The Similarities and Differences between Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism

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.

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).

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.

“Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time.” (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005) Hinduism has been made up of so many different cultures and beliefs that unlike Christianity and Islam it is unable to be traced back. Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. Karma is good and

Buddhism and Jainism both believe in the concept of karma as the force responsible for all of the suffering in existence. Both also acknowledge the absoluteness of karma and its unavoidable effect on the beings who are subject to the cycle of birth and death. But they differ in the concept of the nature of karma and how it impacts the various beings. According to the beliefs held by Jainism, karma is not only a result of a being’s actions, but a real substance that becomes attached to each jiva, or self, while it takes part in many actions throughout the course of its existence. This karma, which is made up of tiny particles, binds to the being until it is cleansed through the observation of the morals and practices of the Jain religion, including pure conduct and severe austerities. There are two types of karma within Jainism, one that is known as “harming” karmas and there is “non-harming” karmas. The karmas can be fully liberated through moksha alone. In Buddhism, as in Hinduism, karma is a consequence of one’s

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.

To begin with, the Buddhist faith believes in a cycle called samsara. This cycle of life and death is based on incarnations in this life and previous lives. This all leads to reincarnation after death in the current body. Reincarnation is the Buddhist belief that after a person dies, their spirit moves on from the dead body and goes to find a new body to live in. The goal of Buddhists is to reach the state of Nirvana. Nirvana is reached by liberating oneself from samsara by freeing oneself from all desires of self. Nirvana is the only way to get out of the cycle of moving from one body to the next each life; here Buddhists believe they have a permanent identity finally.

Buddhism’s beliefs on life after death are said to have derived from Hinduism, adopting things such as reincarnation. Reincarnation is the process the soul takes to be reborn into another body. Although there are some key differences in the afterlife beliefs of Hindu’s and Buddhists. Buddhism supplies that individuals do not possess eternal souls, but instead have a collections of habits, memories, desires, sensations, etc., which in order contradicts the idea of a lasting self. Buddhism, much like Hinduism sees the body as a source of suffering and their primary goal is release from such and to be free of desire- this liberation is known as Nirvana (nibbana).

I admit I had the same thought process regarding religion. Prior to this class I never stopped to examine the differences of religion in relation to origin or any other surrounding factors. I am a Christian and was guilty of critiquing other religions for not being equal to what I consider religion. My ultimate goal is this class will provide me with insight and understanding to other religions. Also, I didn’t thoroughly understand the concept of monoism either. However, on page 6 it stated that some religions that fall into this category are Hinduism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Therefore, I look forward to getting to chapters 3, 6, and 8 to have a better understanding of monoism and these religions.

Hinduism believes that realizing the soul is the embodiment of Brahman is essential to being released from the cycle of rebirth, Samsara. Hindus understand that the soul, atman, is permanent and only inhabits a physical shell which dies and passes the soul on to the next mortal shell, which can be better or worse than the previous depending on karma. With that said, Hindus believe in rebirth until one realizes the ultimate divine at which point they would be free from the punarjanma, the transmigration of the soul, liberating their souls to achieve moksha. Buddhism, on the other hand, challenges Atman with the belief in Anatman, which is non-self. Buddhists believe that the world is constantly changing, nullifying the concept of the permanent soul, Atman. There is no reason the soul remains unchanged in a perpetually changing environment.

However, people who practice Buddhism and Hinduism believe in life after death. Both Buddhists and Hindus follow the teachings of karma and reincarnation, which is backed up by what Victor J. Zammit says about how “Buddha accepted the basic Hindu doctrines of reincarnation and karma”. Buddhists, unlike Hindus, dont believe that humans have eternal souls. They instead believe that people consist of a bunch of habits, memories, and desires, that reincarnate in body after body (p. 1). To people who follow Tibetan Buddhism, after death, a person’s spirit has to go through a forty-nine day long process. This process is separated into three stages referred to as “bardos”. When the three stages end, the person either reaches nirvana or is reincarnated. The first stage of Bardo is the dying one. It starts at death and can last from a half a day to up to four days. At this point in time, they believe that all people see “The White Light”. In the second stage of Bardo, called the Luminous Mind, the dead encounter peaceful or wrathful deities created by karma. The spirits have to go through the process without flinching in order to get into the paradise realm. The third stage of Bardo consists of the spirit being reincarnated back onto earth (Zammit, p. 2). Hindus, unlike Buddhists, believe that people possess souls that are reincarnated. Zammit says that “Unlike Western...reincarnation, which tend to make the idea...exotic, desirable, and even romantic,

In the West, the belief of the body, spirit and soul is what give us hope to believe in the after life. The soul is eternal and return to God. We believe that after death we will be able to interact with our love ones that died before us. In Hinduism also believe soul is eternal, but they believe in the soul that will be reincarnated to continue its course and destiny on

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Owing. Any kind of intentional action whether mental, verbal or physical is regarded as karma. All good and bad actions constitute karma. As is the karma, so is the will of the man. A person's karma determines what he deserves and what goals can be achieved. The Buddhists past life actions determine present standing in life and current actions determine the next life, all is determined by the Buddhist's karma (Kapleau 20). Buddha developed a doctrine known as the Four Noble Truths based on his experience and inspiration about the nature of life. These truths are the basis for all schools of Buddhism. The fourth truth describes the way to overcome personal desire through the Eightfold Path. Buddha called his path the Middle Way, because it lies between a life of luxury and a life of poverty.

Jainism and Buddhism share some common ground and similarities in their beliefs and practices, and they also have features that make them unique and distinctively different from the other. Some of the central similarities of Jainism and Buddhism can be found in when and where their traditions originated, resemblances in their primary teachers, their religious goals, nonbelief in a creator, and their values of nonattachment and nonviolence. Some differences between Jainism and Buddhism are found in their karmic principles and the conception of the soul. There seems to be more parallels shared between Jainism and Buddhism than discrepancies.