Comparison Between Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism are two ancient Indian spiritual traditions with overlapping cultural and philosophical roots, yet they differ significantly.

Origins: Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions, with no single founder and a diverse range of beliefs and practices. Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), emerged as a reform movement within Hinduism in the 6th century BCE.

Beliefs: Hinduism includes a vast pantheon of deities and emphasizes the concept of Atman (individual soul) merging with Brahman (universal soul) through reincarnation. Buddhism, on the other hand, rejects the idea of ​​an eternal soul (Anatta) and focuses on the search for nirvana, freedom from suffering, and the cycle of rebirth.

Religious authority: Hinduism relies on a collection of sacred texts, including the Vedas and the Upanishads. Buddhism has its own scriptures, such as the Tripitaka, which contains the Buddha’s teachings.

Worship: Hindu worship includes rituals, temples, and a wide variety of practices dedicated to various deities. Buddhism emphasizes meditation and mindfulness as essential components of spiritual growth.

Caste System: Hinduism historically included a caste system, while Buddhism rejected caste distinctions and advocated equality.

Spread: Hinduism primarily remained on the Indian subcontinent, while Buddhism spread to various parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia, China, and Japan.

Despite their differences, Hinduism and Buddhism share a cultural and historical heritage, and both offer unique paths to spiritual understanding and personal growth, making them two of the world’s most enduring and influential religions.

Comparison Between Hinduism and Buddhism

Historical Facts	Comparison Between Hinduism and Buddhism
Largest religion	Christianity
The second largest religion	Islam
The third-largest religion	The second-largest religion
The oldest written document	Vedas
Buddhism	Gautam Buddha

Introduction

Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the five major religions in our world today. They are widely practiced and have survived for centuries. Both have similarities and differences, just like all forms of religion. In this context, hopefully, I will show you the origins of Hinduism and Buddhism, their cultural similarities and differences, and how they compare and contrast.

Basic Hinduism

Hinduism is the third-largest religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism represents the faith and way of life of the majority of people living in India. It is not known where or by whom Hinduism began. The faith of Hindus is very different from that of Christians. Hinduism is based on belief in things like reincarnation, dharma, and three main gods. No one knows where Hinduism started or who started it. Their oldest written documents, the Vedas, were first copied on paper in 1000 BC; however, they existed orally long before that.

Hinduism is believed to have originated in the Vedas. Hinduism has changed a lot since it was first practiced; now there are different sects, also known as denominations, and new faiths have developed. There are still many things connected among the various sects of Hinduism; their core beliefs are what bind them together.

The religion of Hinduism teaches us that every living body, including animals, is imbued with an eternal soul. Hindus say that the individual soul was a part of the creator spirit, Brahma, or existence from their own atman, or roughly soul. It is the work and desire of every soul to eventually return to Brahma. But it is not possible because the sins of the soul and the impurities of the world are no longer pure and holy to return. Instead, the soul must become pure before returning to Brahma, who is absolutely pure.

The process of becoming pure is so difficult that no soul can become pure in a single lifetime. The soul is forced to live life after life until it is pure enough to return to Brahma. In Hinduism, attaining the highest life is the process of removing bodily distractions from life, allowing one to ultimately understand the nature of Brahma within.

Basic beliefs of the Hindu religion

Hinduism teaches that the individual soul of all living bodies, including animals, is part of the creator spirit, Brahma. They believe that the task and desire of every soul is ultimately to return to Brahma. No soul can return to Brahma; but until they are rid of all the impurities and sins of the world, they must be holy and pure in order to return to Brahma. The process of becoming pure enough to return to Brahma is not an easy task; it takes more than one life to purify.

The soul is forced to live life after life until it is pure enough to return to Brahma. Hindus call the cycles of rebirth samsara or the Wheel of Life. It is called moksha when the soul is finally purified and ready to return to Brahma. When the soul finally returns to Brahma, it is there for an eternity of contentment and ecstasy.

There are certain things one must observe to be a Hindu; one must believe these things and live by them. The first is the belief in karma, which is the result of good and bad deeds done by a person during his life. The second is belief in dharma and Hindu traditions. They must believe in the three main Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. He must have faith in reincarnation after death. He must have reverence for the sacred Vedas. They must have faith that if they live a religious life, the Wheel of Life can end and they can attain moksha.

Hindus worship many gods but believe in only one god, Brahma. Everything comes from Brahma; it does not matter whom they worship because ultimately all worship belongs to Brahma.

Brahma does not punish or reward them for their achievements in life; each soul creates its own rewards and punishments through karma. Karma governs what each soul will be in the next life, it is made up of a person’s good and bad deeds in each life; if a person has had more good deeds than bad, he has good karma; if they have had more bad deeds than good, then they have bad karma. they subvert our notions of fixed and rigid self-identity to show that it is fluid and ever-shifting. The concepts of projection and transformation are central to this discussion.

• All phenomena are projections of the mind.
• The mind itself does not exist.
• And it is empty in its being.

