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Hinduism and Buddhism
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Did you know that, as of today, 80.5% of the population of India practice Hinduism? That’s quite a lot considering how diverse the country of India is. But this leads to the questions as to how did Hinduism become so widespread and what other religions make up the other 19.5%? Well did you know that in all actuality India didn’t first start out with just one main religion? In fact, in the times of Ancient India, three major religions (Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism) influenced the country and its people. But why where there three major religions instead of one, and how did they all play a part in the religious culture of India? Well these three religions are just as similar to each other as they are different.
Hinduism/Buddhism
What first comes to attention is the relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism. In many aspects it can be compared to that of the relationship of Christianity and Judaism. Some believe and accept that Buddhism became popular in India due to his teachings giving some aspiration to those who were being oppressed by the caste system that subjugated society of that time period. In the eyes of the Hindus, it was accepted that Buddha was seen as another life of one of their prominent gods, Vishnu, who was seen as the provider, giver, and preserver of the Hindu people. But disagreement between the followers of Buddha and followers of the Hindu god, Shiva, who was seen as the destroyer of things to renew and regenerate the world and spirit and also the male and female aspect of God, arose even in ancient times. Despite some disagreement of beliefs, both religions influenced each other as well as have similarities and differences that make each unique. Firstly, both religions believe in the concept o...
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...s no scientific proof of this) than their male counterparts and could only achieve enlightenment if they are reborn as men, and so though Jainism has equal rights, it is highly unlikely that women can achieve enlightenment.
In conclusion, there were three major religions, three major religions that shared similarities such as karma, non-violence, founders that reached enlightenment, the tolerance of women, and of course impacting society. They also had differences which separated them from each other, making them unique, such as the Buddhists’ non-belief in God, the Jains splitting into two sects, and the Hindus’ belief in scriptures called Vedas. All three played an important part by influencing the people, giving them many choices in how they wished to live their lives, in the ancient times of the sub-continent, India.
Works Cited
History of World Societies
Into the world, many religions were born; out of all of them Buddhism and Hinduism are both one of the oldest surviving religion. Hinduism is very polytheistic, it is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C but it has no founder or an origin, while Buddhism on the other hand was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who ordinarily allotted as the Buddha, which implies the “Awakened or “illuminated one”. Both religions come from the Indian roots.
...s a diversion for the evils of the world that way Hinduism can remain pure. The Buddha is seen as a possible avatar of Vishnu, who was brought to lead the critical and condemning Hindu’s away from Hinduism. (Mittal and Thursby 81) This rejection is the major reason why Buddhism and Hinduism are two separate religions. The different beliefs and ideals certainly further the separation, but had Hindus accepted the Buddha’s teachings, the relationship between Buddhism and Hinduism might have been very different.
People who are not familiar with the history of the Indian subcontinent will fail to understand the deep connection that existed between Hinduism and Buddhism and how immensely they enriched, influenced and helped each other grow.
Hinduism was the first major religion to develop in South Asia. Along with it, came a strict caste system and clear social hierarchy. Hinduism stressed the importance of karma and people purifying their lives over many reincarnations to achieve holy perfection. Later on, Buddhism developed in India and incorporated many of the same cultural and religious practices. One key change was the looseness of the religion in regards to social status, as it did not see a person 's place in the caste system as a factor in achieving the afterlife. In response to a decline in Hinduism, especially among the poorer classes, Hinduism became more accepting of these classes and also developed alternate paths of devotion. In summation, South Asian religion has taken on a trend of
India’s predominant religion is Hinduism, and though the approximate date of which it was lain down is unknown, Hinduism was established and founded by the Aryans, who arrived in India at approximately 1500 BCE. Hinduism can be said to have been inspired by and emerged from the Vedic religion; however the simple fact that the core of Hinduism comes from the Vedic period does not denote that the complex theological thought that is behind it was also developed during that period. The Vedic period goes from roughly 1500 – 500 BCE, which is well before Hinduism was fully established. The fundamental idea of Hinduism is that of a Single Supreme Being; this is solely being indicated at in the Vedic religion but is developed later. Another rudimental idea of Hinduism would be that of dharma, and the idea of dharma expands onto the universal idea of karma. These two latter concepts are not as supported by sources written during the Vedic period.
One of the most important elements of these religions is their history. The Hindu religion disputably began around 2500 years before the Common Era (B.C.E.) in India. It was geographically based along the Indus River, which was called “Hindu” by the Persians who had migrated there. They also called the land Hindustan and it’s inhabitants, Hindus. After that, the religion that followed was called Hinduism. Today, almost 800 million people practice the Hindu religion (Spodek, 261)
Hinduism and Buddhism are both their own religions and cultures. They are different in many ways that define who they are and what their faith is. Hinduism was not founde...
Hinduism is the 3rd most popular religion in the world followed by Buddhism, together they are followed by 22 percent of the world’s population. These two religions are alike in many ways, and are tied together by Asia, where they have deep roots in its culture and history. Although Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways, very important and large differences separate the two. No one and nothing can ever truly prove either religion is better than the other because that is up to personal beliefs and opinions, but many more people around the world prefer Buddhism over Hinduism because of its beliefs and practices.
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are some of the most historical religions in the world. The first three descended from what is known as the “Abrahamic religions” because their roots trace back to Abraham, from the Hebrew Bible. The roots of Buddhism can be traced back to an Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni Buddha), who sought enlightenment. Today there are 14 million followers of Judaism, 2 billion of Christianity, 1.3 billion of Islam, and 360 million of Buddhism, practicing these religions worldwide (“The Big Religion Chart”). All these religions had a beginning with a rich history, let’s explore the roots of how they got to these numbers today.
Today we have a lot of different types of religions practiced in the world, which has their own history of origin, traditions, rituals and their own unique way of practice or worship. Religion has been a key factor in almost each and every one of us in our life time. There are various types of religions being practiced today, namely Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and many more. These few religions mentioned above are three of the world most practiced religions in world today. Paving the way for other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism which is also part of the top five most practiced religions today. This brings me to my topic about the world of a Buddhist and Hindu. A lot of people including myself don’t know much about these two religions.
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.
In the world we live in today we have so many different religions, that have spread all over the world and have made an impact on many of are life's. Two of which are Buddhism and Hinduism. These religions have made major effects on our society, they have similar central principles, and both origins originated many years ago. These religions are well know world wide.
Hinduism was established in India and is still continued to be practiced there today. Hinduism is the most dominant religion all throughout India, Sri Lanka's Tamils, and Nepal.
Out of all the different beliefs in the world today, Hinduism is a religion that seems different and interesting. Hinduism is one of the oldest living religions in the world. The religion is over 4,000 years old. Hinduism was originated in India and the religion’s first known believers were known as the ancient people, the Aryans (Hinduism). Like most religions in the universe, Hinduism is unique in its own way. Hinduism is unique because it did not start off as a religion. Hinduism was actually a culture for people in India and then later turned into a religion (Hinduism on Fun Facts).
Hinduism has been a religion for a long time, the Buddha was a Hindu before seeing how terrible the world was, he then found the religion Buddhism. Since the creator of Buddhism was Hinduism as a child, it is only expected for the two religions to be similar. While the two religions are similar they are also quite different as seen by their creation stories. The creation stories are these religions way of explaining how the world started. With most religions the creation story gives the most basic beliefs of the religion as this is where their religion supposedly starts its life. The two stories this paper focuses on is no different, and since they technically have the same origin, it can be obvious as to how they would be similar. However, in the case of the idea of social order and moral decline, they can be different too.