So...do you think you can prove your understanding of the differences between Hinduism & Buddhism?
Bonus points on the test to those who write accurate, well-reasoned responses.
To this day, many people in India follow the main religions of their area, Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Buddhism originated from the traditions of Hinduism, the two religions differ in many ways. First, Buddhists do not believe in any gods; instead, they meditate to find the answers that they seek. In contrast to the meditation idea, Hindus believe in three main gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Secondly, Buddhists do not go to extremes, meaning that they do not put themselves in physical or mental pain to become one with their god or higher power. Most importantly, Buddhists did not believe in what the Hindus called the caste system, which is an unchangeable social group into which a person is born.
Buddhists do not worship any gods; they do, however, seek answers to their questions by meditating. Siddhartha Gautama, better known today as the Buddha, first question, “why is there suffering in the world?” After being sheltered all his life and finally being released into the true world, Gautama was struck by the atrocities that people lived in. When seeking answers to his main true question, Gautama was told to fast or worship Brahma. These activities left Brahma even more confused than he was before. As a final attempt to understand why people suffer, Gautama meditated for as long at it took. Finally, he awoke and realized the true cause of suffering. Buddha understood that the only way to eliminate pain and misfortune in his life, he had to eliminate desires all together. Instead of continuously trying to become one with the Hindu god, Gautama (later name Buddha) taught his followers to meditate. Believing in nirvana, or union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth also reflects that Buddhists did not believe in a god. When they finally achieve peace with the world and eliminated all of their desires, Buddhists no longer go through the process of reincarnation, or rebirth. The idea or nirvana contrasts with the Hindu belief of achieving Moshka, or union with Brahma. Although both of these ideas involve union with a person or thing, the Hindu belief deals with a god and the Buddhist belief does not.
Another way that Buddha taught his followers to eliminate their desires was to not go to any extremes. For many years, Hindus had put themselves through utmost pain to become one with their god, Brahma. These followers fasted and put themselves in intense environments to somehow find the answers that they were looking for. Buddha did not believe in putting oneself in such harsh environments, instead he described the Eightfold Path, or the Middle Way. This process was achieved by doing activities halfway. As Mr. Allegra explained in class, “you don’t give it 110%, but you also do not sit back and do nothing.” While trying to achieve this goal, the Eightfold Path, Buddhists spend most of their time trying to find a perfect medium for their actions.
A main part of the Hindu religion is the caste system, which is the social group in which a person is born into. Now, it does seem as though this is an unfair system, but it works perfectly into the Hindu beliefs. Hindus believe in reincarnation, or the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form because they consider it impossible to achieve the Moshka in one lifetime. Hindus also believe that a person’s Atman’s (soul) next location is determined by the actions in their current life. Basically if a person is good, then they will move higher up in the caste system and the opposite effect will come into play if the person is bad. If a person were to get upset about being in a lower position in the caste, others would have the idea that that particular person was bad in their previous life. The idea of reincarnation results in a stable government and society because people do not question authority or higher positions in the caste. Buddhists do not believe in the caste system. Instead, they believe that one can achieve nirvana in one lifetime. This contrasts greatly with Hinduism because they find it impossible to achieve Moshka in one lifetime. In their opinion, one must go through a series of rebirth until they finally achieve union with Brahman.
Although Buddhism and Hinduism are alike in many ways, the primary difference between them is how they go about releasing themselves from the cycle of rebirth. Both Buddhism and Hinduism believed in a world of ahimsa, karma, dharma, and rebirth. Hindus work to achieve a life full of ahimsa, or nonviolence, which was an important principle they believed in. Buddhism, a religion derived from Hinduism, also believed in a world of nonviolence and peace. Also, they both believed in karma, or the idea that actions affect one’s future and well-being. In Hinduism, they believe that Karma affects the person’s next life. In Buddhism, they believe that good Karma helps them meditate, becoming one with the world and reaching ‘enlightenment.’ In addition, both religions believe in dharma, or the duties of an individual. In Hinduism, the duties one must do are according to class. In Buddhism, the duties of an individual are in the form of the Eightfold Paths. These include right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, mindfulness, contemplation, and effort. They must be completed in order to reach nirvana. Lastly, both religions believe in the idea of birth and rebirth. In Hinduism, the belief is reincarnation, or the rebirth of the soul. If one has done good things in their life, they will be reincarnated into a higher casted being (and vice versa). In Buddhism, one is reincarnated until reaching nirvana. Although Buddhism and Hinduism believe in some of the same ideas, they differ in many ways. In Hinduism, the final goal is to unite with Brahman. This cannot be completed in one lifetime, so they believe in rebirth. In Buddhism, the primary goal is to reach nirvana, or to be come one with the universe and reach ‘enlightenment.’ One will achieve this by meditating, following the Eightfold Path, and understanding the Four Noble Truths. In order to reach these goals, Hindus believes that you must go through suffering. If you suffer, you will eventually see the world in a new way. For example, Hindus would starve themselves in order to reach Brahman. In Buddhism, you reach your goal by meditation. Lastly, Hindus believed in a strict caste system. This first group was humans; however, they were divided up into groups. The group who was closest to Brahman was called the Brahmins, which consisted of priests. The second closest group was the Ksatriyas (warriors). The next group was the Vaisyas, or the farmers, merchants, and artisans. The last group was the Sudras (laborers). Below the humans were the items like rock and water. Buddhists rejected the caste system, giving each person the same goal (achieving nirvana).
Hinduism and Buddhism are ancient religions that began in India. These two religions differ in significant ways. Hindus believe in the caste system, while Buddhists do not. Also, Buddhism does not involve any gods, but Hinduism does. Lastly, Buddhists believe in balance and avoiding the extremes, while Hindus do not subscribe to this.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are a few of the main Hindu Gods. These gods give a concrete form to brahman, the spiritual power that resides in everything. In Buddhism, however, no Gods are involved. Instead, Buddhists have to try and eliminate all desires in the world and meditate to achieve enlightenment. All of this is required in order to reach nirvana, the union with the universe which results in the release from the cycle of rebirth.
One important part of Hinduism is the caste system, which is an organized social group structure. In the caste system, Hindus are divided into four different categories; the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Sudras. The Brahmins, the highest group in Hinduism, are purer and closer to moksha than the Sudras, which are the lowest social group. Moksha is extremely important in Hinduism because it means union with Brahman. The class system ensures social order in the Hindu society because people believe that the law of karma determines their caste, hence, if someone is bad in his or her life, he will be reincarnated in a lower caste in his next life. Hindus eventually want to reach moksha. Buddhism on the other hand, does not believe in the caste system. Buddhists believe that every person is equal and has the same chance of reaching nirvana.
