Similarities And Differences: Comparing Hinduism And Buddhism

Buddhism and Hinduism come from the same region, India. Both of them are very focused on nature, the things around them, though they both believe in several hells and heavens, or higher and lower worlds. They both believe in karma which is the affect a person’s actions in this life will change his next life. Another point is that both religions focus on peace, and non violence towards all living things. They are compassionate, which ties into their focus on nature. Buddhism and Hinduism also believe in various spiritual practices such as meditation, concentration, and states of mind. Desire is the largest cause of suffering in both of the faiths. Another likeness is they both believe in reincarnation, and salvation. They believe the good deeds of a person are their work for salvation and their salvation will decide their next life, when they are reincarnated. Also, they both believe that there are many paths to enlightenment, such as overcoming your feelings and controlling over the six senses. Both religions are more philosophical then religious. Buddhists and Hindus both practice many forms of yoga and meditation

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.

Also, Buddhism was a more peaceful and calm religion. Unlike in Buddhism, in Hinduism there was a caste system. It was a group from a social system. Hindus had gone by using a caste system, but it was rejected in the Buddhism community which resulted in many Buddhist being laborers and craftspeople. Hindus and Buddha both had different beliefs. For example, “Hindus saw religion as a way of liberating the soul from illusions, disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence.” (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005)

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.

Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and it's founder Gautama lived the life of a Hindu. Both religions share a few common features. Both religions originated in the Asian sub-continent, both religions believe in reincarnation and both believe that there can be different paths taken to attain enlightenment. Both religions feel that we suffer from our attachment to worldly things and people. Both religions believe in meditation and different forms of yoga.5 (C. Lester, R, 1993)

The core belief of the two religions is ‘Karma’, which means ‘action’. Buddhism and Hinduism both originated in India, therefore, some of its core beliefs are similar, however, the way the two religions perceive their core beliefs are different. In Hinduism, Karma could be defined as a process of cause and effect. The actions of people have an effect on them somewhere in their life (Tambyah). According to this concept, the good deeds of a person will take him to a good future or vice versa. Karma has also a strong link with the moral actions and intentions of a person. In this regard, if a person does well with a wrong intention, he or she will definitely get wrong effects in the future due to their bad intentions. On the other hand, Karma in Buddhism is commonly known as a‘virtue’. Similar to

Hinduism and Buddhism have common origins in the Ganges culture of northern India around 500 BCE. We have to admit that they share a lot of similarities, but also involve tons of differences. For example, as Hinduism claims that Atman is Brahman, Buddhism reject the existence of Atman. Hindus think that the way to becoming enlightened is to union with God, but Buddhists pursue a throughout understanding of the universe by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Hinduism believes that Atman is changeless, while Buddhism tells people that everything is impermanent. Disagreement about permanence is a very apparent issue between Hinduism and Buddhism.

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.

In early India, there were many types of religions, two of which being Hinduism and Buddhism. Both Hinduism and Buddhism were extremely important religions in Early India. They shared some similarities and differences in qualities regarding their origins, sacred texts, and different beliefs. Hinduism believed in reincarnation and karma as it would help them in their coming life and will move them higher on the caste system, opposed to Buddhism which believed more in doing the right thing and not hurting anyone or anything because they believed that all deserve to be treated correctly. Buddhism was not about the caste system like Hinduism, it was more about being a good human being and that karma will return to you. The people that looked more in Buddhism were the people who were the rejects of the caste system.

As two of the world’s oldest and most established religions, Hinduism and Buddhism have their similarities, as well as differences. Both religions are practiced in Southeast Asia, starting in India and have influenced each other. Hinduism dates back to 5,000 years ago, while Buddhism was created three centuries ago. I will explore what the two religions share and what separates the two from one another covering the origins, number of followers, the texts used, and the belief system followed.

Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities and are in some ways connected to each other. Some of the practices of the two religions are similar in various ways and there are several examples to show this.

Evidently, all of the religions in the world have different beliefs. Beliefs are the basis of one’s behaviour. Everything an individual does, traces back to the beliefs they have about the world. Hinduism and Buddhism are two religions that originated from the same nation, India. Both religions share beliefs on different paths to enlightenment, beliefs on reincarnation, and both believe in the spiritual practices of meditation. The purpose of this paper is to further discuss these beliefs, along with their similarities.

Both Buddhism and Hinduism believe in karma and that is a consequence for a certain behavior. In both religions Dharma is a spiritual law. The two believe that knowledge is very important on a daily bases. In both religions there code of conduct make it extremely hard to reach enlightenment. Both religions believe in Nirvana as their. They both meditate as one of their religious rituals.

A person must understand that good deeds are done because they are right, not because there is going to be a reward for completing it. If a person does good deeds for no rewards, that is when good karma is presented in their life. The last path to reaching salvation in Hinduism is Jhana Yoga. Jhana Yoga means the path of wisdom. Atman and Brahman connection is taught in this path. A person must understand their relationship and understand the scriptures. Hinduism offers many choices to its followers on the path of self-realization. Buddhism has no specific God while Hinduism has a God for everything. Hinduism has a caste system in which people are born into and cannot move out of, Buddhism believes that everyone is equal and that anyone can change their life for the good or bad and break out of the caste system. The Buddha rejected all systems of class or hierarchy, instead he made everyone responsible for their own faith and salvation. Buddha believed that through self-effort Nirvana could be reached in one lifetime, regardless of one’s position in society. Hindus believe in an everlasting soul (atman) that is reincarnated more-or-less intact from birth to

Hindus believe in the four stages of life, but the Buddha do not share that believe. Whereas the Buddhists believe in the concept of Bodhisattvas, or the enlightened existence, but the Hindus do not. Buddhists must believe that the Buddha, Sangha, and Dhamma are the three most important requirements on the eightfold path, or the principal teachings of the Buddha. Hinduism has many different paths of self realization. Both religions believe in karma and reincarnation, but their terms and conditions vary, different in as many ways as they are similar. Buddhists have no priests or rituals like the Hindus do. Also, in the Buddhist religion, any follower than achieve Nirvana, but in the Hindu religion, only the Brahmins, or priests, could achieve moksha, the Hindu equivalent of Nirvana. Another large difference is that Buddhists do not believe in the Caste System, a main factor in Hinduism. This is one of their largest differences. Hinduism does not know their original creator, unlike most other religions; they’ve lost any information about their founder over the many years, whereas the Buddhists know their creator, Buddha. Buddhism is a much younger religion than Hinduism. The two religions are very much different.