Hinduism Vs Buddhism Research Paper

In the world, there are many types of “religious professionals”. Sometimes one religion profession is derived from another religion. In this essay I will show the similarities and differences of Hinduism priests and religion to Buddhism in general. Also the comparison between Aluk To Dolo Chinese priest and religions, and Japanese Zen master.
Buddhism and Hinduism have various similarities and differences that effects the way that its followers live and think. The Buddhists and Hindus both have their own teachings that they follow and yet they do believe in some of the same things.
Hinduism is derived from the Persian word meaning Indian. Hinduism progress was inspired by many invasions over hundreds of thousands of years. Hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life of most people who live in India. Hinduism is based on beliefs in things such as reincarnation, dharma and in three main gods. Hinduism teaches that the individual soul of all living bodies, including animals, was part of the creator spirit, Brahma. They
believe that each soul’s job and wish is to eventually return to Brahma. The principle in Hinduism is extreme asceticism.
Buddhism was founded in Northern India by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
Just like the Hindus, the Buddhists believed in reincarnation. They both believe that suffering is caused by excessive attachment to things and people in the physical world. Buddhists and Hindus believe that eventually all living spirits will achieve enlightenment and liberation, even if it takes many incarnations. They practice meditation and other forms of yoga. In Theravada Buddhism, there are no gods. The Buddha, who is called “the awaken one” is not a god, but just the founder of Buddhism. The Buddhist can move towards entry of Nirvana by following the Buddha’s doctrine called the Eightfold path that contains the following: right understanding, right thinking, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, and the Four Noble Truths that contains the following: to be fully understood, to be abandoned, to be made visible, and to be brought into the being, unlike in Hinduism, karma is not earned by following the dharma.
Krishna (dispeller of ignorance), Shiva (forces of creation), Vishnu (sustainer of life), Kali (goddess of death), Lakshmi (wealth and good luck), and Ganish (wisdom) is what composes Brahman. Four aims of Hindus are Dharma which is ones service or duty to society, wealth and power defined as Artha, Kama which is pleasure, and Moksha which is spiritual liberation (notes, Sept. 20, 2007). Moksha is the ultimate goal after having lived through every possible experience. Both religions are similarly based on attaining certain knowledge in order to reach salvation or Nirvana which when you attain enlightenment.
Some of the differences between Buddhism and Hinduism and their complexities lie in their origins.
The multiple levels and systems of Hinduism can be attributed to its origin of many years of change and growth. Buddhism has a very distinctive origin, and its growth extends the religion, instead of changing it. The differences in supreme beings between Hinduism and Buddhism show two extremes of the same idea. Hinduism believes in one Supreme Being, but separates its characteristics into many different Gods. Everything is a part of the Supreme Being. Buddhism sees the individual’s thought and nature as supreme, and therefore does not have a distinct God. Therefore, God is not a supreme but a metaphysical reality. Nirvana in Buddhism refers to the final peace, an eternal state of neither being nor nonbeing, and anyone can enter Nirvana no matter how low they seem, unlike in Hinduism, only the Brahmins, priests and academics, could attain
Moksha.
Aluk To Dolo is the traditional religion of the Torajans. Aluk To Dolo means "rituals and, or, ways of the ancestors" and this religion is a composite mixture of ancestor cult, ritual, and myth (notes, Sept. 6, 2007). There are ritual sacrifices that are made to the ancestors so that they can protect the living from illness, and disaster. The Aluk To Dolo followers believe that the dead go on a voyage to a land called Puya. Traditional ceremonial priests, the to minaa, manage at most Aluk To Dolo functions. In major rituals, the to minaa recites the origin of the ethnic group and the origin of the Toraja. One of those ceremonies is the Mabua ceremony which is held every twelve years. The final resting place of the dead is the liang, a family tomb high in a cliff safe. Outside the tomb there is a platform carved into the cliff where a wooden statue of the dead person is placed to represent the spirit (movie, Sept. 11, 2007).
Unlike the Aluk To Dolo, the funeral ceremonies in China were administered by a Taoist priest. The Taoist priest connected to the upper world in rituals, and the Shaman thru an ecstasy called trance.
Buddhism originally came from Sri Lanka, and then extended in Japan. But in Japan, Buddhism is quite different. Japanese Buddhism is formed of Buddhist transcendentalism, Taoist naturalism, and Shinto animism (notes, Oct. 16, 2007). According to Zen teachings, one can achieve self enlightenment through meditation and discipline. At present, Zen seems to enjoy a greater popularity overseas than within Japan (smart, page 167). Just like Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Hinduism, Japanese Zen masters also practiced a form of meditation called zazen.
Every religion in the world has same similarities to another religion. In this essay I noted the similarities between Aluk To Dolo religion, Hinduism, and Japanese Zen master. There is a similarity between Hinduism and Buddhism and how they differ from one another.

Citing:
Book: the religious experience. Ninian smart.
Class notes
Internet: wikepidia.com http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/lanka-txt.htm http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/indon/toraj.html http://www.toraja-treasures.com/Articles/TORAJA-RELIGION-INTRODUCTION-BY-J.I.MC-GRATH.html