The Differences And Similarities Of Hinduism And Buddhism

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When discussing the regions of South Asian history, it is impossible not to mention Hinduism and Buddhism. These two dominating religions of Asia play a huge aspect of daily life for many people throughout Asia. For centuries people have followed and practiced these ancient teachings with the hope that they will one day achieve some type of peace. Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities, but their differences are what sets apart the people of South Asia. Hinduism is all about becoming one with Brahman a formless being from within one’s soul. Buddhism, however, has no concept of an inner soul and therefore strives followers to follow its guideway to attain enlightenment. Both religions have given the utmost emphasis on wellbeing and good
Unlike most religions, Hinduism isn’t bound to one founder, but is known to have come about by various Brahmins who are priest who perform rituals and communicate with the Gods. They follow a sacred text called the Vedas that is a collection of hymns and religious texts. We find Hinduism today in a variety of denominations, but the basic beliefs of Hinduism is what brings the religion together today as a whole. There are many debates whether or not Hinduism is in fact a polytheistic or monotheistic religion, but in fact they are both. Despite having an endless amounts of Gods, Hindus believe in three main gods. There is Brahman (the creator of life and universal being), Vishnu (the preserver of life), and Shiva (the destroyer of life). Hinds worship a variety of Gods, but their main God is Brahman and all gods are essentially a part of Brahman. Hindus believe that each living aspect of life has a soul or Atman, that is part of Brahman and one day will return to Brahman. Brahman is the God of creations and essentially the spiritual universe that each being will one day return to. Returning to Brahman however, is not an easy task. In order to become one with the

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