The Ambivalence of the Hindus: The Buddha as Avatāra of Viṣṇu in the Mahāpurāṇas and Beyond

Abstract

This article examines the formation of Vaiṣṇava theology’s conception of the Buddha as an avatāra or ‘divine incarnation’ of their Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, with a focus on the mahāpurāṇas. My aim is to move beyond the synthetic kinds of treatment that have typified most of the scholarly investigations of this phenomenon, by attending more closely to the dynamic historical development of the Buddhāvatāra idea than previous efforts appear to have done. Contrary to conclusions drawn by earlier studies, which assert that this concept followed decidedly unidirectional and unvarying patterns of development, the thesis that I will support maintains that great variety and ambivalence is evident in this idea’s creation and articulation in these vitally central Hindu scriptures.