Hinduism Vs Buddhism Research Paper

he religions Hinduism and Buddhism originated from India and both have shared similar principles and philosophies but also have pronounced differences on the concepts of God and the meaning of life.
Hinduism has a abstract view of God. He is not a person; he is the absolute Ultimate Reality called Brahman. Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute, however it does not condemn the worship of any one deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism number in the thousands, representing the many characteristics of Brahman. From the Buddhist standpoint they do not believe in a God or Gods. They believe man created God in his image and as man's own image changes over time so does that of his God. Buddhist believe man created God out of fear and there isn’t enough evidence to prove there is a God or Gods.
Hinduism believe in karma, where favorable effects are derived from past good actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a soul's lives.
They do not believe God punishes as it is more a matter of responsibility for one's own actions. Likewise Buddhism teaches that everyone is responsible for his own good and bad deeds, and that each individual can mold his own destiny. To the Buddhists, sin is unwholesome action which creates the downfall of man. They believe He needs instruction rather then punishment. Since Buddists do not believe in a God, sins are not regarded as violating god's will or that a person must beg for forgiveness. Only guidance for his enlightenment.
According to Hinduism, the meaning of life is to achieve: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. In Buddhism, the primary purpose of life is to end ones suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we always strive after things that do not give lasting happiness. The goal is to free oneself of attachment to these things, this will lessen suffering and eventually end the cycle of
rebirth.

In my opinion both religions are closely related in many ways. Both Buddhism and Hinduism share a strong belief in reincarnation as in the endless cycle of births. They also both seek to be free from this cycle of rebirths. Meditation is in both religions, they believe real truth and spirituality is inward not outward as well as other similarities. But I think their differences are greater than their similarities. For instance, Hindus believe you must be of the Brahmin caste to achieve enlightenment, whereas Buddhists believe that anyone can achieve enlightenment. Buddhism does not believe in God, whereas Hinduism has endless variations of gods and goddesses, each god is seen as one manifestation of the one Supreme God. Also Hindus believe in the Vedas, but the Buddhists do not believe in any Hindu holy book. Though closely related the two religions are definitely two separate beliefs.