The people for whom this Buddha philosophy was preached, they were not very intelligent class of men

Expressions researched:
"Buddha philosophy is good for the less intelligent class of men" |"Buddha philosophy was taught not amongst very intelligent person, atheist class of men" |"He had to cheat the people in that way because they are not intelligent enough" |"They are atheist class. So they will not understand what is God" |"They were not intelligent men. Just like Lord Buddha also said" |"You make this zero, sunyavadi" |"that is good for the less intelligent class of men. Because they cannot understand what is bhakti, so Buddha therefore says" |"the people for whom this Buddha philosophy was preached, they were not very intelligent class of men" |"the people to whom Buddha philosophy was preached, they are not so intelligent that there can be better service after giving up this service"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase research query: "buddha intelligen*"@20

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The people to whom Buddha philosophy was preached, they are not so intelligent that there can be better service after giving up this service. Therefore Lord Buddha said, "You stop this service. You become happy because ultimately everything is zero." Śūnyavādī.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

The intelligent man is speaking, "My dear Lord, I have served my senses, lust, anger, greediness, so much so. Still, they are not kind upon me. They are still dictating, still dictating, 'Do this, do this, do this.' Therefore," samprataṁ labdha buddhi (?), " now I have got intelligence by Your grace." Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpayā (CC Madhya 19.151). "By the grace of my spiritual master, by the grace of yourself, I have got this intelligence. Now I have come to You, to serve. Kindly engage me." This is surrender. "I have served my senses, lust, greediness, and other things so faithfully. They are not satisfied. They still want me to serve. They are not going to give me pension. They want still, 'Oh what you have done? You have to do so many things.' So now I am disgusted." This is called vairāgya. Vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12). This is required. In human life, this is, this intelligence required, vairāgya, not to serve this material world, but to serve Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they simply stop these material activities. Just like Buddha philosophy, nirvāṇa. He simply advises to stop this. But after stopping, what is, sir? "No, zero. Zero." That cannot be. That is not possible. This is their mistake. But the people to whom Buddha philosophy was preached, they are not so intelligent that there can be better service after giving up this service. Therefore Lord Buddha said, "You stop this service. You become happy because ultimately everything is zero." Śūnyavādī. Nirviśeṣavādī.

Cārvāka Muni, he was atheist, he did not believe. Lord Buddha also said like that, but He cheated. He knew everything because He is incarnation of God. But He had to cheat the people in that way because they are not intelligent enough. Why not intelligent? Because they were killers of animals, they lost their intelligence.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- London, August 24, 1973:

Prabhupāda: So these are evidences in the Vedic literature. So we have to accept it. Kṛṣṇa confirms it and actually also you cannot measure. But we get evidence, the presence of the soul, presence of the soul. Still, how we can say there is no soul? No. This is foolishness. The whole world is going on under this foolishness. Not only now, before also. Like Cārvāka Muni, he was atheist, he did not believe. Lord Buddha also said like that, but He cheated. He knew everything because He is incarnation of God. But He had to cheat the people in that way because they are not intelligent enough. Why not intelligent? Because they were killers of animals, they lost their intelligence. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. Those who are animal killers, their brain is dull as stone. They cannot understand any thing. Therefore meat-eating should be stopped. In order to revive the finer tissues of the brain to understand subtle things, one must give up meat-eating. Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). It is the statement of the King... What is it?

Devotee: Yudhiṣṭhira.

Prabhupāda: Not Yudhiṣṭhira.

Devotee: Parīkṣit, Parīkṣit Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He said that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cannot be understood by the animal killer. Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God. They have got some theories and they are thinking we are religionists. What is sin, what is pious activities, these things are not understood by them because they are animal killers. It is not possible. Therefore Lord Buddha propagated ahiṁsā. Ahiṁsā. Because he saw the whole human race is going to hell by this animal killing. "Let me stop them so that they may, in future, they may become sober."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The Buddhist philosophy, punar-janma-jayāya means they take it that no more birth, but finish this business in the different way. They do not believe that there is next life, but dismantle this material condition of life. That is their nirvāṇa theory. Because Buddha philosophy was taught not amongst very intelligent person, atheist class of men.

