Hinduism and Buddhism

962 Words2 Pages

Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the world’s most influential and greatest religions. Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of the awakened one (Abrams), and Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s greatest religions (Rice). Both of these religions arose in South Asia, thus they share similar culture and philosophy; however, they also contrast greatly with each other in many other aspects. By comparing the rituals of worship of the two religions it is proven that Hinduism worships various deities, whereas Buddhism does not worship any. Rituals of worship such as puja and meditation are practiced in both religions, nevertheless the way and purpose of how they are done differ.
Although Hinduism and Buddhism have almost the same rituals of worship, the purpose of why they practice them varies. Hinduism rituals are more complex, and complicated than that of Buddhism. The main aim of rituals of worship in Hinduism is that one is able to reach a spiritual state, in which the worshipper and the deity are connected. On the other hand, Buddhist rituals are a “commemoration of the Buddha” (Iron); thus they are mainly done with the purpose of showing respect to Buddha, who is not considered to be their God. The reason why Buddhism does not practice rituals in the same way as Hinduism is because Buddhists think that the emphasis on worshipping is a distraction from the main spiritual goal: nirvana that is the “liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth” (Jones). It is true that both religions practice rituals for a religious purpose, which is either to worship, or to show respect.
One of the most important and common rituals of worship in both religions is called Puja, which means honour. “Puja is perhaps the central ceremonial ...

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...n the way the rituals are practiced.

Works Cited

Abrams, Dennis. Beastie Boys. New York: Chelsea House, 2012. Infobase eBooks. Web. 14 May 2014.

Irons, Edward A. "Buddhist festivals." World Religions Online. Infobase Learning. Web. 21 May 2014.

Jones, Constance A., and James D. Ryan. "nirvana." World Religions Online. Infobase Learning. Web. 21 May 2014.

Jones, Constance A., and James D. Ryan. "puja." World Religions Online. Infobase Learning. Web. 20 May 2014.

"meditation." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 21 May 2014.

Rice, Earle. Alexandra David-Néel. New York: Chelsea House, 2013. Infobase eBooks. Web. 14 May 2014.

Rice, Earle. Alexandra David-Néel. New York: Chelsea House, 2013. Infobase eBooks. Web. 14 May 2014.

Wangu, Madhu Bazaz. "Varieties of Buddhism." World Religions Online. Infobase Learning. Web. 20 May 2014.

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