Buddhists also believe in balance and staying away from the extremes. They think that they must follow the middle way, which is a system of living a life devoted to happiness, but at the same time not indulging one self. Every Buddhist is supposed to eliminate desire in his or her life, because that supposedly brings suffering and pain. Hindus do not believe in this concept of equilibrium and keeping away from extremes, as shown by their intense sessions of meditation and starvation to try and gain spiritual growth.
Simply, the main goal in Hinduism is to unite with Brahman. In Buddhism, the primary objective is to reach nirvana. The way that these goals are achieved, however, is vastly different in Buddhism versus Hinduism.
The belief of Hinduism began in India and eventually spread throughout the world. In India, Hinduism beliefs were closely linked to the caste system. People believed that karma determined their social status. Brahman was considered to be everything intangible and was an important concept to the belief system. Hinduism was an polytheistic faith. The most important Gods were Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. These gods could take any form and were respected by the people. Hindu teachings were recorded in the Vedas.
Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama, a member of social class Brahman, discovered all the pain and suffering in the world. He spent most of his life dedicated to figure out "the realm of life where there is neither suffering nor death." He tried many religious practices until he gave up and sat under a tree until he understood the mystery of life. When he believed he understood the meaning of life he changed his name to Buddha, meaning "the Enlightened one." Buddhism teaches about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are:
1. All life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow 2. The cause of suffering is non-virtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred and desire. 3. The only cure for suffering is to overcome non-virtue 4. The only way to overcome non-virtue is to follow the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is described as doing what is right. Buddha saw this as a middle path between a life devoted to pleasure and one based on harsh self-denial. An important religious ritual is to meditate. Mediation allows a person to achieve enlightenment. The goal in a persons life is reach nirvana, which is union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth.
Although they both agree and believe in the big picture of dharma, karma and reincarnation, Hinduism and Buddhism are different. Actions that occur during a Hindus first life determine what that person will become once they are reincarnated. Reincarnation gives Hindus a second chance to achieve their life goal of moksha. Suffering takes place in a Hindus life because it is their own fault. The only way to rid yourself from suffering is to do the right thing. Buddhist, however, believe that suffering takes place because of peoples selfish desires. The Eightfold Path was a concept that was believed to be the only way to free a person from suffrage.
Although originating off of the same concept, Buddhism diverged onto a different path than Hinduism. First, the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born a Hindu into a life of affluence. Therefore, he learned all of the Hindu teachings, including the ancient proverb, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." Hindus accepted the idea that life and all of its components are a part of an omnipotent force, brahman; thus, in this belief, Hindus recognize other gods that make up brahman, including the gods Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Shakti. Next, Gautama also understood the ultimate goal in Hinduism; striving and achieving moksha. To attain moksha, one must free one's atman to brahman. Each person has a soul, or atman, recognized as a form of brahman, and by being morally just and working hard throughout their lifetime, one can move up the caste system and strive to achieve moksha; however, one cannot reach moksha in a single lifetime. Therefore, the Hindus believe in reincarnation, or the rebirth of an individual into another form, depending on their behavior in their past life; if someone is selfish in their lifetime, then karma, or the actions that affect an individual, will punish him or her by lowering their stature in the caste system in their next life, creating a greater distance between the individual and moksha; however, if one follows the dharma, or the ethical duties of an individual, then there will be a shorter religious distance between the individual and moksha. Back to Gautama, his affluence in India led to his security by his parents. Gautama was kept from the real world around him, ignorant to suffering and pain. Later in life, he ventured out of the palace into town and noticed the suffering of many. Somewhat internally guilty and appalled, he strived to uncover a world without struggle. Finally, without answers from the wisest Hindus, Gautama meditated by himself to undersand the cure for all of the suffering. When he believed he figured out the truth, Gautama became the Buddha, or the 'one who is awake.' Contrasting to Hindu views, the Buddha preached that the only way to overcome nonvirtue and suffering is to live a moral life. Disregarding the caste system, the Buddha believed that everyone had a fair chance of seeking nirvana, or the Buddhist's final goal to unite with the universe. Unlike his affluent life, the Buddha thought that a happy medium between the extremes in life would be enough to reach nirvana. With this in mind, Buddhists also rejected multiple gods, or any god for that matter. In the Buddha's eyes, meditation is all one needed to find enlightenment like he once did. "Decay is inherent in all things. Work out your own salvation with diligence."
Hinduism and Buddhism are vastly different for many reasons, however the most radical one is the fact that Buddhism does not recognize, or believe in a God or and gods/goddesses.
Hinduism and Buddhism are drastically different, despite the fact that Buddhism was spawned from Hinduism. Hindu people worship many gods and goddesses, while Buddhists do not believe in one God, much less thousands. Another reason they are divergent is: Buddhism has extremely strict laws, while Hinduism just engulfs neighboring cultures, beliefs, and ideas. This can be seen through events such as when the Aryans came in to the Indian Subcontinent and Hindu culture simply adopted the competing view points, which eliminated a lot of the fighting.
The final reason that Hinduism and Buddhism are different is that Hinduism has no clear founder, but Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who was once a rich, almost prince-like figure in society. He, however, gave all of his material possessions up to live a life of personal growth, and moderation, through the eight fold path, to achieve nirvana. Despite the fact that Buddhism was forged from Hinduism, they, in truth, have more similarities than differences.
Buddhism is a contradiction to Hinduism. Hinduism is the belief that all individuals have an atman or essential self and eventually must achieve moksha, union with Brahman. In order to achieve moksha, one must free themselves from selfish desires. In case one cannot accomplish this task throughout lifetime, Hindus believed in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form. With reincarnation, an individual is able to attempt to achieve moksha through many lifetimes. Additionally, the Hindus believe in karma. Karma refers to the actions if a one’s life that affects his or her fate in their next life. It is believed that if one obtains good karma, he or she will be able to achieve moksha. Lastly, an individual must do what ever is needed to accomplish in order to achieve dharma. To exhibit morally good dharma, one must complete any task needed to be done in order to remain faithful. Contradicting to Hinduism, Buddhism believes the reason people are unhappy results in their expectations. If one has no expectations, he or she will never be let down. A main point of Buddhism is to neglect all desires. Different from Hinduism, the Buddha preached that there is no god. The Buddha preached that reality is an illusion. Buddhism believes that an individual will feel pain if he or she has belief in a cause that does not exist.
