Hinduism and Buddhism are undoubtedly different than any other religion that we have studied. Some might even dispute whether or not they are a religion, or rather a way of life or philosophy. I will use the Merriam Webster definitions of religion to depict whether or not Hinduism and Buddhism should be understood as a religion. The There is one commonality between Buddhism and Hinduism is not a central feature of the other major religions: Reincarnation.
Reincarnation is a central belief among Hindus and Buddhists. This is the belief that a person will be reborn into a new body over and over again. Being born into a human body is considered a “precious and rare opportunity for the soul to advance toward its ultimate goal of liberation from rebirth and merging with absolute reality.” The ultimate goal is to escape this cycle through good deeds (Fisher 75). For Hinduism this is called moksha, and for Buddhism this is called nirvana.
When Western ideas came along, they set out guidelines for what a religion should be. In some ways, Hinduism did conform to Western Ideology and made central ideas for the religion that Westerners had given them a name for (Fisher 69). However, Hinduism
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The characteristics of a Hindu as V.D. Savarkar says is “one who (1) regards the entire subcontinent as his (or her) motherland/fatherland... (2) is descended of Hindu parents (3) and considers this land holy” (Sharma 23) Essentially, Savarkar implies that Hinduism is just a word that is specific to Indians. The Indian government adopted the definition of a Hindu as “one who belongs to any religion of Indian origin” (Sharma 24). However, I would like to disagree with this definition, as there are some Muslim groups in India that would be Hindus by this definition. There would not be tension between Muslims and Hindus if they didn’t think they were two very distinctly different
There are many religions that are practiced around the world, especially in Asia where there are eight different religions being practiced. In the country of India, Buddhism and Hinduism are the main religions that are practiced today. Buddhism and Hinduism were both founded in Asia, but they were founded by two different people and practiced in two different ways and languages. Buddhism is a living tradition that is passed down from teacher to student as a set of instruction and techniques for sanity and brilliance in the inner self and the world. Hinduism is more based on the thoughts and attitude about one’s everyday life, and reflects in his actions.
Hinduism first started in India around 1500 BC. The word Hindu comes from the Sanskrit word sindhu, or river. The Hindu community define themselves as "those who believe in the Vedas", or also "those who follow the way, or dharma, of the four classes and the stages of life. The four classes being the varnas and the stages of life being the ashramas.
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 conceives the whole world as a single family that deifies the one truth, and therefore it accepts all forms of beliefs and dismisses labels of distinct religions which would imply a division of identity. It is the belief that animals and human castes were created
Other than a religion, Hinduism is a way of life through philosophy that is mostly concerned with spirituality and enlightenment. The impracticality of the Hindu religion comes from the Vedas. Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion that are considered to be a straight ...
Hinduism is a very unique religion; it is the oldest living religion and does not have a single founder unlike Buddhism. Hinduism
... over millions of years. Also technically speaking Hinduism is considered to be just a group of movements and practices that followed by people of that era like the religious beliefs, history, tradition and practices. In contrast in comparison to Hinduism is more established and organized commonly called Dhamma.
Hinduism is a complex religion that has a variety of beliefs and traditions. In the nineteenth century, the British had to categorize the people living in the region of the Indus River for census purposes thus getting the name Hindus by foreigners. Today they have a preference of being labeled as "Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion)" (Pg 79)
Gandhi once said, “God has no religion”. This quote could mean thousands of things; it could mean that Gandhi didn’t believe in a god, that he believed in God, but not religion, or that he believed God didn’t care how a person found their way to him. Gandhi was a peaceful person; he believed in civil disobedience, and respecting people for who they were, which is why it was important for his religion to believe the same thing. Hinduism doesn’t just encompass one religion, it doesn’t say that because someone 's not a Hindu that their religion is invalid, in fact, it welcomes them. Hinduism wants them to find their own path to god; through reincarnation, through finding their avatar, and just losing their ego, it proves
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)
Hindu first appears around 500 B.C.. as the ancient Persian word for the Indus river and the inhabitants of its valley. From the 1300s C.E. invading Muslim rulers of northern India used "Hindu" for all non Muslim Indians, whatever religion they were, to distinguish them from Indiana converts to Islam. Beginning in the 1500s, European colonizers coming to India used it in its current sense to mean the members of the supposedly single religion to which all Indians other than groups like Muslims, Christians, and Zoroastrians belonged. Then, from about 1800 on, Hinduism gradually became accepted by the most Hindus in India as a valid name for their religion especially to distinguish their religion from others. Thus, Hinduism is an umbrella term gradually imposed on Hindus and then accepted by them. The approximately 2 million Hindus living in North America and the sizeable Hindu communities in other parts of south Asia (especially Bali, Indonesia), a few parts of Africa, and Great Britain also embrace this name. However, more upper class Hindus often refer to their religion as the "eternal teaching" or " eternal way of life". Some scholars of religion also question the adequacy of Hinduism as a name, preferring to speak of "Hinduisms." (RELG
Hinduism, as well as Buddism, both came into existence in India. Both religions are similar in many ways. The religions both believe in reincarnation and that the specific purpose of their teachings is to escape this cycle.
Hinduism is practiced mainly in India and Nepal. Hindu’s circle of life will be complete after they experience the enlightment and practice the rituals of their faith that is prescribed in the scriptures.” In 1995 the Supreme Court of India defined the features of a Hindu in the case Bramchari Sideheswar Shai and others vs State of Bengal. It said that a Hindu has to believe in the Vedas. The Hindu scripture, the Rig Veda was written before 6500 B.C . A Hindu is supposed to understand the opposing viewpoints when trying to find the truth. A Hindu is suppose accept the order of succession of things, the belief in rebirth and pre-existence, and that there are many ways to get saved. The Hindu also must believe that there are many gods to be worshiped, while the Hindu faith has no philosophies to be tied down to. Prayer and meditation is a mechanism a person can use to lead their mind and body in a positive way.
November 19, 1997 By Jordan Bruins Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but no one person founded Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as Buddhism. Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but in the same light they differ immensely. The concept of a god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life. The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer, Brahma is the creator and Shiva the destroyer. Collectively referred to as Trimuti. Most Hindu gods are associated with animals and therefore Hindus feel that being a vegetarian is vital. Cows are sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped as the divine mother, making eating beef taboo. Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths and a...
Then we can put Hinduism in eastern tradition entering the side of philosophy. There is a strict relationship between philosophy and religion in Hinduism so that it effects the intellectual life of Indian deeply for hundred years and it formed the cultural and social tradition of this country.