It is my deliberate opinion that the essential part of the teachings of the Buddha now forms an integral part of Hinduism. It is impossible for Hindu India today to retrace her steps and go behind the great reformation that Gautama effected in Hinduism. What Hinduism did not assimilate of what passes as Buddhism today was not an essential part of the Buddha's life and his teachings. It is my fixed opinion that the teaching of Buddha found its full fruition in India, and it could not be otherwise, for Gautama was himself a Hindu of Hindus. He was saturated with the best that was in Hinduism, and he gave life to some of the teachings that were buried in the Vedas and which were overgrown with weeds. Buddha never rejected Hinduism, but he broadened its base. He gave it a new life and a new interpretation.

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Source: Young India (24 Nov 1927), as quoted in A Survey of Hinduism by Klaus Klostermaier, p. 376.

About this quote

Real reform rarely means demolition. Lasting change usually grows from a tradition's own best material, reviving what was neglected rather than importing something alien. Continuity and renewal work together—broadening a foundation keeps people rooted even as it moves them forward.

When to use it

  • A new manager revives founding principles the team wrote down years ago and forgot, instead of scrapping the whole culture.
  • A chef modernizes a regional cuisine by digging into its oldest recipes rather than copying foreign food trends.
  • A congregation renews itself by returning to practices already in its own scriptures that had quietly fallen out of use.