Hinduism and Buddhism are different in many ways. Both of these religions sprouted out of India, yet Hinduism believes in a deity while buddhism does not. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. There are thousands of Gods to which people pray to, but all hindus share a common belief, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." They believe in brahman, which is the supernatural soul that resides within everything, even humans. Their goal in life is to achieve moksha, or union with brahman. To do this, they must fulfill their dharma, or duties, in order to cleanse their atman, or essential self. An example of dharma is Ahmisa, or nonviolence. Moksha cannot be achieved in only one life, therefore hindus believe in reincarnation. They believe in karma, which is like a system of points that judges their lives. If a person does good karma, they will be reincarnated into a higher life form. In contrast, if a person does bad karma their status will go down. Humans are the closest life form to brahman, so when a person with good karma is reincarnated they are reincarnated into a higher caste. The caste system is a system of establishing social order. Each caste, or social group, has their own rules to which live life by. The highest caste is composed of the Brahmins, or priests, and the lowest is made up of Sudras, or workers. However, the caste system was only used by Aryans, not Dravidians. Due to their beliefs, hindus believe that the punishment that one receives in life, such as being poor, is consequence of the way that they took care of their atman in their previous life. This is how they explain human suffering. Buddhists, on the other hand have no deity. They follow the morals of the Buddha, formerly known as Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama was born as a prince, destined to be king. His parents however, were utterly overprotective of him and never let him see any form of suffering in the world. Nevertheless, one day, Gautama walked out of his house and saw a sick man and a dead man on the ground. This immediately lead him to become a walking holy man, as he convinced himself that the point of his life was to find out why we suffer. Gautama experimented with multiple hindu forms in order to figure out what 'brahman' was, but they all failed, so, Gautama decided to sit under a tree and rest until enlightenment came to him. Eventually, it did. He concluded that life was full of suffering, because it was also full of desire. To eliminate suffering, you must eliminate desire, and live life by the middle way, meaning that you must not overachieve nor should you not achieve enough. This way, you'd eventually be released from the cycle of rebirth, and achieve nirvana, or union with the universe. Buddihists follow Gautama's morals. In contrast with hinduism, they do not believe that you must cleanse your atman in order to be freed from rebirth. To buddhists, life is an illusion, and to be freed from rebirth, you must free yourself of desire, therefore releasing yourself of all suffering. Moreover, buddhists have no deity and believe that one can personally seek enlightenment, rather than gaining it by living several lives and becoming a brahmin.
Hinduism and Buddism both originated from India. Hinduism is a blend of Aryan beliefs along with ancient Dravidian beliefs. When the Aryans conquered the Dravidian peoples, the religious beliefs of both cultures eventually blended. Buddism originated from the enlightenment of Siddartha Gautama, a young prince from the foothills of the Himalayas. While the two religions do share some similarities, two stark differences set the two drastically apart.
For one, various gods are worshipped in Hinduism while in Buddhism, gods are not worshipped at all. In Hinduism, everything is connected and is a part of the unchanging force known as brahman. As one ancient proverb states, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." Therefore, Hindus worship many different gods that give a concrete form to brahman. The three most important gods are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Temples, shrines, and priests help Hindus to communicate and pray to their gods. In Buddhism, no gods are worshipped. There are no priests, temples, or shrines. Buddhists are urged to seek personal enlightenment through meditation. Sometimes, Buddha is worshipped and prayed to for help. However, Buddha did not originally plan for this to be the case.
The second stark difference between Hinduism and Buddhism lies within Hinduism's concept of karma, and Buddhism's concept of the Eightfold Path. In Hinduism, karma refers to all of the actions, good or bad, on a person's life. A person's karma effects the next life that they will be born into. For example, if a person is good and follows the rules of Hinduism, they will achieve good karma, assuring themselves a higher ranking in the next life. However, if a person is evil throughout their life, they will gather bad karma and achieve a lower ranking in their next life. Karma justifies the caste system, a social system in Hinduism and Indian culture that people are born into. People of higher castes are considered to be more pure and closer to moksha (union with brahman) than those of lower castes. In Hinduism, if a person has been born into a lower caste, then they have committed sins in a previous life. In Hinduism, a person's karma determines their fate. In Buddhism, karma is non-existant. In Buddhism, a person needs to stick to the Eightfold Path in order to achieve nirvana, or union with the universe. the Eightfold Path depicts a life of high moral standings, kindness to all living creatures, meditation, and not too much self-indulgence or self-denial. The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as being in the middle of pleasure and self-denial. Unlike karma, which determines whether or not a person can achieve moksha based on rank, the Eightfold Path is available to all people, regardless of birth or rank.
Hinduism and Buddhism may have developed from common origins in India, but their fundamental beliefs are quite different. After the Aryans conquered the native Indian Dravidians, the polytheistic Hinduism developed through acculturation of many beliefs. Over time more and more gods were added, leading Hinduism to become one of the most complex religions today. The Hindus justify their many gods with a saying, “God is one, but wise people know it by many names.” They believe in one unchanging spiritual force called Brahman but have developed concrete manifestations: Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Shiva, the Destroyer. Later, Buddhism developed with the help of a man names Siddhartha Gautama, who would later become known as Buddha. As a young boy, Gautama led a sheltered life, but one day he noticed the suffering in the world and was puzzled. In an attempt to find the cause of suffering, Gautama meditated until he declared that suffering was caused by desire in the Four Noble Truths, and developed the Eightfold path as a way to eliminate desire and therefore suffering. Overall, there are three main differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.
The caste system is a collection of hierarchal social groups that signify a person’s ranking in society. It was the Aryan’s way of maintaining power and outlining an individual’s role in society. The are four main Aryan castes: the Brahmin, or priests make up the highest group; the Kshatriyas, or warriors make up the second highest class; the Vaisyas are the third caste and consist of herders, farmers, artisans, and merchants; and the lowest caste is the Sudras, which consists of mostly non-Aryan people who do the cities’ manual labor. Hinduism is based solely on this system, as a Hindu’s main goal is achieve moksha, or union with Brahman. Simply put, the different castes represent a person’s proximity to achieving moksha, and the Brahmin’s are the closest. Unlike Hinduism, which goes hand and hand with the caste system, Buddhism rejects the idea of castes. Instead, Buddhism states that everyone is equal and creates a haven where people from all classes can gather and aid each other in their quest for nirvana, the Buddhist equivalent of moksha. There is no bias based on caste and instead of repeating the process of reincarnation like in Hinduism belief, Buddhists can actually achieve nirvana in only one lifetime and from any social standing. However, like Hindus, Buddhists still believe in rebirth and kharma, the idea that your actions determine how far one moves either toward or away from reuniting with Brahman.
