Some Textual Sources for an Aryan Buddha
by Ryan Cavallius
IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN by close students of the matter that Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became known as the Buddha after his “enlightenment,” was born into a noble north Indian family at a time when Aryans ruled that area and was therefore an Aryan himself. This information can be found in many Western sources,1 but perhaps most interesting from a researcher’s point of view are the references to Buddha’s race found in the Buddhist texts themselves. These describe him as having Aryan, possibly Nordic, features, and use typically Aryan cognomens for him, such as “Kinsman of the Sun.” Of these documents, two of the most important for our purposes are the Śūrangama Sūtra and the Sutta Nipāta.
The Śūrangama Sūtra is believed to have been compiled by Chinese Buddhists working from Sanskrit texts. It recounts Buddha’s instructing his cousin and disciple Ananda in a number of esoteric and spiritual matters. At one point early in the text, Ananda refers to the “brightness” of his master’s “golden-hued body.”2 A few pages later he mentions his “lotus-blue eyes” before Buddha extends his “golden-hued arm” to touch his head.3 Although they are brief, these passages are very significant.
The Sutta Nipāta is part of a larger text in the Pali canon called the Sutta Pitaka. Consisting of both poetry and prose, it contains some of the most important discourses in the Buddhist scriptures. Throughout the Sutta Nipāta, Buddha is referred to as a “noble one,” a “thoroughbred man” etc.,4 which in the context of his time and place can be taken to mean that he was Aryan. Further, he is called “Kinsman of the Sun” on numerous occasions.5
At one point in the text, the story of Buddha’s “Going Forth” is related, in which he is seen by a certain King Bimbisāra who says he looks “not like one from a lowly lineage” and, being impressed by the Buddha’s fine features, pursues him. When the king catches up to him, he asks Buddha about his birth, to which comes the following reply:
Straight ahead, your majesty,
by the foothills of the Himalayas,
is a country consummate
in energy and wealth,
inhabited by Kosolans:
Solar by clan,
Sakyans by birth.
From that lineage I have gone forth…6
In other places, he is again called a “Sakyan.” Since it is well established that the Śakyas were a branch of the Scythians who had penetrated far into the east,7 these references lend strong textual support to the idea that Buddha had Nordic antecedents.
Again, there are numerous Western histories which state that Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was White, possibly Nordic, but ultimately their accounts have to be traced back to more primary sources if one is engaged in serious research. With respect to strictly literary sources, the Buddhist texts themselves (while admittedly not always reliable) have to be considered some of the most valuable. There are other places throughout Buddhist literature where Buddha is described in terms similar to those mentioned in this article, but here I have chosen to discuss only two texts, the Śūrangama Sūtra and the Sutta Nipāta. Both serve as excellent starting points for research.
NOTES
1. For example, H. G. Wells, The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind (New York: Macmillan, 1921), 354-59.
2. The Śūrangama Sūtra, trans. Charles Luk (Taipei, Taiwan: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, n. d.), 27.
3. Ibid., 29.
4. Sutta Nipāta: The Discourse Group, trans. Thanissaro Bhikku (USA: Thanissaro Bhikku, 2016), 114 et seq.
5. Ibid., 12, 114 et seq.
6. Ibid., 84-86.
7. Hans F.K. Günther, The Racial Elements of European History (Burlington, Iowa: Ostara Publications, 2012), 118-120. Cp. Carleton S. Coon, The Races of Europe (Burlington, Iowa: Ostara Publications, 2011), 111.
* * *
Source: Author
Such a well written article. I had never known that Buddha was Aryan.
Well, I’m not surprised at all. Ben Klassen said that the White race invented everything. Including Aztec civilization. Every time you see some Ancient thing think: “It was invented by the White Man”. And when non Whites create things it’s only because of Aryan knowledge. If you see at amazon.com the Zionist toys for kids (like Transformers, Bakugan and Ben 10) the characters are Jewish but the plastic was invented by Aryans, the factory by the White British (Industrial Revolution), et cetera ad infinitum.
Temujin(Chinggis Khan/Universal ruler)
Most accounts describe him as tall and strong with a flowing mane of hair and a long, bushy beard. Perhaps the most surprising description comes courtesy of the 14th century Persian chronicler Rashid al-Din, who claimed Genghis had red hair and green eyes.
