Hinduism And Buddhism Similarities
Hinduism and Buddhism are both religions that originated in Ancient India, however that is not where the similarities end. Despite the copious amount of parallels that can be drawn between these two faiths, there are also many differences. The key distinctions being the scriptures and practices that accompany the religions. For starters, there is not a single founder or book that Hinduism can be traced back to. However, it is known that it originated in Ancient India, and what can be learned about Hinduism comes from the Vedas. The Vedas are a collection of texts composed in different periods. Hinduism became more popular when presented as a religion of salvation, and eventually gradually even replaced Buddhism. In regards to Buddhism,
it must be noted that Buddhists themselves do not consider Buddhism a religion. They saw it as way of life. However, for sake of comparison, it is regarded as one. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who attained the title of Buddha or “the enlightened one”. After abandoning his comfortable life to become a monk, he meditated for forty-nine consecutive days under the bodhi tree until he achieved enlightenment. His early followers owned only robes and bowls for food and their lives were characterized by meditating, wandering, and begging. The Buddhist Doctrine, or “Dharma”, has four noble truths which say that although there is suffering in all lives, there is a potential end to said suffering. These faiths may appear vastly different however actually have many similarities. To begin with, both outline similar life cycles. These cycles include birth, death, and then rebirth which shows both believe in the concept of reincarnation. Also, both Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in the importance of good deeds, specifically in relation to karma. Both religions have a concept that the actions performed in one lifetime directly correlate with the outcome of the next. Finally, both share the fact that neither has one definite holy book, nor one ultimate supreme being. On the topic of differences, they are in abundance. For starters, Buddhism has a founder, Buddha, while Hinduism does not. While both may have scriptures, they differ greatly. Specifically, Buddhism has the eightfold path, and Hinduism has the Vedas and Upanishads. Also, Buddhism believes in meditation and a heavenly state known as nirvana while Hinduism does not. Additionally, Hinduism is polytheistic, meaning they have more than one God. Finally, Hinduism uses the Caste System, a strict social structure, whereas Buddhism does not. Regardless of what differences the two may have, Hinduism and Buddhism both gave hope to the common people of India. As mentioned previously, the followers of Hinduism were subject to the Caste System. The Caste System was an extremely strict, and crude social structure where there was little possibility for those at the bottom to improve their situation. However, as exemplified in both of these religions, there was a concept of karma and reincarnation these people could look forward to. If they devoted their lives as peasants, to at least being kind peasants, then there was a possibility that their next life could improve significantly. This hope provided by Hinduism and Buddhism, made living a mundane life at the bottom of the “totem pole” a bit easier.
it must be noted that Buddhists themselves do not consider Buddhism a religion. They saw it as way of life. However, for sake of comparison, it is regarded as one. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who attained the title of Buddha or “the enlightened one”. After abandoning his comfortable life to become a monk, he meditated for forty-nine consecutive days under the bodhi tree until he achieved enlightenment. His early followers owned only robes and bowls for food and their lives were characterized by meditating, wandering, and begging. The Buddhist Doctrine, or “Dharma”, has four noble truths which say that although there is suffering in all lives, there is a potential end to said suffering. These faiths may appear vastly different however actually have many similarities. To begin with, both outline similar life cycles. These cycles include birth, death, and then rebirth which shows both believe in the concept of reincarnation. Also, both Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in the importance of good deeds, specifically in relation to karma. Both religions have a concept that the actions performed in one lifetime directly correlate with the outcome of the next. Finally, both share the fact that neither has one definite holy book, nor one ultimate supreme being. On the topic of differences, they are in abundance. For starters, Buddhism has a founder, Buddha, while Hinduism does not. While both may have scriptures, they differ greatly. Specifically, Buddhism has the eightfold path, and Hinduism has the Vedas and Upanishads. Also, Buddhism believes in meditation and a heavenly state known as nirvana while Hinduism does not. Additionally, Hinduism is polytheistic, meaning they have more than one God. Finally, Hinduism uses the Caste System, a strict social structure, whereas Buddhism does not. Regardless of what differences the two may have, Hinduism and Buddhism both gave hope to the common people of India. As mentioned previously, the followers of Hinduism were subject to the Caste System. The Caste System was an extremely strict, and crude social structure where there was little possibility for those at the bottom to improve their situation. However, as exemplified in both of these religions, there was a concept of karma and reincarnation these people could look forward to. If they devoted their lives as peasants, to at least being kind peasants, then there was a possibility that their next life could improve significantly. This hope provided by Hinduism and Buddhism, made living a mundane life at the bottom of the “totem pole” a bit easier.