I forgot to add the following in my earlier comment:
Hinduism (at least the early versions) originated with anariya yogis. They cultivated not only jhana but also abhinna powers (just like Devadatta, Alara Kalama, and Uddaka Ramaputta) in the days of the Buddha.
- Some of them visited those Brahma realms. So, it is quite likely that such yogis even had conversations with Maha Brahma and were convinced that Maha Brahma was the Creator of that Brahma realm. As described in the post ” “Anidassana, Appaṭigha Rupa Due to Anidassana Viññāṇa,” Maha Brahma believed that he and his fellow Brahmas would not die, i.e., they have attained “permanent life.”
- That was one reason the Buddha went to see Maha Brahma, as described in the “Brahmanimantanika Sutta (MN 49).” A brief description is at #4 in the above post. A longer description at #12 of “Anidassana Viññāṇa – What It Really Means.”
