Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c12.s2.6

v2.c12.s2.6

Beginning with Gautama Buddha himself, Buddhists accepted the Hindu Yoga. In fact, Buddha practiced Yoga-meditation during six years of his ascetic period before attaining enlightenment. Following the Yoga-meditational practices introduced by sages, he achieved buddhahood sitting in vajrasana posture for the whole night. Later, the Buddhists developed their own distinct meditational styles (Vipassyana) as is evinced in rituals and practices in the Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhist Yoga system was more like a form of meditation which distinguished it from Brahmanism.