Another difference, though, is the debate on how to reach union. Buddhists believe that it can be obtained through meditation alone, while Hindus rely on the aid of gods, priests, and rituals. Hindus worship a variety of concrete gods as manifestations of Brahman. Buddhism, on the other hand, stresses the importance of no Gods. In fact, the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha, prohibited people from worshipping him. He was the human teacher who helped people find a way to a life of no suffering, but believed that all it took was meditation, not mediation by gods or priests.
Lastly, Buddhists follow a no extreme policy. In fact Buddhist try to eliminate all extremes, big or small. Unlike the Hindus, they do not believe in putting one’s body through physical pain in order to achieve nirvana. Instead, they believe all it takes is simple meditation and following the Eightfold Path, or Middle Way. The Middle Way is system of living life in the “middle,” not too good but not too bad. This idea, however, is drastically different from the Hindu beliefs, which states that one must push their body to its limit in order to achieve moksha. One can achieve these painful extremes through fasting or physical pain.
Though Buddhism and Hinduism share common characteristics and even originated from the same religion, there are still many differences. But, even many years later, Buddhism and Hinduism are still some of the most popular modern religions.
Hinduism and Buddhism are alike and different in many ways, but the major difference of the two is that Buddhism does not have any gods to rely on and Hinduism’s beliefs rely on social groups.. Hinduism and Buddhism both came from India, but sprouted differently in different ways. Hinduism solely relies on the caste system. The caste system is social groups that people belong to and mainly relies on your Karma. Karma refers to what you do in life and what happens to you because of your decisions. For example, if you do good things with your life and do what you are supposed to do you will have positive good karma. If you do bad things in life, evil will come back to you. Hinduism beliefs in the one god, Brahman who was the god that existed in everything and is involved in everything that you do. The goal in the life Hinduism is moksha, and it is to have union with Brahman. If you want to achieve moksha, you cannot do so in one life, so reincarnation lets people do so by restoring it through several different lives and different forms. If you want to have a good life to be able to achieve moksha your karma must be positive to do so, to do that you have to follow dharma, the religious duties that fulfill throughout life. The idea of Karma, dharma, and reincarnation are believed both in Buddhism and Hinduism. The one thing that Buddhism taught that Hinduism did not was the four noble truths, that showed people how to cure suffering in life. To cure the suffering in life, you must mediate multiple times throughout the day, non virtue. The idea of Buddhism came from Siddhartha Gautama, who was known as the “enlightened one”. His ideas of curing suffering came from when he was a young boy and saw sadness and suffering for the time and had to do something about it. That is why he was known as the “enlightened one” and came up with the ideas of the four noble truths to cure suffering. In Buddhism, you try to achieve Nirvana, which is the achievement of enlightment and a release from the cycle of rebirth. To achieve Nirvana you must follow the Eightfold Path that includes “right views, right hope, right speech, right mindfulness and right contemplation”. To achieve Nirvana you must follow those laws, mediate and have positive karma throughout rebirthing. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of the same beliefs but differ in ways. Buddhism does not have any gods or caste systems, and anyone can achieve nirvana in any life. Hinduism does have castes systems that rely on karama. Hinduism has one god but it is known by many different names. Shiva who is known as the destroyer ,Vishnu who is the preserver, and Brahman who is the creator of all. These three principle gods are the apart of everything in life and can be physically touched. Buddhism’s beliefs have no god, no caste or no extremes so that anyone can achieve nirvana in any lifetime.
Hinduism and Buddhism are alike and different in many ways, but the major difference of the two is that Buddhism does not have any gods to rely on and Hinduism’s beliefs rely on social groups.. Hinduism and Buddhism both came from India, but sprouted differently in different ways. Hinduism solely relies on the caste system. The caste system is social groups that people belong to and mainly relies on your Karma. Karma refers to what you do in life and what happens to you because of your decisions. For example, if you do good things with your life and do what you are supposed to do you will have positive good karma. If you do bad things in life, evil will come back to you. Hinduism beliefs in the one god, Brahman who was the god that existed in everything and is involved in everything that you do. The goal in the life Hinduism is moksha, and it is to have union with Brahman. If you want to achieve moksha, you cannot do so in one life, so reincarnation lets people do so by restoring it through several different lives and different forms. If you want to have a good life to be able to achieve moksha your karma must be positive to do so, to do that you have to follow dharma, the religious duties that fulfill throughout life. The idea of Karma, dharma, and reincarnation are believed both in Buddhism and Hinduism. The one thing that Buddhism taught that Hinduism did not was the four noble truths, that showed people how to cure suffering in life. To cure the suffering in life, you must mediate multiple times throughout the day, non virtue. The idea of Buddhism came from Siddhartha Gautama, who was known as the “enlightened one”. His ideas of curing suffering came from when he was a young boy and saw sadness and suffering for the time and had to do something about it. That is why he was known as the “enlightened one” and came up with the ideas of the four noble truths to cure suffering. In Buddhism, you try to achieve Nirvana, which is the achievement of enlightment and a release from the cycle of rebirth. To achieve Nirvana you must follow the Eightfold Path that includes “right views, right hope, right speech, right mindfulness and right contemplation”. To achieve Nirvana you must follow those laws, mediate and have positive karma throughout rebirthing. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of the same beliefs but differ in ways. Buddhism does not have any gods or caste systems, and anyone can achieve nirvana in any life. Hinduism does have castes systems that rely on karama. Hinduism has one god but it is known by many different names. Shiva who is known as the destroyer ,Vishnu who is the preserver, and Brahman who is the creator of all. These three principle gods are the apart of everything in life and can be physically touched. Buddhism’s beliefs have no god, no caste or no extremes so that anyone can achieve nirvana in any lifetime.
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ReplyDeleteSarafenka-
ReplyDeleteSome issues.