There are no contemporary paintings of Temujin. One constant is he had a bushy beard, which East Asians don’t have(unless mixed).
At least according to the jewish chronicler Rashid al-Din.
There was, tho, something race-suicidal in Buddhism. Unlike the very warrior-friendly Hinduism of Buddha’s youth, Buddhist doctrine cultivated an anti-warrior attitude, detesting weapons as base and unworthy. Buddhism also went overboard on anti-family celibacy, ‘leave your wife and meditate’. India became mostly Buddhist, rather passive, and eventually was mostly conquered by Muslims due to weakness. Indians then pushed back, slowly re-conquering India by becoming warrior-friendly Hindus again … but the centuries of being colonised by Muslims, helped leave India vulnerable to new Brit & European masters. After a millennium of subjugation, India remains a mess today, despite the greatness of its ancient traditions. Oddly, both are highly visible there, sagacity and squalor side-by-side. Buddhists in other areas, seeing what happened in India, survived by becoming more militant … like those… Read more »
Yes, of course the Buddhist path is inappropriate for our people. But, that discussion lies outside the scope of this article.
“the Buddhist path is inappropriate for our people”
Says who? There are plenty of accomplished white Buddhist monks. The few white Buddhist lay people in the West live fine as well, except they are more sane because they don’t believe in Abrahamic fairy tales or fake religions.
Percival wrote: “(quoting RCavallius) “the Buddhist path is inappropriate for our people” Says who?”
Says a whole host of Whites at the National Alliance and other potential members who are of our race that are on a Path of racial renewal and upward striving. Buddhism does not provide that. ‘Living fine’ and accomplishing what is considered success by today’s paradigm in the now-failing Western Civilization brought us to the point we are seeing today. If that’s your idea of the course Whites should continue upon and receive the racial death we’re heading towards, then you don’t belong here as you’re not Alliance material.
Although I don’t necessarily think the west would benefit by adopting buddhism, there is much we could learn from it. The tradition is far superior to anything Christianity has to offer. I spent 2 winters in the late 00s at a Zen monastery on the west coast engaged in monastic Zen practice, so I have some experience with the topic. Although Cosmotheism may present the most accurate philosophical understanding of the nature of the universe and Aryan man’s place in it, it would do well to adopt some of the ascetic spiritual practices which have been perfected by Buddhists and other yogic practitioners. Zazen meditation is an invaluable tool for mastering the mind as well as giving insights into the true nature of consciousness. It was an essential part of a Samurai’s… Read more »
Thanks for replying! This is a really good topic for conversation.
I believe Buddhism is inappropriate for our people for a number of reasons. I’m very busy right now and don’t have much time, but I’ll get back to you on this as soon as I can. Better yet, if you come over to our forum, White Biocentrism, https://whitebiocentrism.com/, and post the question, it will be easier for me to give a thorough explanation. This isn’t really an adequate venue to launch a full conversation on such a complex matter. Either way, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, here or there.
Percival: I consider Buddhism to be a religion ‘above Time’ in the Devian sense. I don’t know if you are familiar with Savitri Devi’s works or not, but she distinguished between three different kinds of religions: those ‘in,’ ‘above,’ and ‘against’ Time. Religions ‘above Time’ are basically those which teach a path of escape from the world. Buddhism is chiefly concerned with the alleviation of individual suffering. The overarching goal of Buddhists is to to free themselves from the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation here in the world. They are correct that “all life is suffering,” as one of the Four Noble Truths states, but where I would break with the Buddhists is in the way I choose to deal with that fact of life. I believe there is a higher way… Read more »
Buddhism certainly didn’t produce a nation of pacifists in Japan. As I mentioned below, the samurai considered meditation an essential part of their martial arts practice. Zen is a religion that was developed by a warrior aristocracy, in contrast to christianity which appealed to the slave classes of the Roman Empire. My biggest criticism of the traditional Buddhism of India is the concept that all life is suffering and that one should seek to free themselves from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth by achieving an enlightened state of Nirvana. It is a nihilistic and life rejecting outlook. In contrast, Cosmotheism offers a far more life affirming worldview. Japanese Zen is primarily focused on cultivating self-awareness through regular zazen meditation. My experience in monastic practice didn’t spend much time… Read more »