This is an interesting exploration into entities named "Buddha" and their connection to trade, but it doesn't have much to do with "Buddhism" which has nothing to do with any of the topics you've covered here.
My approach to matters of religion and philosophy is through history and archaeology.
The oldest Buddhist texts - fifty-seven fragments on birch bark scrolls - were written in the Kharosthi script and the Gandhari (Prakrit) language and are dated to circa the 1st century of this era.
I do not accept the archaeology said to support the claim for Siddhārtha Gautama of the sixth century BCE. I also regard the archaeology of 'Asoka' as generally misunderstood, still unclear and partly fraudulent.
As a result, the history of the origin of Buddhism remains, in my view, largely unknown and we do not know how Buddhism as it may be understood today relates to that history.
Starting with the Hindu interpretation of Buddha isn't going to give you any answers, either. The two entities are not at all the same and do not hold the same cultural significance.
You might try reading the later chapters of Entering the Stream by Samuel Bercholz. It traces the spread of Buddhism across Asia, supported by historical documents from the time.
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The oldest Buddhist texts - fifty-seven fragments on birch bark scrolls - were written in the Kharosthi script and the Gandhari (Prakrit) language and are dated to circa the 1st century of this era.
I do not accept the archaeology said to support the claim for Siddhārtha Gautama of the sixth century BCE. I also regard the archaeology of 'Asoka' as generally misunderstood, still unclear and partly fraudulent.
As a result, the history of the origin of Buddhism remains, in my view, largely unknown and we do not know how Buddhism as it may be understood today relates to that history.
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You might try reading the later chapters of Entering the Stream by Samuel Bercholz. It traces the spread of Buddhism across Asia, supported by historical documents from the time.
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