1. Hinduism did not spread all over the world.
2. In hinduism, worshiping Vishnu, et al does not result in union with Brahman
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ReplyDeletePart 1:
ReplyDeleteTo this day, many people in India follow the main religions of their area, Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Buddhism originated from the traditions of Hinduism, the two religions differ in many ways. First, Buddhists do not believe in any gods; instead, they meditate to find the answers that they seek. In contrast to the meditation idea, Hindus believe in three main gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Secondly, Buddhists do not go to extremes, meaning that they do not put themselves in physical or mental pain to become one with their god or higher power. Most importantly, Buddhists did not believe in what the Hindus called the caste system, which is an unchangeable social group into which a person is born.
Buddhists do not worship any gods; they do, however, seek answers to their questions by meditating. Siddhartha Gautama, better known today as the Buddha, first question, “why is there suffering in the world?” After being sheltered all his life and finally being released into the true world, Gautama was struck by the atrocities that people lived in. When seeking answers to his main true question, Gautama was told to fast or worship Brahma. These activities left Brahma even more confused than he was before. As a final attempt to understand why people suffer, Gautama meditated for as long at it took. Finally, he awoke and realized the true cause of suffering. Buddha understood that the only way to eliminate pain and misfortune in his life, he had to eliminate desires all together. Instead of continuously trying to become one with the Hindu god, Gautama (later name Buddha) taught his followers to meditate. Believing in nirvana, or union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth also reflects that Buddhists did not believe in a god. When they finally achieve peace with the world and eliminated all of their desires, Buddhists no longer go through the process of reincarnation, or rebirth. The idea or nirvana contrasts with the Hindu belief of achieving Moshka, or union with Brahma. Although both of these ideas involve union with a person or thing, the Hindu belief deals with a god and the Buddhist belief does not.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteAnother way that Buddha taught his followers to eliminate their desires was to not go to any extremes. For many years, Hindus had put themselves through utmost pain to become one with their god, Brahma. These followers fasted and put themselves in intense environments to somehow find the answers that they were looking for. Buddha did not believe in putting oneself in such harsh environments, instead he described the Eightfold Path, or the Middle Way. This process was achieved by doing activities halfway. As Mr. Allegra explained in class, “you don’t give it 110%, but you also do not sit back and do nothing.” While trying to achieve this goal, the Eightfold Path, Buddhists spend most of their time trying to find a perfect medium for their actions.
A main part of the Hindu religion is the caste system, which is the social group in which a person is born into. Now, it does seem as though this is an unfair system, but it works perfectly into the Hindu beliefs. Hindus believe in reincarnation, or the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form because they consider it impossible to achieve the Moshka in one lifetime. Hindus also believe that a person’s Atman’s (soul) next location is determined by the actions in their current life. Basically if a person is good, then they will move higher up in the caste system and the opposite effect will come into play if the person is bad. If a person were to get upset about being in a lower position in the caste, others would have the idea that that particular person was bad in their previous life. The idea of reincarnation results in a stable government and society because people do not question authority or higher positions in the caste. Buddhists do not believe in the caste system. Instead, they believe that one can achieve nirvana in one lifetime. This contrasts greatly with Hinduism because they find it impossible to achieve Moshka in one lifetime. In their opinion, one must go through a series of rebirth until they finally achieve union with Brahman.
Although Buddhism and Hinduism are alike in many ways, the primary difference between them is how they go about releasing themselves from the cycle of rebirth.
ReplyDeleteBoth Buddhism and Hinduism believed in a world of ahimsa, karma, dharma, and rebirth. Hindus work to achieve a life full of ahimsa, or nonviolence, which was an important principle they believed in. Buddhism, a religion derived from Hinduism, also believed in a world of nonviolence and peace. Also, they both believed in karma, or the idea that actions affect one’s future and well-being. In Hinduism, they believe that Karma affects the person’s next life. In Buddhism, they believe that good Karma helps them meditate, becoming one with the world and reaching ‘enlightenment.’ In addition, both religions believe in dharma, or the duties of an individual. In Hinduism, the duties one must do are according to class. In Buddhism, the duties of an individual are in the form of the Eightfold Paths. These include right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, mindfulness, contemplation, and effort. They must be completed in order to reach nirvana. Lastly, both religions believe in the idea of birth and rebirth. In Hinduism, the belief is reincarnation, or the rebirth of the soul. If one has done good things in their life, they will be reincarnated into a higher casted being (and vice versa). In Buddhism, one is reincarnated until reaching nirvana.
Although Buddhism and Hinduism believe in some of the same ideas, they differ in many ways. In Hinduism, the final goal is to unite with Brahman. This cannot be completed in one lifetime, so they believe in rebirth. In Buddhism, the primary goal is to reach nirvana, or to be come one with the universe and reach ‘enlightenment.’ One will achieve this by meditating, following the Eightfold Path, and understanding the Four Noble Truths. In order to reach these goals, Hindus believes that you must go through suffering. If you suffer, you will eventually see the world in a new way. For example, Hindus would starve themselves in order to reach Brahman. In Buddhism, you reach your goal by meditation. Lastly, Hindus believed in a strict caste system. This first group was humans; however, they were divided up into groups. The group who was closest to Brahman was called the Brahmins, which consisted of priests. The second closest group was the Ksatriyas (warriors). The next group was the Vaisyas, or the farmers, merchants, and artisans. The last group was the Sudras (laborers). Below the humans were the items like rock and water. Buddhists rejected the caste system, giving each person the same goal (achieving nirvana).
Mr. Allegra-here is my revised essay!
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism are ancient religions that began in India. These two religions differ in significant ways. Hindus believe in the caste system, while Buddhists do not. Also, Buddhism does not involve any gods, but Hinduism does. Lastly, Buddhists believe in balance and avoiding the extremes, while Hindus do not subscribe to this.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are a few of the main Hindu Gods. These gods give a concrete form to brahman, the spiritual power that resides in everything. In Buddhism, however, no Gods are involved. Instead, Buddhists have to try and eliminate all desires in the world and meditate to achieve enlightenment. All of this is required in order to reach nirvana, the union with the universe which results in the release from the cycle of rebirth.
One important part of Hinduism is the caste system, which is an organized social group structure. In the caste system, Hindus are divided into four different categories; the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Sudras. The Brahmins, the highest group in Hinduism, are purer and closer to moksha than the Sudras, which are the lowest social group. Moksha is extremely important in Hinduism because it means union with Brahman. The class system ensures social order in the Hindu society because people believe that the law of karma determines their caste, hence, if someone is bad in his or her life, he will be reincarnated in a lower caste in his next life. Hindus eventually want to reach moksha. Buddhism on the other hand, does not believe in the caste system. Buddhists believe that every person is equal and has the same chance of reaching nirvana.
