc.

[birds]

Is it that one is reincarnated until they learn all that they need, get it right, are balanced? Isn't it about the cycle of being born, youth, aging, death, and then again for which Siddhartha was looking to cure?

Is Buddha still being reincarnated?

[sunsoul]

Reincarnation is the word used in Hinduism, and rebirth in Buddhism. This is because in Hinduism there is a soul that reincarnates while in Buddhism there is no soul (just a temporary collection of mental attributes).

No, Buddha will not be reborn as he is beyond the cycle of birth and death and has achieved parinirvana (enlightenment with no remainder).

[birds]

Thanks for the reply and your explanation. I appreciate it.

Have you seen the movie Little Buddha (1993)? I enjoyed how the monk in the film explained "reincarnation", the word they used in it, explained it to the father character.

He had tea in a cup, broke the cup, and then cleaned it up. He explained that no matter which vessel it was in, whether it be in the cup, on the floor, or soaked into the towel, that it was always still tea regardless.

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by sunsoul

No, Buddha will not be reborn as he is beyond the cycle of birth and death and has achieved parinirvana (enlightenment with no remainder).

Does one still have a spiritual body after the achievement of Parinirvana?

[sunsoul]

Originally Posted by Serrao

Does one still have a spiritual body after the achievement of Parinirvana?

In Theravada Buddhism, the Buddha would cease to exist after parinirvana. In later Buddhism, the trikaya doctrine was developed (physical body, spiritual body and truth body). The Bodhisattvas and Buddhas would be present in their spiritual bodies in order to help others..

It should be noted that there are different interpretations according to school i.e. Zen, Pureland or Tibetan, etc on these matters as well.

[CSEe]

Originally Posted by yabala

Is Buddhism influenced by the Bhagavad Gita and/or the Vedas or both maybe. Where did the spiritual beliefs of Buddhism come from?

If you from India want to go to Sri Langka , you can take a direct flight or you can choose to take a flight to US , and from US you take another flight to China , to Russia , to Japan , to Australia , To Malaysia and than to Sri Langka ...so having " beliefs or faith " is taking longer / more suffering path . Buddhism is about realization not determination .......and nothing is referral to Buddhism , nor any direct words from siddharta or any text ........Buddhism is the natural process of all existence travelling naturally back into original state of nothingness .....Buddhism is you realizing your existence , the cause of your existence ....