Buddism versus Hinduism

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Buddhism vs Hinduism

Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions of Ancient India. Both religions share

Common beliefs but also have their differences. Some differences are the deities worshipped, the founders of the religions, sacred writings observed, and meditation practices. Through out this essay we will explore and compare the similarities and the differences in both of these religions.

Hinduism Religion

In the Hindu religion, the founder was not one person alone. It is believed by historians that the Aryans developed Hinduism over 3500 years ago. The Hindu religion was developed around the caste system. The caste system was the social class of India. At the top to the caste system were the Brahmins or the priests. Below them were the warriors followed by the merchants, the farm workers and lastly the laborers or “untouchables” (Zysk 1996). Important books of the Hindu religion are the Vedas. The Hindus are polytheistic, or they believe in many gods (Fisher 2002). The ultimate goal in the Hinduism religion is to escape samsara (karma wheel of birth, death, and rebirth) and achieve moksha or the liberation from the limitations of space, time, and matter through realization of the immortal Absolute (Fisher 2002). The Hindu religion has many priests and religious rituals. Some of these rituals include, yoga. There are four main yogic paths; raja, jnana, karma, and bhakti. Raja yoga, attempts to attain the highest consciousness using physical postures and breathing exercises. The goal is to make the mind absolutely calm and clear. Jnana yoga “the way of wisdom”, addresses the rational mind by asking one self “Who am I” and developing spiritual virtues. The ultimate wisdom is spiritual insight rather than i...

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...orld. The studies of both of these religions are important when understanding the individuals and societies in which embrace them. It should also be noted there are many different traditions and practices recognized in both of these religions, which depends greatly on the geographical location of the society in which the religion is being examined.

References

Fisher, M. (2002). Living Religions A Brief Introduction. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Gyatso, G.K. 2007. Life of Buddha-Siddhartha is born. Retrieved on May 7, 2008 from http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/life-of-buddha.htm/

Jayaran, V. Hinduism and Buddhism. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_buddhism.

Zysk, K., (1996). Classifying the universe: the ancient indian varna system and the origins of caste. The Journal of Asian Studies. Vol. 55, Iss. 3; pg. 770

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