Buddhists also believe in balance and staying away from the extremes. They think that they must follow the middle way, which is a system of living a life devoted to happiness, but at the same time not indulging one self. Every Buddhist is supposed to eliminate desire in his or her life, because that supposedly brings suffering and pain. Hindus do not believe in this concept of equilibrium and keeping away from extremes, as shown by their intense sessions of meditation and starvation to try and gain spiritual growth.
Simply, the main goal in Hinduism is to unite with Brahman. In Buddhism, the primary objective is to reach nirvana. The way that these goals are achieved, however, is vastly different in Buddhism versus Hinduism.
The belief of Hinduism began in India and eventually spread throughout the world. In India, Hinduism beliefs were closely linked to the caste system. People believed that karma determined their social status. Brahman was considered to be everything intangible and was an important concept to the belief system. Hinduism was an polytheistic faith. The most important Gods were Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. These gods could take any form and were respected by the people. Hindu teachings were recorded in the Vedas.
ReplyDeleteBuddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama, a member of social class Brahman, discovered all the pain and suffering in the world. He spent most of his life dedicated to figure out "the realm of life where there is neither suffering nor death." He tried many religious practices until he gave up and sat under a tree until he understood the mystery of life. When he believed he understood the meaning of life he changed his name to Buddha, meaning "the Enlightened one." Buddhism teaches about the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are:
1. All life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow
2. The cause of suffering is non-virtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred and desire.
3. The only cure for suffering is to overcome non-virtue
4. The only way to overcome non-virtue is to follow the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is described as doing what is right. Buddha saw this as a middle path between a life devoted to pleasure and one based on harsh self-denial. An important religious ritual is to meditate. Mediation allows a person to achieve enlightenment. The goal in a persons life is reach nirvana, which is union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth.
Although they both agree and believe in the big picture of dharma, karma and reincarnation, Hinduism and Buddhism are different. Actions that occur during a Hindus first life determine what that person will become once they are reincarnated. Reincarnation gives Hindus a second chance to achieve their life goal of moksha. Suffering takes place in a Hindus life because it is their own fault. The only way to rid yourself from suffering is to do the right thing. Buddhist, however, believe that suffering takes place because of peoples selfish desires. The Eightfold Path was a concept that was believed to be the only way to free a person from suffrage.
Although originating off of the same concept, Buddhism diverged onto a different path than Hinduism. First, the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born a Hindu into a life of affluence. Therefore, he learned all of the Hindu teachings, including the ancient proverb, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." Hindus accepted the idea that life and all of its components are a part of an omnipotent force, brahman; thus, in this belief, Hindus recognize other gods that make up brahman, including the gods Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Shakti. Next, Gautama also understood the ultimate goal in Hinduism; striving and achieving moksha. To attain moksha, one must free one's atman to brahman. Each person has a soul, or atman, recognized as a form of brahman, and by being morally just and working hard throughout their lifetime, one can move up the caste system and strive to achieve moksha; however, one cannot reach moksha in a single lifetime. Therefore, the Hindus believe in reincarnation, or the rebirth of an individual into another form, depending on their behavior in their past life; if someone is selfish in their lifetime, then karma, or the actions that affect an individual, will punish him or her by lowering their stature in the caste system in their next life, creating a greater distance between the individual and moksha; however, if one follows the dharma, or the ethical duties of an individual, then there will be a shorter religious distance between the individual and moksha. Back to Gautama, his affluence in India led to his security by his parents. Gautama was kept from the real world around him, ignorant to suffering and pain. Later in life, he ventured out of the palace into town and noticed the suffering of many. Somewhat internally guilty and appalled, he strived to uncover a world without struggle. Finally, without answers from the wisest Hindus, Gautama meditated by himself to undersand the cure for all of the suffering. When he believed he figured out the truth, Gautama became the Buddha, or the 'one who is awake.' Contrasting to Hindu views, the Buddha preached that the only way to overcome nonvirtue and suffering is to live a moral life. Disregarding the caste system, the Buddha believed that everyone had a fair chance of seeking nirvana, or the Buddhist's final goal to unite with the universe. Unlike his affluent life, the Buddha thought that a happy medium between the extremes in life would be enough to reach nirvana. With this in mind, Buddhists also rejected multiple gods, or any god for that matter. In the Buddha's eyes, meditation is all one needed to find enlightenment like he once did. "Decay is inherent in all things. Work out your own salvation with diligence."
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism are vastly different for many reasons, however the most radical one is the fact that Buddhism does not recognize, or believe in a God or and gods/goddesses.
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism are drastically different, despite the fact that Buddhism was spawned from Hinduism. Hindu people worship many gods and goddesses, while Buddhists do not believe in one God, much less thousands. Another reason they are divergent is: Buddhism has extremely strict laws, while Hinduism just engulfs neighboring cultures, beliefs, and ideas. This can be seen through events such as when the Aryans came in to the Indian Subcontinent and Hindu culture simply adopted the competing view points, which eliminated a lot of the fighting.
The final reason that Hinduism and Buddhism are different is that Hinduism has no clear founder, but Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who was once a rich, almost prince-like figure in society. He, however, gave all of his material possessions up to live a life of personal growth, and moderation, through the eight fold path, to achieve nirvana. Despite the fact that Buddhism was forged from Hinduism, they, in truth, have more similarities than differences.
Buddhism is a contradiction to Hinduism. Hinduism is the belief that all individuals have an atman or essential self and eventually must achieve moksha, union with Brahman. In order to achieve moksha, one must free themselves from selfish desires. In case one cannot accomplish this task throughout lifetime, Hindus believed in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form. With reincarnation, an individual is able to attempt to achieve moksha through many lifetimes. Additionally, the Hindus believe in karma. Karma refers to the actions if a one’s life that affects his or her fate in their next life. It is believed that if one obtains good karma, he or she will be able to achieve moksha. Lastly, an individual must do what ever is needed to accomplish in order to achieve dharma. To exhibit morally good dharma, one must complete any task needed to be done in order to remain faithful. Contradicting to Hinduism, Buddhism believes the reason people are unhappy results in their expectations. If one has no expectations, he or she will never be let down. A main point of Buddhism is to neglect all desires. Different from Hinduism, the Buddha preached that there is no god. The Buddha preached that reality is an illusion. Buddhism believes that an individual will feel pain if he or she has belief in a cause that does not exist.
