The first and the main complaint of Buddha about Hinduism is the organization of the caste system and its dubious connection to spirituality. According to him, the views on the possibility of reaching salvation through promoting distinctions between people and claiming their need for transferring from one stage to another were unacceptable.
This standpoint attributed to Hinduism undermined the very foundation of Buddhism, stating that one is in union with the universe. It means that all people are equal, and the existence of a mechanism dividing them into categories has no connection to their spiritual path whatsoever. In other words, individual efforts were emphasized over collective considerations when discussing one’s progress in life.
The second complaint of Buddha about Hinduism is the erroneous understanding of karma presented in the latter case. Thus, in the Hindu context, this notion implied “ritual action – darshan and puja,” meaning the importance of following rules and prescriptions. This practice underpins the collective mindset mentioned above as the unity of deeds is highlighted in Hinduism.
In contrast, an individualized approach presented by Buddha meant that karma is related to the ethical aspect of life, indicating one’s inner responsibility for their decisions. In this way, he complained that good and bad are connected to people’s intentions rather than actions themselves.