Compare And Contrast Judaism And Hinduism

Compare and contrast the teachings in the foundation periods of Hinduism and Judaism

The foundations of both religions will be compared in a timeline format with contrasts and comparisons highlighted. The main difference to be noted even before the timeline comparison is that Judaism is a monotheistic religion in that it believes in one God as creator and ruler of the universe and the lord of human history. Hinduism is a religion of many Gods, some decent and some evil but all worthy of the respect of human beings. Hinduism does believe in one force, Brahman from which everything in the universe came and to which everything in the universe shall return.

1800 BC – Judaism. Abraham is called by God to leave his country, family, culture and pagan gods. In return God would transform Abraham's descendants into a great nation. Abraham does this and it is at this time, according to Jewish Scriptures, Judaism is born. This can be a point of contention for at this time there were no real doctrines to follow.

1500 BC- The foundation of Hinduism is attributed to a highly developed civilisation in the Indus Valley, Northern
India. At this time an Indo-European people, the Aryans invaded the Indus Valley and in doing so they imposed new forms of religion. With the Aryan people come the earliest writings of Hinduism, the Vedas. The four basic Vedas are: 1. Rig-veda – Wisdom of Verses 2. Yajur-veda – Words said by the priest at rituals 3. Sam-veda – Wisdom of Chants 4. Atharva-veda – Wisdom of the Atharvan Priests

1200 BC – After more than 400 years as slaves to the Egyptians, Moses leads the people of Israel to freedom. Before this happens however an event of major importance to the Jews takes place. Moses had been telling Ramses II, the Pharaoh of Egypt to ‘let his people go'. Ramses had refused. As a result of his refusal a series of unspeakable disasters fell upon him and his kingdom the last of which was the mysterious death of Egyptian children. To avoid this tragedy, the Israelites had killed, cooked and eaten a lamb and painted some of its blood on the outside of their houses. Their houses were spared, or passed over and their children would be safe. This day is commemorated as on of the most important events in the Jewish calendar, Passover.
A couple of months after escaping Egypt, Moses is summoned by God to Mt Sinai where God presents him with the Ten Commandments. Three entire books of Jewish Scripture are devoted to outline the contents of Israel's constitution as determined by God. They are 1. Shemot – Exodus 2. Wayiqra – Leviticus 3. Devarim – Deuteronomy.
Through these social welfare, criminal law, religious ritual and even environmental policy into a vast set of laws Jew call Torah.
At this point it can be argued the Judaism became a religion. Comparing it with Hinduism it now had a set of doctrine for its followers to follow. This is why in some cases Hinduism is considered to be about 300 years older that Judaism if you discount the Judaism claim for Abraham being the birth of the nation of Israel and there religion

1000-300BC Hinduism – In the period after the Vedas Indian gurus began to reflect deeply on the content of their religion and sought to make sense of the world in light of that tradition.
During this period the Upanishads were composed. The term Upanishad means ‘sitting near' and the purpose of them is to gain a form of knowledge that allows the individual to escape the cycle of rebirths. The Upanishads represent the beginnings of philosophy in India and are the last stage of interpretation of the Vedas. There are twelve classic Upanishads and these contain parables and anecdotes, dense philosophical argumentation, dialogues, poems and proverbs. The promise behind reading and understanding the Upanishads is the material will give you ultimate insight into life, the universe and everything. Some of the most important beliefs of the Upanishads
are:
Brahman – The ultimate and only reality in the universe. From Brahman everything in the universe came; to Brahman everything in the universe will return. Brahman could be described as the psychical universe and a universal God in one.
Atman – Atman is the inner you, the real external life force which exists in every living creature. This inner you is the external you that lies behind your everyday consciousness. It is more like the force that animates you; it is the part of you that comes from the Brahman.
Samsara and Karma: Samsara is the concept of endless entrapment. It explains that your Atman is trapped in the realities of earthly existence. This existence is fleeting and false; at worst it is evil and impure. Your Atman does not have the opportunity to return to the Brahman while it has the foul stench of earthly existence attached to it. It is trapped in a birth-death and rebirth cycle that it cannot escape. Karma can be described in Hinduism as fruititive action. Karma is the actions you take in your life that attach themselves to your Atman and determine your re-existence, your next incarnation. Whilst good karma can have you come back as something a little bit better the idea is not to come back at all.
Moksha – This is the ultimate release from Samsara and Karma. When you reach Moksha you can enter the reality of Brahman, the source of true existence.
The Four Castes of People – These were talked about in the Vedas and were further endorsed in the Upanishad. They are
1. Brahmans – Priests
2. Ksatriya – Warrior Kings
3. Vaisyas – Common People
4. Sudras – Servants
These castes are important because it is through recognition of your class and adherence to it roles, there can be a chance for Moksha. This can be obtained through three paths.
Karma-yoga – Path of duties. Moksha can be reached through actions in accordance with the duties in you caste. These duties must be performed without attachment. If the duties are preformed with an attachment to the outcome your Atman will be tarnished and you will be trapped in the world of birth and rebirth
Jnana-yoga – Path of Knowledge. Moksha can be reached through contemplation and rigorous self denial. This path will enable you to reach a mental realisation of your soul's oneness with Brahman.
Bhakti-yoga – Path of Devotion Moksha can be reached through by Hindus detvoting themselves utterly to one of the many gods of the Hindu pantheon, preferably Krishna. If you perform all your actions in this world with absolute devotion to Krishna or another one of the gods, you will be delivered from the effects of Karma and you will be free