Although it is empty, it manifests everything without hindrance.”. A third philosophical concern that meditation approaches experientially is the relationship between Samsara, the imperfect world we find ourselves in with all its suffering, and Nirvana, the perfect state where suffering has ceased to exist. In Buddhist religious thought, this debate revolves around the relationship between the relative and absolute worlds. This is often expressed in the clear religious belief that Samsara and Nirvana are one. The problem comes from our perspective on the situation, not the situation itself. These ideas are closely related to a central feature of Buddhism: that it embraces a monistic religious and philosophical structure. As Conze said, “If all is one and the same, then the Absolute will also be identical with the Relative, the Unconditioned with the conditioned, Nirvana with Samsara.” Writers engaged in Buddhist-Christian dialogue are keenly aware of this feature.

of the Buddhist religion, and commentators on both sides of the dialogue have discussed the similarity between certain ideas in Buddhism and the occluded, monistic side of Christian theology and mystical experience, particularly as expressed in the ideas of Meister Eckhart”.

In the form of meditation discussed, all elements of the individual’s lived and experienced field (ie Samsara) are visualized as temporarily replaced by elements of the pure land ie Nirvana. Visualization with eyes open is generally recommended. Dharma is a method that allows us to move from a state of ordinary being to a state of awakened being.

Closely connected with the idea of ​​the inseparability of the relative and absolute world is the central philosophical principle of Mahayana Buddhism about the emptiness or emptiness of all phenomena. This is reinforced in the final stage of meditation practice:

Vajrayana Buddhism meditation is divided into two phases: The Creation phase, during which one mentally creates the appearance of the deity, and The Completion Phase… during which one dissolves the appearance into emptiness”

Meditation practice is a skillful means by which one can recognize or taste the empty or conditioned nature of all phenomena—that each is nothing in itself. As noted above, phenomena include such conditions as physical and mental illness.

Comparison of Hinduism and Buddhism

According to S. Radhakrishnan, “Buddhism is, at least in its origins, an offshoot of Hinduism.” Both Hinduism and Buddhism originated in the Indian subcontinent and share a very long but somewhat strange and uneasy relationship, comparable in many ways to Judaism and Christianity. Buddha was born into a Hindu family, just as Christ was born into a Jewish family. Some people still maintain that Buddhism was an offshoot of Hinduism and the Buddha was part of the Hindu pantheon, a view that is not acceptable to many Buddhists. It is widely accepted that Buddhism gained popularity in India because it freed the people from the oppression of tradition and orthodoxy.

The Buddha’s teachings created hope and aspiration for those who otherwise had no hope of salvation and freedom of choice in a society dominated by the caste system, the predominance of ritualistic forms of worship, and the exclusive status of the privileged classes, which the Vedic religion promoted as inviolable and unquestionable.

Long ago, more than 1,500 years ago, Hindu tradition accepted the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu. However, there was a strong rivalry between the two traditions in the subcontinent for a very long time. The followers of Shiva and Buddha could barely get along in earlier times. There were instances of Buddhist persecution by Hindu rulers, although the vast majority followed a policy of religious tolerance. Sasank, a ruler from Bengal and a contemporary of Harshavardhana vandalized Buddhist monuments and burnt the pipal tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

Despite the fundamental differences between the two religions, Hinduism and Buddhism influence each other in many ways.

The Buddhist concept of non-harm and compassion for all living beings took deep roots in Indian soil, while Mahayana Buddhism evolved from traditional Indian methods of devotional worship. Buddhism influenced the growth and development of Indian art and architecture and contributed richly to the practice of breathing and meditation in achieving mindfulness and higher states of consciousness. Hindu Tantra influenced the origin and development of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Buddha’s attitude towards Hindus

Before his enlightenment, the Buddha was raised in a traditional Hindu family. Before finding his own path, he went to Hindu gurus to find an answer to the problem of suffering. He followed meditation techniques and ascetic practices as prescribed by Hindu scriptures and was followed by Hindu yogis of his time.

It is said that after he became the Buddha, he showed special regard for the upper-caste Hindus, especially the Brahmins (priests) and Kshatriyas (warriors). He exhorted his disciples to treat Brahmins in particular with respect and consideration because of their spiritual bent of mind and the inner progress achieved during their previous births. It is said that certain categories of Brahmins had free access to the Buddha and that some Brahmin ascetics were admitted to the monastic discipline without undergoing the rigorous examinations that were otherwise compulsory for all classes of men.

The Buddha converted many Brahmins to Buddhism, and he saw their involvement as a sure sign of the progress and popularity of his nascent movement. Much later, we find a similar sentiment echoed in the inscriptions of King Ashoka, where he exhorted the people of his empire to show due respect to the Brahmins.

Similarities

Hinduism and Buddhism share some of the following similarities:

• 1. Both Hinduism and Buddhism emphasize the illusory nature of the world and the role of karma in keeping people attached to this world and the cycle of birth and death.
• 2. According to the Buddha, desire is the main cause of suffering, and the removal of desire results in the cessation of suffering. Some of the Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads (Isa) and the Bhagavad Gita, believe that taking actions fueled by desire and attachment would lead to bondage and suffering and that doing actions without desire for the fruits of the action would lead to liberation.
• 3. Both religions believe in the concept of karma, the transmigration of souls, and the cycle of birth and death of each soul.
• 4. Both emphasize compassion and non-violence towards all living beings.
• 5. Both believe in the existence of several hells and heavens, or higher and lower worlds. 6. Both believe in the existence of gods or deities at different levels.
• 6. Both believe in certain spiritual practices such as meditation, concentration, and the cultivation of certain bhavs or states of mind.
• 7. Both believe in detachment and renunciation of the worldly life – as prerequisites for entering the spiritual life. Both see desire as the main cause of suffering.
• 8. The Advaita philosophy of Hinduism is in many ways closer to Buddhism.
• 9. Buddhism and Hinduism have their versions of Tantra.
• 10. Both originated and developed on Indian soil. The founder of Buddhism was a Hindu who became the Buddha. Buddhism is India’s greatest gift to humanity.

Differences

Below are some of the differences we can see in the principles and practices of the two religions:

• 1. Hinduism was not founded by any particular prophet. Buddhism was founded by Buddha.
• 2. Hinduism believes in the efficacy and superiority of the Vedas. Buddhists do not believe in the Vedas or, for that matter, any Hindu scriptures.
• 3. Buddhism does not believe in the existence of souls any more than in the first cause which we generally call God. Hinduism believes in the existence of Atman, which is the individual soul, and Brahman, the Supreme Creator.
• 4. Hinduism accepts the Buddha as an incarnation of Mahavishnu, one of the gods of the Hindu trinity. Buddhists do not recognize any Hindu god, as either equal or superior to Buddha.
• 5. The original Buddhism as taught by the Buddha is known as Theravada Buddhism or Hinayana Buddhism. His followers do not worship Buddha statues or believe in bodhisattvas. The Mahayana sect regards the Buddha as the Supreme Soul or Supreme Being, similar to the Brahman of Hinduism, and worships him in the form of images and icons.
• 6. Buddhists see the world as full of sorrow and consider the end of sorrow as the main goal of human life. Hindus believe that there are four main goals (Arthas) in life that every being should pursue. They are dharma (religious duty), artha (wealth or material possessions), kama (desires and passions), and moksha (salvation).
• 7. Hindus also believe in four ashrams or stages of life. This is not the case in Buddhism. People can join the Order at any time depending on their spiritual readiness.
• 8. Buddhists organize themselves into a monastic order (sangha) and monks live in groups. Hinduism is essentially a religion of the individual.
• 9. Buddhism believes in the concept of bodhisattvas. Hinduism does not believe in this.
• 10. Buddhism recognizes the existence of some gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon but gives them a rather subordinate status.
• 11. Refuge in the Buddha, Sangha, and Dharma are the three basic requirements of the Eightfold. Hinduism offers its followers many possibilities on the path of self-realization.
• 12. Although both religions believe in karma and rebirth, they differ in the way they operate and affect the existence of individual beings.

Of the two religions, Hinduism is the older, perhaps at least by a millennium or two. Some Buddhists may argue that the Buddha we know historically was born in the sixth century BC. He was just one of many Buddhas who preceded and followed him on the Indian subcontinent. Such a belief may enjoy some confirmation and approval in the metaphysical realm of enlightened monks, just as Hindus believe in the existence and continuation of Sanatana Dharma (popularly known as Hinduism) through the endless cycles of creation and destruction of worlds that span the time frame. millions of years. However, the available evidence does not support the theory that Buddhism existed as a religion before the birth of the Buddha. In the case of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, we have evidence that he was the last in a long line of 24 Jain TThirthankaras. But in the case of Buddhism, we have no such confirmation.

Technically speaking, Hinduism is not a religion but a group of religious and sectarian movements that share some basic and in some ways identical beliefs, regional variations, history, traditions, and practices specific to the country and time in which they originated. has evolved In contrast, Buddhism is a well-established and organized religion with a set of beliefs and practices commonly known as Dhamma, based on the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism.

Conclusion

We can safely conclude that in the first few centuries after Buddha’s nirvana, Buddhism was an integral and significant part of the complex religious character of the subcontinent, which was later recognized by the outside world as Hinduism.

Subsequently, however, Buddhism crossed the borders of the Indian subcontinent and began to play a much larger role throughout Asia. In the process, it has developed a very complex sectarian, theological, and geographical diversity and tradition of its own to become one of the most important and influential religions in the world. It is not surprising that many people who are not familiar with the history of the Indian subcontinent fail to understand and fail to notice the deep connection that existed between Hinduism and Buddhism in earlier times and the significant ways in which they enriched each other.