There is a huge philosophical mistake in Buddhism.

1. There is constant change, hence there cannot be a soul. This is called Nairatmyavad. There is rebirth and the Law of Karma, but there is no permanent Atma or Soul. Who is collecting this Karma and who is getting rebirth?

2. Another failure was the concept of Nirvana, which is inspired by Moksha. Let me explain in depth. In Moksha, one identifies his/her existence as identical to Brahma. This means there is an Atman which is one with Parmatma/Brahma. This liberates beings from their immediate concerns and detaches them from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This identification is different for different people, and therefore, people follow different paths for the attainment of moksha.

But Buddha wanted all of them to follow a single path, which he decided for them. Disregarding the diversity of temperament and mental makeup. He started with four ultimate truths.

a. Dukkha (suffering exists);

b. Samudaya (suffering has a cause, primarily craving);

c.  Nirodha (suffering can cease); and

d. Magga (there is a path to the cessation of suffering).

As you can see, these are super worldly concerns that Buddha is trying to address to break the cycle of birth and rebirth. It is like trying to pull the bucket you are sitting in. Unlike the Upanishads, which try to evolve a person.

Even if one ignores the logical fallacy, it is an extremely negative view of life. You cannot design your life around some possible suffering. Unlike Sanatan life, where joy and suffering are both part of life and you have to evolve yourself beyond it, Buddhism is designed around suffering and its cessation.

As you can see, Buddhism is designed for proselytising from the start. It starts with an emotional appeal. Negativity sells faster. Asking people to think beyond worldly concerns and evolve is difficult.

Then Buddha proposes the 8-fold path. It is a generic solution to any problem in the world. You can see the list. Tell me you see anything innovative ?

1. Right View,

2. Right Intention,

3. Right Speech,

4. Right Action,

5. Right Livelihood,

6. Right Effort,

7. Right Mindfulness,

8. Right Concentration

Again, you can see it is designed for mass proselytising. Purely generic. The biggest blunder is yet to come. Let’s assume that there is only suffering, and we should live our lives only to end suffering. Let’s also assume that we are able to follow this generic path (which is impossible). Let’s assume I get Nirvana. Now these questions arise. Who is the person who got Nirvana? Who is it that worked for Nirvana? Both cannot be the same person. Because according to Anicca (the Theory that everything is in constant flux), we are always changing. The person who did all the things is not the same person. Also, unlike Sanatan, there is no Atma. Who will get the Nirvana? Did Buddha, who lived among us, achieve Nirvana? By his theory, he didn’t. Nor his atma /soul, because it does not exist. Then why should one follow Buddhism? It is better to follow Charvaka if you don’t believe in Atma and Brahma. You cannot liberate from the cycle of Birth and rebirth when there is nothing to liberate. This is the reason Buddhism never came out of Budhhist Viharas and didn’t survive without Royal Patronage anywhere in India.