Why did Shankara's opponents use this label?

To discredit him by suggesting that he was smuggling Buddhist atheism/emptiness into the Vedic tradition.

Inter-religious Philosophical Debate

UPSC Archival Analysis

Q: Who is called 'Crypto-Buddhist'?

Adi Shankara is often called a 'Crypto-Buddhist' by his critics. This is due to the perceived similarities between his Advaita philosophy and the Mahayana Buddhist doctrine of emptiness.

Exam Year

2019

Evidence Source

Link

ID: HIS_PHI_2019_92 Ref: A History of Indian Philosophy by S.N. Dasgupta