The Buddha claimed no place for Himself in His own Dhamma

1. Christ claimed to be the Prophet of Christianity.
    2. He further claimed that he was the Son of God.
    3. Christ also laid down the condition that there was no salvation for a person unless he accepted that Christ was the Son of God.
    4. Thus Christ secured a place for Himself by making the salvation of the Christian depend upon his acceptance of Christ as the Prophet and Son of God.
    5. Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam, claimed that he was a Prophet sent by God.
    6. He further claimed that no one could get salvation unless he accepted two other conditions.
    7. A seeker of salvation in Islam must accept that Mohammad is the Prophet of God.
    8. A seeker after salvation in Islam must further accept that he is the last prophet.
    9. Salvation in Islam is thus ensured only to those who accept these two conditions.
    10. Mohammad thus secured a place for Himself by making the salvation of the Muslim depend upon his acknowledgement of Mohammed as the Prophet of God.
    11. No such condition was ever made by the Buddha.
    12. He claimed that he was no more than the natural son of Suddhodana and Mahamaya.
    13. He carved for himself no place in his religion by laying down any such conditions regarding himself for salvation as Jesus and Mahommad did.
    14. That is the reason why we are left to know so little about himself even though abundant material was available.
    15. As is known, the first Buddhist congregation was held soon after the death of the Buddha at Rajagraha.
    16. Kassyappa presided over the congregation. Anand, Upali and many others who belonged to Kapilavatsu and who wandered with him wherever he went, and were with him till his death, were present.
    17. But what did Kassyappa the President do?
    18. He asked Anand to repeat the Dhamma and put the question to the congregation, "Is this right?" They answered in the affirmative. And Kassyappa then closed the question.
    19. Thereafter he asked Upali to repeat the Vinaya and put the question to the congregation, " Is this right ?" They answered in the affirmative. Kassyappa then closed the question.
    20. Kassyappa then should have put the third question to someone present in the congregation to record some important incidents in the life of the Buddha.
    21. But Kassyappa did not. These were the only two questions with which he thought the Sangh was concerned.
    22. If Kassyappa had collected the record of the Buddha's life we would have had today a full-fledged biography of the Buddha.
    23. Why did it not strike Kassyappa to collect the record about the Buddha's life?
    24. It could not be indifference. The only answer one can give is that the Buddha had carved no niche for himself in his religion.
    25. The Buddha and his religion were quite apart.
    26. Another illustration of the Buddha keeping himself out of his religion is to be found in his refusal to appoint a successor.
    27. Twice or thrice the Buddha was requested by his followers to appoint a successor.
    28. Every time the Buddha refused.
    29. His answer was, "The Dhamma must be its own successor.
    30. "Principle must live by itself, and not by the authority of man.
    31. "If principle needs the authority of man, it is no principle.
    32. "If every time it becomes necessary to invoke the name of the founder to enforce the authority of Dhamma, then it is no Dhamma."
    33. Such was the view he took of his own position regarding his Dhamma.