Shankara's Reference to a Buddhist Passage
By Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya
Summary
This short article draws attention to a passage in Śaṅkarācārya’s writings that appears to quote or paraphrase a Buddhist source. The author identifies the passage and locates a parallel in a Mahāyāna sūtra, discussing how Śaṅkara employs it to make a philosophical point. The note suggests that Śaṅkara’s engagement with Buddhist literature was more extensive than is often acknowledged and that he may have been familiar with a wider range of Buddhist texts than mere polemical works.
Conclusion
By highlighting an intertextual moment in Śaṅkara’s corpus, the article opens new avenues for exploring interactions between Vedānta and Buddhism. It underscores that intellectual exchanges between traditions were complex and nuanced, involving not just refutation but also appropriation and adaptation.