Buddhism Vs Hinduism Research Paper

Both Buddhism and Hinduism are well known religions. They are two of the most popular polytheistic faiths in the world. Some people believe them to be sects of the same religion, but they are mistaken. Buddhism and Hinduism have some similarities, but many things set them apart from each other as well. They are each their own religion in many aspects.

In the past few weeks of class we talked about so many different religions around the world. Three religions we discuss in class were Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. These are three of the major religions in the world that still exist today. I will be focusing on how all three religions started, and I will compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism. Then at the end, I will discuss on how I feel about the three different religions.

Some people may think that Hinduism and Buddhism are the same religions with just two different names. They aren’t, Buddhism and Hinduism both have different types of rituals, holidays, founders, and so-on. The two extensive religions of Hinduism and Buddhism have lots of information behind themselves. They are made up of cultures, rituals, practices, and many other things.

While Hinduism and Buddhism come from the same cultural backgrounds, they are extremely diverse in their beliefs on afterlife, deity, and rituals. Both religions believe in reincarnation, but it is where an individual goes after he or she gets off the endless cycle that differs. These religions also part when it comes to whom they do or do not worship. Every religion comes with rituals and Hinduism and Buddhism are no exceptions.

There are more than seven billion people living across the world and about 19 major religions with about 270 subgroups. In many states and countries, there are two or more religions that are being practiced by its residents. Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the 19 major religions, that are widely practiced. Hinduism and Buddhism both have common origins, and share similar beliefs. Both Hinduism and Buddhism are religions that focus on the way to live and the different paths to gain enlightenment. There are certain differences that make them different in terms of individual life time and its major principles (Silf).

The appeals of Buddhism are that there is less dependence on Brahmins for ritual services, there was no caste or jati, and it did not demand the rigorous asceticism of Jainism. Buddhism is different from Hinduism because Buddhists use vernacular tongues instead of Sanskrit. It is similar to Hinduism because they both believe in reincarnation, originated in india, made people live according to a certain way (dharma/eightfold path) and they both have the idea of heaven or a spiritual union (nirvana and moksha).

Hinduism and Buddhism are among the oldest traditions in the world. Incidentally, both traditions have their roots in India. Since their beginning, both traditions have co-existed peacefully and even spread beyond India in similar patterns. Most people have scattered information about the traditions and make assumptions that they are similar. However, they also have clear distinguishing features. This paper intends to study the similarities and contrasts between the two traditions in various contexts. First, the traditions will be compared and contrasted based on how they began. The development processes of both religions will then be contrasted. The paper will then discuss the similarities and differences between the two religions based on the social and the political roles they played.

Hinduism and Buddhism shared many similarities and differences in their origins and founders.Hinduism originated in early India, it evolved over time from the original Vedic religion of the Aryans. It had no exact founder. Buddhism also originated in Early India, Siddhartha Gautama was a king in the kshatriya system. Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism, a person who believed being kind to everyone and respectful, he did not believe in violence and achieved nirvana. Both Hinduism and Buddhism came from the same place, showing how they had similar qualities. Since Hinduism did not have a founder it is showing how they did not have someone leading them,

Although Buddhism evolved from Hinduism it differs from Hinduism in god beliefs. According to Buddhists there is no God, but they reverence the Buddha and his teachings as though he were one.

Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the world’s most influential and greatest religions. Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of the awakened one (Abrams), and Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s greatest religions (Rice). Both of these religions arose in South Asia, thus they share similar culture and philosophy; however, they also contrast greatly with each other in many other aspects. By comparing the rituals of worship of the two religions it is proven that Hinduism worships various deities, whereas Buddhism does not worship any. Rituals of worship such as puja and meditation are practiced in both religions, nevertheless the way and purpose of how they are done differ.

The Question of Origin is answered by the Hinduism Worldview as “everything has always been in existence and is a part of god” (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). A part of the worldview is that the universe and god is one in the same thing. Hinduism believes that itself has always existed, that it did not have a creator. God is viewed "as an infinite, impersonal force" (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011).

Undeniably, both Christianity and Buddhism are considered two of the biggest religions in the world. Christianity consists of a larger group with estimated 2,200 million followers, while Buddhism consists of a smaller group with estimated 535 million followers. A statement comes from Huston Smith, a famous author and professor of religious studies in the United States, says that Christianity is the most materialistic religion, while Buddhism is the most psychological religion. With all due respect, I do not agree with the first statement on Christianity as the most materialistic religion on behalf of my personal opinion and understanding, while I do agree with the second statement on Buddhism as the most psychological religion. However, it all depends on what Huston Smith means with materialistic and psychological. What kind of circumstances and point of view did he use to claim this statement? We have to dig much deeper into his supports and backgrounds on this argument.

Buddhism and Hinduism Some similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism is that both Buddhism and Hinduism share a strong belief in rebirth of a soul in a new body which is an endless cycle of births and deaths that must be broken. Another similarity is that both religions are made up of smaller deities or sects. Hinduism is made up of 4 different types of deities, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Smartism. And Buddhism is made up of 3 sects, Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Theravada. Also another similarity is that they believe in karma.

Hinduism and Buddhism are both very large religions with both positive and negative effects from their philosophies. There are around 1 billion hindus and 376 million people living their life as buddhists. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, meaning worshipping many deities, and is regarded as the oldest religion. Buddhism is not of the same age as Hinduism but is yet not much younger. Even though it is a debateable topic whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion I will refer to it as a religion. Buddhism believes in reaching true happiness, Nirvana, which will end your reincarnation circle, which also exists in Hinduism, and will make you into a spiritual being. There is no religion that is better than the other, rather there are aspects of religions proving either positive or negative sides of them.

Buddhism and Hinduism both have similarities and differences. Some of the similarities are: they both believe in Karma, Dharma, reincarnation/rebirth, meditation is highly important, humility, moral principles, and they began in India. They also believe that the more you overcome desire, the less suffering you’ll have. First of all, Karma is a cause and effect principle in Buddhism and Hinduism. For example, good action causes good Karma, while bad actions cause bad Karma. I believe that what goes around comes around. I’ve seen Karma happen many times in my life. An example of when I’ve seen Karma happen was to my cousin. She has always judged people with disabilities and now she has one too. Therefore, Karma got her because she now has a disability since she would judge others who had them. From what I learned in class, Dharma has different meanings. In Buddhism, Dharma means cosmic law and order. Dharma is applied to the teachings of Buddha. Whereas, in Hinduism, it means truth, law, duty and justice. Hindus also believe in reincarnation, which to them means that the soul can’t be created nor destroyed, meaning that the soul leaves one body to go into a new one after you die. I remember my friend once told me a story about a boy who reincarnated. The story she told me was about a little boy who said that his dad stabbed him and he died and that he liked his new dad, which was his biological father. I believe that this story goes with the reincarnation topic because the boy