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ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism are different in many ways. Both of these religions sprouted out of India, yet Hinduism believes in a deity while buddhism does not. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. There are thousands of Gods to which people pray to, but all hindus share a common belief, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." They believe in brahman, which is the supernatural soul that resides within everything, even humans. Their goal in life is to achieve moksha, or union with brahman. To do this, they must fulfill their dharma, or duties, in order to cleanse their atman, or essential self. An example of dharma is Ahmisa, or nonviolence. Moksha cannot be achieved in only one life, therefore hindus believe in reincarnation. They believe in karma, which is like a system of points that judges their lives. If a person does good karma, they will be reincarnated into a higher life form. In contrast, if a person does bad karma their status will go down. Humans are the closest life form to brahman, so when a person with good karma is reincarnated they are reincarnated into a higher caste. The caste system is a system of establishing social order. Each caste, or social group, has their own rules to which live life by. The highest caste is composed of the Brahmins, or priests, and the lowest is made up of Sudras, or workers. However, the caste system was only used by Aryans, not Dravidians. Due to their beliefs, hindus believe that the punishment that one receives in life, such as being poor, is consequence of the way that they took care of their atman in their previous life. This is how they explain human suffering. Buddhists, on the other hand have no deity. They follow the morals of the Buddha, formerly known as Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama was born as a prince, destined to be king. His parents however, were utterly overprotective of him and never let him see any form of suffering in the world. Nevertheless, one day, Gautama walked out of his house and saw a sick man and a dead man on the ground. This immediately lead him to become a walking holy man, as he convinced himself that the point of his life was to find out why we suffer. Gautama experimented with multiple hindu forms in order to figure out what 'brahman' was, but they all failed, so, Gautama decided to sit under a tree and rest until enlightenment came to him. Eventually, it did. He concluded that life was full of suffering, because it was also full of desire. To eliminate suffering, you must eliminate desire, and live life by the middle way, meaning that you must not overachieve nor should you not achieve enough. This way, you'd eventually be released from the cycle of rebirth, and achieve nirvana, or union with the universe. Buddihists follow Gautama's morals. In contrast with hinduism, they do not believe that you must cleanse your atman in order to be freed from rebirth. To buddhists, life is an illusion, and to be freed from rebirth, you must free yourself of desire, therefore releasing yourself of all suffering. Moreover, buddhists have no deity and believe that one can personally seek enlightenment, rather than gaining it by living several lives and becoming a brahmin.
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddism both originated from India. Hinduism is a blend of Aryan beliefs along with ancient Dravidian beliefs. When the Aryans conquered the Dravidian peoples, the religious beliefs of both cultures eventually blended. Buddism originated from the enlightenment of Siddartha Gautama, a young prince from the foothills of the Himalayas. While the two religions do share some similarities, two stark differences set the two drastically apart.
ReplyDeleteFor one, various gods are worshipped in Hinduism while in Buddhism, gods are not worshipped at all. In Hinduism, everything is connected and is a part of the unchanging force known as brahman. As one ancient proverb states, "God is one, but wise people know it by many names." Therefore, Hindus worship many different gods that give a concrete form to brahman. The three most important gods are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Temples, shrines, and priests help Hindus to communicate and pray to their gods. In Buddhism, no gods are worshipped. There are no priests, temples, or shrines. Buddhists are urged to seek personal enlightenment through meditation. Sometimes, Buddha is worshipped and prayed to for help. However, Buddha did not originally plan for this to be the case.
The second stark difference between Hinduism and Buddhism lies within Hinduism's concept of karma, and Buddhism's concept of the Eightfold Path. In Hinduism, karma refers to all of the actions, good or bad, on a person's life. A person's karma effects the next life that they will be born into. For example, if a person is good and follows the rules of Hinduism, they will achieve good karma, assuring themselves a higher ranking in the next life. However, if a person is evil throughout their life, they will gather bad karma and achieve a lower ranking in their next life. Karma justifies the caste system, a social system in Hinduism and Indian culture that people are born into. People of higher castes are considered to be more pure and closer to moksha (union with brahman) than those of lower castes. In Hinduism, if a person has been born into a lower caste, then they have committed sins in a previous life. In Hinduism, a person's karma determines their fate. In Buddhism, karma is non-existant. In Buddhism, a person needs to stick to the Eightfold Path in order to achieve nirvana, or union with the universe. the Eightfold Path depicts a life of high moral standings, kindness to all living creatures, meditation, and not too much self-indulgence or self-denial. The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as being in the middle of pleasure and self-denial. Unlike karma, which determines whether or not a person can achieve moksha based on rank, the Eightfold Path is available to all people, regardless of birth or rank.
Hinduism and Buddhism may have developed from common origins in India, but their fundamental beliefs are quite different. After the Aryans conquered the native Indian Dravidians, the polytheistic Hinduism developed through acculturation of many beliefs. Over time more and more gods were added, leading Hinduism to become one of the most complex religions today. The Hindus justify their many gods with a saying, “God is one, but wise people know it by many names.” They believe in one unchanging spiritual force called Brahman but have developed concrete manifestations: Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Shiva, the Destroyer. Later, Buddhism developed with the help of a man names Siddhartha Gautama, who would later become known as Buddha. As a young boy, Gautama led a sheltered life, but one day he noticed the suffering in the world and was puzzled. In an attempt to find the cause of suffering, Gautama meditated until he declared that suffering was caused by desire in the Four Noble Truths, and developed the Eightfold path as a way to eliminate desire and therefore suffering. Overall, there are three main differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.
ReplyDeleteThe caste system is a collection of hierarchal social groups that signify a person’s ranking in society. It was the Aryan’s way of maintaining power and outlining an individual’s role in society. The are four main Aryan castes: the Brahmin, or priests make up the highest group; the Kshatriyas, or warriors make up the second highest class; the Vaisyas are the third caste and consist of herders, farmers, artisans, and merchants; and the lowest caste is the Sudras, which consists of mostly non-Aryan people who do the cities’ manual labor. Hinduism is based solely on this system, as a Hindu’s main goal is achieve moksha, or union with Brahman. Simply put, the different castes represent a person’s proximity to achieving moksha, and the Brahmin’s are the closest. Unlike Hinduism, which goes hand and hand with the caste system, Buddhism rejects the idea of castes. Instead, Buddhism states that everyone is equal and creates a haven where people from all classes can gather and aid each other in their quest for nirvana, the Buddhist equivalent of moksha. There is no bias based on caste and instead of repeating the process of reincarnation like in Hinduism belief, Buddhists can actually achieve nirvana in only one lifetime and from any social standing. However, like Hindus, Buddhists still believe in rebirth and kharma, the idea that your actions determine how far one moves either toward or away from reuniting with Brahman.
