...Hinduism vs. Buddhism Teasa Wright Professor King World Religions February 1, 2014 Hinduism is about understanding Brahma or existence from within their own Atman, roughly soul, whereas Buddhism is about finding the Anatman or not soul. In Hinduism, attaining the highest life is a process of removing the bodily distractions from life, allowing one to eventually understand the Brahma nature within. In Buddhism, one follows a disciplined life to move through and understand that nothing in ourselves is ‘me’ such that we dispel the very illusion of existence. In so doing one realizes Nirvana. About 80 percent of India’s population regard themselves as Hindus and 30 million more Hindus live outside of India. There are a total of 900 million Hindus worldwide, making Hinduism the third largest religion (after Christianity and Islam). The term “Hinduism” includes numerous traditions, which are closely related and share common themes but do not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices. Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the Persian word hindu, meaning “river,” used by outsiders to describe the people of the Indus River Valley. Hindus themselves refer to their religion as sanatama dharma, a word emphasizing the fulfillment of duties (dharma) appropriate to one’s class (varna) and stage of life (asrama). Hinduism has no founder or date of origin. The authors and dates of most Hindu sacred texts are unknown. Scholars describe modern Hinduism...
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...Hinduism and Buddhism are two religions that both originated in Asia. Together they are the most popular religions across Asia (http://spiritualityinformation.in). Buddhism is thought to have developed based on Hinduism. It is said that the creator of Buddhism liked Hinduism Theology but found it lacking in some areas and therefore created Buddhism to fill those gaps (http://spiritualityinformation.in). Since Buddhism was founded on Hinduism there are many similarities, however since it was created on the basis that Hinduism was lacking some fundamental values there are also a wealth of differences. Buddhism originated in the 5th Century B.C.E in northern India. Most historians agree that Siddhartha Gautama was the founder and the original Buddha, which means the “awakened or enlightened one.” (http://www.patheos.com). Gautama started a journey to make life better when he observed so much suffering in the world. It has been said that he meditated and achieved a state of peace, therefore putting an end to suffering and freeing his soul from rebirth. (http://www.patheos.com) Buddhism is a study and religious practice building off Hinduism and incorporating Gautama’s life teachings and living from his experiences in order to achieve divine happiness. Hinduism is a religion based out of India, there is no known founder or origin that it can be traced back to. Hinduism is understood to be built on a collection of historical traditions and beliefs that are timeless. To many...
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...religions that dominate many parts of Asia are Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of the faiths have many similarities. Buddhism was inspired by Hinduism due to the its founder being a Hindu prince before he became known as the Buddha. For example, Karma is a central idea to both teachings. The term “Karma” essentially means every action comes a reaction. If one was to commit a murder, then something bad will happen to that person. And if one was to give to the poor, something good will happen. Another belief Buddhism and Hinduism share is reincarnation. It is the belief that a being/lifeform that is living now will begin anew in a different physical body once he/she/it dies. Both religions also believe that there are several hells and heavens. Buddhist even consider the world we live in a type of hell. Heaven and hell are not eternal for all people in both religions. A life can...
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...If one were to look at Hinduism and Buddhism in a general sense, it would be easy to lump the two as so similar that they’re almost identical, however, when one takes a closer look at different aspects of each belief, one wouldl find that it’s the details between the two religions that make them different. Reincarnation is one of the many things that are different between Hinduism and Buddhism, while both religions believe in the soul living through multiple lives before being set free from any pursuits or desires –often referred to as samsara, the “wheel of rebirth,” and moksha respectively in Hinduism and nirvana in Buddhism– the idea of how one is reincarnated, and how to achieve liberation is different. Hindus believe that the soul is tethered to the body, and indeed, the rest of the earth, because of karma and samsara. The caste that an individual is born into is determined by what kind of karma said individual accumulated in their past life; if it’s good karma, then one is born higher up the caste, if it’s bad, then they are born lower down as a form of punishment. The goal is to reach moksha, or release, and until that time comes, the human spirit is destined to travel from life to life until it can finally achieve moksha....
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...Buddhism vs. Hinduism Fatih Can Rel212 World Religions Richard L. Hendershot 11/3/2013 In this article I will be discussing differences and similarities of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism and Hinduism they differ only in the way they are presented. Certain points are stressed in Buddhism, which are mentioned in the Hindu scriptures but not stressed by them. In the same way the Buddhism teaching ignores certain other parts of the Hindu teaching. Similarities 1. Both emphasize the illusory nature of the world and the role of karma in keeping men kind bound to this world and the cycle of births and deaths. 2. Both believe in the transmigration of souls and the cycle of births and deaths for each soul. 3. Both emphasize compassion and non-violence towards all living beings. 4. Both believe in the existence of several hells and heavens or higher and lower worlds. 5. Both believe in the existence of gods or deities on different planes. 6. Both believe in certain spiritual practices like meditation, concentration, cultivation of certain bhavas or states of mind. 7. Both believe in detachment, renunciation of worldly life as a precondition to enter to spiritual life. Both consider desire as the chief cause of suffering. 8. The Advaita philosophy of Hinduism is closer to Buddhism in many respects. 9. Buddhism and Hinduism have their own versions of Tantra. 10. Both originated and evolved on the Indian soil. The founder of Buddhism was a Hindu who became...
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...Danielle Copley Professor REL2300 4/7/13 What does it mean to be Human? There are many religions in the world each one is unique. I have often wondered what it means to be human in other religions other than Christianity. We will explore what it means in both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. We will start off with Hinduism. The Upanishads, perceived the individual self or atman as the immortal pure essence of each being. Hindus believe that everything has a soul. The atman is not the body; the body is not eternal. The body houses the atman until the body dies. Atman is immortal and eternal. All human beings are positioned in the all- embracing Brahman or the absolute. The Upanishads describe the Brahman as the eternal, conscious, irreducible, spiritual source of the universe of finiteness and change. Brahman is impersonal being in itself but it can be known through the many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman. We will look at atman first. . Moksha is the spiritual release from the cycle of life. In moksha the individual soul joins the atman. Atman is the eternal self, refers to the self beyond ego or false self. It is often referred to as spirit or soul and indicates the true self and underlies our existence. The individual soul becoming part of the larger soul of the universe. Achieving Moksha can span over many lifetimes. This process requires loss of attachment to life and the things in life. It also requires a balance of karma by a person’s duty...
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...similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism. Although these two religions have a lot in common, they also have many differences as well. There are many different branches or deviations of each religion. I will be talking them both overall and as a general whole, unless otherwise stated. I will show the differences based on the foundational difference of the beliefs in having a soul vs. not having a soul. There is a big difference between Hinduism and Buddhism in terms of being a human. In the Hindu religion they believe that we have an eternal, unchanging soul. This is referred to as the atman, which simply means “soul”. Whereas Buddhism believes that there is no permanence, which is referred to anatman meaning no eternal self or “no soul”. Although both religions believe in the cycle of rebirth, it is hard to understand who is being reborn if you have no soul. It is explained as if a flame is being passed from candle to candle and is eventually blown out, which is different from Hinduism because you have a soul so you are actually completing the cycle of rebirth. Like in most religions, there is a basic problem in life. They both have very similar problems. In Hinduism karma is the problem. You will be trapped in the cycle of rebirth if you do not have good karma. Being stuck is called samsara. You must live each life and past life until you no longer have karma holding you back, then you will finally be able to reach liberation. In Buddhism suffering (which is called...
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...Buddhism vs. Hinduism Name Institution How, where and when encountered Hinduism and Buddhism? First, you can start by saying that Buddhism arose from Hinduism. Both the religions have many similarities. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and originated in India. Hinduism is an ancient religious belief in India, and it is not known that exactly how this religion emerged. The Hindus call their religion “the eternal law.” Hinduism has emerged over millennia of time and is a mixture of thinking of different people. The majority of the people are probably aware that Aryan defeated the first people who lived in Indus sometime during the 1700s f.Kr and when the two societies merged they gave rise to a new way of thinking and lifestyle (Molloy, 2013). It is said that Buddhism emerged around 500 BC in the Himalayas and penetrated to the Indian plains. According to the legend, Prince Gautama Siddharta was born in the holy city of Banaras, now called Varanasi. The prince later went out into the world to seek the answer to the question of why there are sufferings in the world. After seven years of searching and thinking, he came to enlightenment and turned into a Buddha, the informed. He came on as long as a man asking for more and more; they will there continue to be reborn to more suffering. King Ashoka ruled over northern India during 200-century BC - AD, and he played a key role in spreading Buddhism in East Asia. Hinduism has a large number of sacred writings, including...
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...Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There have been new religions forming, such as Mormonism, which have been aiding in the reshaping of our societies and tolerance. For a good part of human existence, religion has been a factor of life, shaping the mind of the Homo sapiens. Hinduism is viewed as the world’s oldest religion, dating back to 2nd century BCE. Hinduism had gone through great change over the centuries, beginning with the change of the Aryan Gods, originally including Indra, Soma, and Agni, with Vishnu and Shiva as minor deities that become the main deities by 300BCE. Mahatma Gandhi has become the ‘face’ of Hinduism since the 1950’s, when he attempted to abolish the caste system within the religion. Hinduism has segregated its followers into ‘castes’, which include the Brahmins, the ritual priests, Kshatriyas, the warriors, Vaishyas, the merchants, and lastly the Shudras, the manual laborers (Kinnard, 2012). The caste system is separated much like the class system of earlier eras where Church was at the top, followed by Nobles, merchants, and the lower class of laborers. Buddhism was created out of dissatisfaction for Hinduism in 5th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, who left his luxurious life to discover his own self and find an antidote to human suffering through meditation where he found enlightenment to become who we now call the Buddha, the “Enlightened One” (Gascoigne, 2001). Two of the morals within Buddhism are karma and merit, where your...
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...Comparison of Two Religions: Hinduism and Buddhism Strayer University Professor Carla Thompson April 28, 2014 Comparison of Two Religions: Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism Buddhism was founded around 500 BCE by Prince Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama Buddha who was born about 2,500 years ago questioned his sheltered luxurious life in a palace. Leaving the palace he found four sights, a sick man, an old man, a dead man and a monk. Seeing this he realized that even a prince could not escape the issues of illness, suffering and death. So a monk told him to relinquish all his power and become a wandering holy man and seek the answers of why must people suffer and what was the cause of the suffering” (United Religions Initiative, 2002). For many years of doing many religious practices, including praying, meditating and fasting, he finally understood the basic truths of life. He realized this all by sitting under a popular-figtree in India for many days in meditation and this is when he was enlighten which is actually known as nirvana and this is when he was given the title of the Buddha which is the meaning of the Enlightened One. Buddha spread his teachings from India as far as Asia, becoming the dominate religion in many countries” (Fisher, 2014).It is thought that the Buddha lived many lives before his birth as Gautama, and that he continues to live through his teachings and his relics. Buddhism is the religion and philosophy which developed out of the teachings of...
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...goods have an economic impact, but it also has a cultural dimension. This paper discusses the potential ways that religion has an influence on international trade. It will review the most influential world religions, being Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, on economic activity, and more particularly, their impact on trade. The conclusion will reveal that being open to different religions increases trade performance in different countries. OUTLINE 1. Introduction 2. The effect of religion on work habits 3. Discriminatory and Non-Discriminatory Networks 4. Trade-enhancing networks and religions—Influence of Religions on Trade 5. Effects of cultural tendencies 6. Hinduism 7. Judaism 8. Buddhism 9. Christianity 10. Islam 11. Effects of Religion on Trade 12. Conclusion BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, James E. and Eric van Wincoop. 2003. Gravity with Gravitas: A Solu- tion to the Border Puzzle. American Economic Review. 93(1): 170-192. Arruñada, Benito. 2004. The Economic Effects of Christian Moralities. Economics and Business Working Paper Series, 743, March, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Britannica Book of the Year. 2005. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Barber Benjamin R. 1995. Jihad vs. McWorld. New York: Times Books. Brodbeck, Karl-Heinz. 2002. Buddhistische Wirtschaftsethik. Aachen: Shaker Economic Review 89: 379-99. Guo, Rongxing. 2004. How culture influences foreign trade: evidence from the U.S. and...
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...Running head: The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity 1 The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity World Religion 212 November 3, 2013 Running head: The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity 2 Buddhism is a polytheistic religion, however, it does not believe in Supreme Creator Being. Christianity is a monotheistic and believes that Christ is the son of God. Christianity is an offshoot Judaism whereas Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism. Christianity is a Abrahamic religion and Buddhism is a Dharmic religion. There is no god in Buddhism anything like Jesus Christ. Buddha is seen more as a really great person that once lived that reached a higher level of consciousness. Buddha wanted to teach how people goo free themselves and reach Nirvana. Jesus had a set of rules to live in order to get to Heaven. If is really not known or expelled were what Nirvana is, besides a freedom from the pain and suffering from life and the recantation we all must go through. Heaven on the hand is supposed to be a paradise where you in the after life you meet all your loved ones in a paradise, made by god himself. Buddhism was started about 5 B.C.E in India , Christianity started around 33 C.E. in Palestine. Granted they started many years apart but they do have the same basic ethics and commitment to community and family . They have the same basic concept of threat...
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...CHRISTIANITY vs. HINDUISM At a time when our great nation is bombarded with a seemingly endless war, unthinkable crimes towards children and ever-increasing unemployment rates it is natural for one to seek religion for answers as well as faith. There are many different religions other than Christianity and Hinduism to include Taoism, Judaism, Confucius, Buddhism and Islam. Regardless of which aspect one chooses to indulge, the premise is the same: to provide comfort and peace in ones everyday life. Two of the religions have many similarities as well as stark contrasts; both will be explored. The parallels will be examined first. Both Christianity and Hinduism share a commonality in the concept of heaven and an afterlife. Spiritual perfection is found in Christianity’s Heaven and Hinduism’s moksha. Cleansing of the soul is also mentioned in both Hinduism and Christianity, with a profound focus on water. Christianity speaks of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to comprise God, while Hinduism has three primary Gods which many believe act as on in Brahman. Christianity places a strong emphasis on such values as peace, respect, honesty, character, reliability, compassion and faith. Hinduism, too, holds honesty, compassion and selflessness as strong virtues within its teachings, as Dharma (religion) is the duty of every human being that must be fulfilled. Both Hinduism and Christianity share an acceptance of other religions, with the land of Hinduism, India, having...
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...Sikhism: all people are made of the same god. Universal brotherness. Forbids exploitation of others, direct opposition of the caste system. No force unless no choice. The first Guru was Guru Nanak-founder/father of Sikhism. Came out of two prevalent religious forces of his time: Hinduism & Islam. The last Guru: Guru Gobind Singh: 10th guru bestowed the guruship forever to Sikh Holy Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. (11th guru: living text: Adi Granth)Guru: teachers/masters. Spiritual person or divine inner voice. Langar: Communal meal served to everyone in Gurdwara. Despite gender and caste. Gurdwara; Place of worship “the Guru’s door” 5 K’s: all outward symbols of the divine word. Kes (unshorn hair means spirituality) Kangha (wooden comb means order) Kirpan (miniature sword, meaning divine grace and order. Kara (Steel Bracelet means allegiance to the guru.) Kachh: short breeches means restraint. Role of women: More egalitarian, but still expected to conduct themselves with family. Still a patriarchal society. Women have contributions to the panth. They can seek initiation into the Kahlsa but must have male counterparts with them. Will participate in langar also. It is egalitarian (democratic, classless, unrestricted). 4 notions of guruship: Eternal guru-god as the true guru/ Personal guru- teacher is guru, channel through which the eternal guru speaks (spiritual successions), not always sons but who is worthy/ Guru Ganth- scripture as guru, scripture...
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...Buddhism is one of the major religions of the world in terms of adherents, geographical distribution, and socio-cultural influence. While for a long time it has been an “Eastern” religion, it has been gaining an increasing popularity and influence also on the Western world. It is a religion that is unique in the world in its own right, although it has much in common with Hinduism in which the two can be called “Eastern” religions, who believe in karma, the cause and effect; maya, the illusory nature of the world; and samsara, the cycle of reincarnation among other things. Buddhists believe that the ultimate goal in life is to achieve “enlightenment” as they perceive their existence. Buddhism came from Hinduism and spread throughout the Eastern countries until reaching global popularity. The most important person and the founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha after his awakening. He was the son of the head of the Shakya Warrior class. It is said that the Brahmins examined to the newborn, and predicted his destiny as a universal monarch or Buddha. According to “The Buddha’s Early Life” online reading, Siddhartha started looking enlightenment at age 29, when first saw an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. With the help of his friend Channa, Siddhartha suddenly discovered that suffering is the destiny of all mankind. