Comparing Buddhism And Sikhism

Buddhism and Sikhism are clearly two of the world’s major religions with followers around the world. Though the origin of these two religions is rooted in the Indian subcontinent, they are different in respects to deity, belief, salvation, and scriptures. Comparatively, Sikhism is the younger of the two, and one of the youngest religions in the world. Buddhism dates to approximately 530 B.C.E, whereas Sikhism dates back to the 15th century. Buddhism centers on the life and teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama, the first Buddha, who is believed to be the Enlightened One. Sikhism centers on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and the ten successive Gurus.

When comparing the two and their respective notion of deities, Buddhism believes in deities that

Sikhs believe that there is one true creator, God, and that once they free themselves of all bad karma, the cycle of reincarnation will be broken and the soul will be united with God. For Buddhists, enlightenment is attained by diligently following the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Only after successfully completing the steps will the Buddhist experience Nirvana - the salvation from the suffering.

Both religions have their own scriptures; Buddhism is based on the Tipitaka and Sikhism on the Guru Granth Sahib. Both scriptures include the teachings of their religious leaders, ethics, code of conduct and practices. Buddhists worship in Temples, and Sikhs worship in Gurudwaras.

There are some striking similarities between both religions; both have a strong sense of community, self, and adhering to specific sets of rules and practices. I believe it is fair to say that they share, at the core, the same type of values that define a virtuous life. Emotions such as anger, greed, attachment, and lust are to be controlled; while focusing on living the right life, conduct, speech, and moral character. Though broad in description, they are very similar in what they hold dear to living the proper way. Another value or way of life that is almost identical is a non-violent existence and that all living things are sacred. They also share a belief in the practices of meditation, concentration,