The Similarities and Differences between Theravada and Vajrayana Before we compare and contrast these two different sects of the same religion, we probably need to define the why first. There appears to quite a few different splinters of Buddhism, however they seem to all have the same goal, just a different way of achieving that goal. Why? I believe it all comes down to interpretation. Since Guatama Buddha did not have any written record of his teachings and the first documented record of his teachings didn’t appear until almost 150 years after his death, this leaves the door wide open for interpretation. I remember doing a game in grammar school when the teacher would line everyone up, tell the first person in the line a secret and then have them pass it on to next person in the line and so on. By the time the secret reached the last person, and was asked to reveal the secret, it was never the same as the original. I would deduce this to each child’s interpretation of the secret being told from his/her perspective and a possibly some forgetfulness. In some cases the c...
Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation.
Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities and are in some ways connected to each other. Some of the practices of the two religions are similar in various ways and there are several examples to show this.
People who come from different areas may have same cultures and language while people who come from different countries may eat different food. However, people who live in the different places may have different religions. Two different religions that have a certain differences are the Buddhism and Christianity such as lifestyle, beliefs, and vies on universe. Although the Buddhism and Christianity could share similarities in some ways, the differences between them are more significant.
Think about Buddhism being a tree and its branches being all the different schools that have gone in separate ways, they all look up to Buddha for his teachings but they
Both these religions have basic beliefs that are relatively different from each other. Buddhists on one hand believe in karma, rebirth, dharma and moksa. Karma is "cause, effect and the law which equilibrates the two" . It is the consequences of every action, whether good or bad. This action-reaction may take effect anytime, may be in the current life or not. Rebirth is inter-connected with karma. If one did more good things than bad in his life, his karma will lead him to a life of better condition than the previous one. Dharma is the basic concept of the religion; that is the Buddhist teaching, also meaning the nature of existence. Lastly, moksa refers to the renunciation of the world, which is parallel to the Hindu belief in the importance of asceticism and meditation .
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
Buddhism is unique. Not in the way that religion in general is unique either because all religions are unique. Buddhism varies vastly from the many religions studied in class, yet it still grasps all the aspects required of a religion. Looking into a singular form of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, one can find everything that a religion needs to incorporate to be a religion. I chose to stick with mainly Theravada Buddhism as it stays closer to the original more orthodox teachings of Buddhism.
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom). Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevailing religions of the world and largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples. Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife.
Man has always found pleasure in expressing himself by creating art. Through the centuries, man’s art has left behind clues and insight that enables the generations of today to understand their ancestors. In particular, historians and artist alike can see what certain Asian sculptures reflect of the culture and religious beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is the parent religion to Buddhism; much like Judaism is to Christianity. Despite Buddhism and Hinduism sharing similar philosophies and various idealisms, their respective sculptures also show their differences. There are two important characteristic of the sculptures of these religions. The first is motion versus rest, and second the subject matter. It is these two types of characteristics historians and artist can help use to decipher Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.
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.
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.
Socrates and Siddhartha Guatama Buddha have many similarities; they both believe in the importance of justice and good, and a simpler way of life. However, they have different goals: Socrates concerns with worldly meanings and codes, he deals with truth and morals. Buddha concerns with attaining the outer-worldly through mastering the worldly. Socrates relinquishes sensual desires in hopes of spiritual rebirth after death and achieving enlightenment in life. Buddha relinquishes the same ideas, but in hopes of living an enlightened life on earth. (The Dhammapada: Socrates & Buddha Vs. Desire) My contention is to compare Philosopher Socrates from Plato and Siddhartha Guatama Buddha, and I will demonstrate their similarities and differences based on their practices and beliefs.
By understanding the concepts and terminology of religious traditions it is important to understand other people 's religious experience and expression. To begin with, both Buddhism and Judaism are two different forms of religion with some similarities. Buddhist’s believe they are reborn from a previous life until they reach nirvana, which is the extinction of all desire and release from suffering. In comparison to Judaism, they believe that they are made in the likeness of God and come into the world with the capacity to choose for good or evil. Judaism follows in practicing the Ten Commandments and find happiness in other humans. Buddhist has the same opportunity in his or her life and can find fulfillment in thinking and following in the correct path. Lastly, as Buddhists do not worship a God who created and sustains the world, this makes Buddhism a non-theistic
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 their own way both Sutras highlight the fact that Mahayana Buddhism is more of an all encompassing faith, arguably more lay people friendly, than the traditional Pali Canon which often favors or is geared toward monks and nuns. The most obvious example of this is presented in the “Whole Universe Sutra”, which states that all beings possess the knowledge and enlightenment of Buddhahood within themselves. This pure core is simply buried beneath or wrapped in the deluded minds of the imperfect being (World Universe as a Sutra, 107). In other words, every being is capable of reaching Buddhahood as the truth resides within each individual, however, it can only be reached when “they abandon their deluded, contrary views”. It is only then th...