The Buddha and the Upanishads

[Timothy C. Cahill]

On Thu, 7 Dec 2006, Richard Gombrich wrote:

>     However, unless we subscribe to the 
> view that the Buddha was omniscient and could therefore respond to texts 
> which would be composed in the future, I do not understand how his references 
> to important passages in the BAU etc. can fail to be interpreted as showing 
> that they already existed when he preached.

Thanks very much for these references!  One small question about the 
remark above.  The Buddha is not generally regarded as a textual scholar, 
and so the carefully chosen phrase "response to texts" of course refers to 
his discourses.  Apart from this, however, is there any evidence that the 
Buddha could read?  Or anything to indicate that the BAU was ever 
inscribed by the time the Buddha taught?

best,
Tim Cahill