Q. Are the Hare Krishnas buddhists?

A. No. Practitioners of Bhakti accept the Vedas as authority, whereas Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha.

The philosophy of Bhakti is quite different from what Buddha taught. Simply put, Buddhism teaches that the ultimate truth is void or nothingness and the goal of meditation is to lose our individual identity.

Bhakti teaches that God and all other living beings are unique, individual, spiritual persons eternally. God is the supreme person, and each of us has an eternal relationship with Him.