China Essay

Test Essay

Even though Hinduism and Buddhism have similar roots, Buddhism differs greatly from Hinduism in practices in life because Buddhism has formal structure instead of Hinduism’s loose structure. Both Hinduism and Buddhism arose in South Asia, and thus stem from a similar philosophy and culture. Except for the fact that there is no single founder of Hinduism and Hinduism was not founded as a religion. The Buddhism way of life was created by Siddhartha Gautama. His main goal was to have a way of life that was less severe than the asceticism of his time. It was a culture that basically flourished in India, which later took the form of a great religion. Contrasting greatly with the monotheistic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism didn’t believe in any type of god.
The two cultures were very similar in respect to general philosophy because they both believed that there was no reason to not treat somebody fairly. They also both believed that right devotion to life and the right attitude would improve yourself regardless of your place in the caste system. Buddhism and Hinduism are very alike in this subject, but Buddhism just states it differently in the eightfold path. Hinduism especially believed in reincarnation and the caste system. Buddhism did believe in both of these things, but didn’t put much emphasis on them in their writings. Hinduism believed “what goes around comes around,” so everyone would get good luck and bad luck eventually in their life. Also, Hinduism teaches the fact that everyone on this earth has a different dharma, which is basically a path of life. Both cultures greatly emphasize compassion and gentleness towards animals and

human beings. Buddhism doesn’t really focus on gods or anything of a higher authority, but they do know that gods exist, which is what Hinduism believes.
Hinduism and Buddhism differ greatly on matters of social structure because * Hinduism omits and Buddhism emphasizes individual freedom to progress spiritually and socially in life. By comparing the two religions, one can easily see why it is that Hinduism has proved the more stable and Buddhism the more less-restrictive philosophy. Buddhism believes in the efficacy and supremacy of the Vedas, for that matter, they don’t really believe in any Hindu scripture. * Because Hinduism was made up by a single person, its rules and beliefs are more strict and straightforward compared to Buddhism’s relaxed and more lenient style because Buddhism was passed through the generations, and only the best and most-liked parts of Buddhism stuck. There is a total difference in which paths Hinduism and Buddhism took, but when the two cultures were just starting out, they had the same beliefs. As the years passed, cultural diffusion and more exposure to other countries affected Buddhism and Hinduism.