*Buddha: The Great Teacher of Advaita Vedanta* Once, some Brahmins came to the Buddha and asked him the true path to union with Brahman according to the Vedas. The Buddha replied, "The Bhikkhu who is free from anger, free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself should after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahman." (Tevijja Sutta, 81.3, translated by Thomas William Rhys Davids) In Nibbana Sutta, the Buddha taught, "There is an unborn, an unoriginated, an unmade, an uncompounded; were there not, O mendicants, there would be no escape from the world of the born, the originated, the made and the compounded." (Nibbana Sutta, Udana, 8.3, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) So in the Nibbana Sutta, the Buddha taught that there is an ultimate reality which is unborn, unoriginated, unmade and uncompounded. What is that? In the Brahma Nimantanika Sutta, the Buddha taught that it is Consciousness. Let me quote him: "Consciousness that is invisible, infinite, radiant all round—that’s what is not within the scope of experience based on earth, water, fire, air, creatures, gods, the Creator, Brahmā, the gods of streaming radiance, the gods replete with glory, the gods of abundant fruit, the Overlord, and the all." (Brahma Nimantanika Sutta, 25, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato). *"The Self (atman) is reality (tattva), the Self is permanent (nitva), the Self is virtue (guna), the Self is eternal (sasvata), the Self is stable (dhruva), the Self is peace (siva)." - The Buddha (Mahaparinirvana Sutra, translated by Dr Tony Page)* *"Buddha was a great Vedantist." - Swami Vivekananda* *Note:* The Mahaparinirvana Sutra is accepted only by Mahayana Buddhists but all other texts that I mentioned are accepted by all Buddhists.