Another difference, though, is the debate on how to reach union. Buddhists believe that it can be obtained through meditation alone, while Hindus rely on the aid of gods, priests, and rituals. Hindus worship a variety of concrete gods as manifestations of Brahman. Buddhism, on the other hand, stresses the importance of no Gods. In fact, the founder of Buddhism, the Buddha, prohibited people from worshipping him. He was the human teacher who helped people find a way to a life of no suffering, but believed that all it took was meditation, not mediation by gods or priests.
Lastly, Buddhists follow a no extreme policy. In fact Buddhist try to eliminate all extremes, big or small. Unlike the Hindus, they do not believe in putting one’s body through physical pain in order to achieve nirvana. Instead, they believe all it takes is simple meditation and following the Eightfold Path, or Middle Way. The Middle Way is system of living life in the “middle,” not too good but not too bad. This idea, however, is drastically different from the Hindu beliefs, which states that one must push their body to its limit in order to achieve moksha. One can achieve these painful extremes through fasting or physical pain.
Though Buddhism and Hinduism share common characteristics and even originated from the same religion, there are still many differences. But, even many years later, Buddhism and Hinduism are still some of the most popular modern religions.
Hinduism and Buddhism are alike and different in many ways, but the major difference of the two is that Buddhism does not have any gods to rely on and Hinduism’s beliefs rely on social groups..
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism both came from India, but sprouted differently in different ways. Hinduism solely relies on the caste system. The caste system is social groups that people belong to and mainly relies on your Karma. Karma refers to what you do in life and what happens to you because of your decisions. For example, if you do good things with your life and do what you are supposed to do you will have positive good karma. If you do bad things in life, evil will come back to you. Hinduism beliefs in the one god, Brahman who was the god that existed in everything and is involved in everything that you do. The goal in the life Hinduism is moksha, and it is to have union with Brahman. If you want to achieve moksha, you cannot do so in one life, so reincarnation lets people do so by restoring it through several different lives and different forms. If you want to have a good life to be able to achieve moksha your karma must be positive to do so, to do that you have to follow dharma, the religious duties that fulfill throughout life. The idea of Karma, dharma, and reincarnation are believed both in Buddhism and Hinduism.
The one thing that Buddhism taught that Hinduism did not was the four noble truths, that showed people how to cure suffering in life. To cure the suffering in life, you must mediate multiple times throughout the day, non virtue. The idea of Buddhism came from Siddhartha Gautama, who was known as the “enlightened one”. His ideas of curing suffering came from when he was a young boy and saw sadness and suffering for the time and had to do something about it. That is why he was known as the “enlightened one” and came up with the ideas of the four noble truths to cure suffering. In Buddhism, you try to achieve Nirvana, which is the achievement of enlightment and a release from the cycle of rebirth. To achieve Nirvana you must follow the Eightfold Path that includes “right views, right hope, right speech, right mindfulness and right contemplation”. To achieve Nirvana you must follow those laws, mediate and have positive karma throughout rebirthing.
Buddhism and Hinduism share many of the same beliefs but differ in ways. Buddhism does not have any gods or caste systems, and anyone can achieve nirvana in any life. Hinduism does have castes systems that rely on karama. Hinduism has one god but it is known by many different names. Shiva who is known as the destroyer ,Vishnu who is the preserver, and Brahman who is the creator of all. These three principle gods are the apart of everything in life and can be physically touched. Buddhism’s beliefs have no god, no caste or no extremes so that anyone can achieve nirvana in any lifetime.
Hinduism and Buddhism are alike and different in many ways, but the major difference of the two is that Buddhism does not have any gods to rely on and Hinduism’s beliefs rely on social groups..
ReplyDeleteHinduism and Buddhism both came from India, but sprouted differently in different ways. Hinduism solely relies on the caste system. The caste system is social groups that people belong to and mainly relies on your Karma. Karma refers to what you do in life and what happens to you because of your decisions. For example, if you do good things with your life and do what you are supposed to do you will have positive good karma. If you do bad things in life, evil will come back to you. Hinduism beliefs in the one god, Brahman who was the god that existed in everything and is involved in everything that you do. The goal in the life Hinduism is moksha, and it is to have union with Brahman. If you want to achieve moksha, you cannot do so in one life, so reincarnation lets people do so by restoring it through several different lives and different forms. If you want to have a good life to be able to achieve moksha your karma must be positive to do so, to do that you have to follow dharma, the religious duties that fulfill throughout life. The idea of Karma, dharma, and reincarnation are believed both in Buddhism and Hinduism.
The one thing that Buddhism taught that Hinduism did not was the four noble truths, that showed people how to cure suffering in life. To cure the suffering in life, you must mediate multiple times throughout the day, non virtue. The idea of Buddhism came from Siddhartha Gautama, who was known as the “enlightened one”. His ideas of curing suffering came from when he was a young boy and saw sadness and suffering for the time and had to do something about it. That is why he was known as the “enlightened one” and came up with the ideas of the four noble truths to cure suffering. In Buddhism, you try to achieve Nirvana, which is the achievement of enlightment and a release from the cycle of rebirth. To achieve Nirvana you must follow the Eightfold Path that includes “right views, right hope, right speech, right mindfulness and right contemplation”. To achieve Nirvana you must follow those laws, mediate and have positive karma throughout rebirthing.
Buddhism and Hinduism share many of the same beliefs but differ in ways. Buddhism does not have any gods or caste systems, and anyone can achieve nirvana in any life. Hinduism does have castes systems that rely on karama. Hinduism has one god but it is known by many different names. Shiva who is known as the destroyer ,Vishnu who is the preserver, and Brahman who is the creator of all. These three principle gods are the apart of everything in life and can be physically touched. Buddhism’s beliefs have no god, no caste or no extremes so that anyone can achieve nirvana in any lifetime.