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

The whole human effort, civilization, should be conducted with the aim how to stop this repetition of birth and death. This is science. Aihiṣṭhaṁ yat tam punar-janma-jayāya. He inquired—he was a brāhmaṇa, great sage—that "You have taken so much trouble that you are living in the forest, you are undergoing meditation and other regulative principles—why?" Punar-janma-jayāya: "To stop next birth." Punar-janma-jayāya, the Buddhist philosophy, punar-janma-jayāya means they take it that no more birth, but finish this business in the different way. They do not believe that there is next life, but dismantle this material condition of life. That is their nirvāṇa theory. Because Buddha philosophy was taught not amongst very intelligent person, atheist class of men. So that is punar... They are also trying for punar-janma-jayāya. The Christians, the Lord Christ, he also said that "Come to kingdom of God," not repetition of birth here again and again. That is the principle of all religious system. Punar-janma-jayāya. So it is not for the Hindus, Muslim, or Christian. Every human being should try his best, how to avoid to get another material body. This is the basic principle of civilization. But this can be attained only when you agree to live a regulative life. Just like we see one..., what is called? "Repent sinners." What is that? (laughter) Every day we go, see that. So one must be repentant for his sinful activities. One must know what are sinful activities. Apart from any other scripture, in Christian scripture it is said, "Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not covet. Thou shall not do this." These are sinful activities. Otherwise why it is forbidden, "Thou shall not"?

So people are neglecting. Any religious system—it doesn't matter—forbids, "Don't commit sinful life, you will suffer." So people have made a civilization that "There is no life, and you can go on irresponsibly, as you like, enjoy life, and never mind if I become a dog. What is the wrong there?" That's all. This kind of civilization must be stopped if we want to remain a human being. And if we don't want, if we want to remain as cats and dogs, that is a different thing. But if you want to remain as human being, you must live regulative principle.

Festival Lectures

Buddha philosophy simply takes account of this gross body. They do not take account of the mind, because as soon as they go to the platform of mind, then immediately the question will be "Whose mind? Whose intelligence?" Then you have to come to the spirit soul. But the people for whom this Buddha philosophy was preached, they were not very intelligent class of men. Therefore Lord Buddha did not give them the information of the subtle body or the soul.

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

According to our Vedic understanding, the body develops on the seed. This is very practical. Why we have got different bodies, different types of bodies? Because the condition of the seed is different. The seed is the spirit soul, and by material contact it is covered by finer body, intelligence, mind, and ego. And according to the quality of that ego, we develop different kinds of this material gross body. Therefore somebody has developed the body in the modes of goodness, because material nature is divided into three qualities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Somebody has developed body in the modes of passion. Somebody has developed body in the modes of ignorance. But the root is the spirit soul. And the finer cover is desire, ego, intelligence, mind. And the gross cover is this body.

So Buddha philosophy simply takes account of this gross body. They do not take account of the mind, because as soon as they go to the platform of mind, then immediately the question will be "Whose mind? Whose intelligence?" Then you have to come to the spirit soul. But the people for whom this Buddha philosophy was preached, they were not very intelligent class of men. Therefore Lord Buddha did not give them the information of the subtle body or the soul. They were unable. Why they were unable? They were gross materialists. The gross materialists, they are animal-killers, gross materialists. That, these animal-killers, according to Bhāgavata also, they cannot understand finer things. Those who are animal-killers and animal-eaters, they cannot understand finer philosophical matter. Their brain is gross. Therefore they are much inclined to mechanical way of life. Machine. Machine is gross. You see? We therefore forbid our students, not to be meat-eaters, because by refraining yourself from meat-eating, you will have, you will develop finer... Not only refraining from meat-eating. That is one of the conditions. There are other conditions also. But this is one of the condition. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is understandable by liberated class of men." Liberated class means above the brāhmaṇas. "But those who are killer of the animals..." The killer of the animals are two kinds: one, gross killer, killing cows, goats, chickens, so many, gross killer... Another killer is soul-killer. Soul-killer means those who do not take any care for the soul. They are taking care of this gross body.

So there are different kinds of philosophies in the world, but Lord Caitanya's philosophy is the superphilosophy. Superphilosophy means... Why superphilosophy? Just like Lord Buddha's philosophy is... There is no acknowledgement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or any God. His philosophy is this, the body, this present condition, is a combination of matter. So you dismantle the matter by meditation. You disperse the matter. Let the earth go to the earth. Let the water go to the water. Let the fire go to the fire. Let the ether go to the ether, the air... Because this is combination of earth, water, fire, so disperse it. When go to the total water, total earth, total air, then... Just like you prepare a doll. You take little earth. You take little water. You dry it in the air. Then you, I mean to say, burn it in the fire, and it becomes a doll. You see? That means you take all the help of all these ingredients, and it appears. Similarly, this body has appeared in that way, by combination. So you, if the doll is broken, then, in due course of time, it mixes again. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." Again mixes with the water, earth, air. There is no... So as soon as it is dismantled and dispersed, there is no more consciousness, or the feeling of happiness or distress. Because we are all concerned with the feelings of consciousness, of happiness and distress. Everyone is embarrassed. Everyone is trying that "I shall become happy in this way." So that means he is feeling distress. So according to Lord Buddha's philosophy, these feelings of happiness, distress, is due to this combination of matter. So you dismantle this matter, material, there will be no more distress, and nirvāṇa-finish. Nirvāṇa means finish.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Just like Lord Buddha also said, "There is no God." "There is no God," but he is God himself. They are atheist class. So they will not understand what is God. So he said, "There is no God. You just hear me and become nonviolent." So his idea was, "Let this rascal first of all become nonviolent. Then they will be pure, and then they will understand."

Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Religious..., not dogma. Just like in Christian religion it is said that "God created this." So this is a fact, but it is not properly explained. And neither the followers understood how to explain, third-class men. So therefore they should accept, that's all. They should accept. Just like one thing, sweetmeat. A child is tasting. So if the child wants how it is made, so he has no power to understand. Therefore he should be simply ordered, "You simply eat. That's all." So in the Bible it is like that. And therefore it is strictly ordered that "You should follow." The things are there but they are not explained because they were third-class men. Otherwise why the commandment was, "Thou shalt not kill," and they killed first of all Jesus Christ? So what class of men they were? All third-class, fourth-class men. How they will understand? Now people have become, by education, advanced...

Bahulāśva: We should go this way, Śrīla Prabhupāda, because they have these sprinklers on here.

Prabhupāda: Now they should come to big dictionary. This is Vedic. The Vedic truth is there, but it is not properly explained because the men were fourth-class. Now the people have become advanced. They should take to Vedic literature. Then they will understand how God created. But it was not explained because the people, they were living in the desert and shepherds and all fourth-class, fifth-class men. And now they, these first-class men, all advanced men, they are trying to adjust the tenth-class ideas, and therefore they are becoming rejecting, that "It is all useless." Now they should come to first-class understanding in the Vedas.

Paramahaṁsa: As a matter of fact there's a very famous quote from Christ...

Prabhupāda: I think Christ said that there are many things to be spoken but...

Paramahaṁsa: "My father's house has many rooms, but I cannot tell you of it now."

Prabhupāda: Because they were fourth-class, fifth-class men. They will not understand. Therefore it is taken, "dogmas." The modern students, they are advanced in education, and these things are not explained. And besides that, their education is atheistic. Therefore they are trying to reject religion.

Nalinī-kaṇṭha: They say you cannot study Veda because Christ said that there is no other way than himself.

Prabhupāda: Because they are fourth-class, unless he says like that, how they will stick? They were not intelligent men. Just like Lord Buddha also said, "There is no God." "There is no God," but he is God himself.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That means the followers of Lord Buddha are less intelligent than the followers of...

Prabhupāda: "Less" not. They are atheist class. So they will not understand what is God. So he said, "There is no God. You just hear me and become nonviolent." So his idea was, "Let this rascal first of all become nonviolent. Then they will be pure, and then they will understand."

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Buddha philosophy is good for the less intelligent class of men. Because they cannot understand what is bhakti, so Buddha therefore says, "First of all make this zero, rascal. Then your real life begins." But what is that real life he did not say, because the rascals will not understand. Simply advised, "You make this zero, śūnyavādī." Then, when time will come, he will understand what is positive.

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Here the anxiety with some designation, "I am the father of this family," this is my anxiety, how to maintain them. "I am the leader of this nation." That is my anxiety. So all these anxieties are material, upādhi. I am neither father nor leader. I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. I have created artificial anxieties. So therefore I have to become free from this artificial anxiety. And nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. And when he is pure servant of Kṛṣṇa, he's always anxious how to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is the.... The anxiety is there, and now it is purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), completely fresh. And then with that senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktiḥ. This is bhakti. Mad-bhaktim labhate.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They can't stop, na śocati na kāṅkṣati. They have to go further.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And this is negation. Just like one man is diseased. He is also eating, he is also sleeping, but that is not healthy eating, sleeping. He has to get relief from this eating, lying down on the bed and eating by some instrument. This nonsense eating, sleeping should be stopped. And when he's healthy, he eats also, sleeps also. That is different. That is different eating, sleeping, but they do not.... He is suffering from disease. He thinks, "Again eating? Make it zero. Make it zero." This is Māyāvādī. He has no taste what is the other eating. He wants to make it zero because here the eating is so botheration, "Oh, let me commit suicide. Make it zero." So that is Buddha philosophy.

Guru-kṛpā: Sour grapes.

Prabhupāda: So that is good for the less intelligent class of men. Because they cannot understand what is bhakti, so Buddha therefore says, "First of all make this zero, rascal. Then your real life begins." But what is that real life he did not say, because the rascals will not understand. Simply advised, "You make this zero, śūnyavādī." Then, when time will come, he will understand what is positive.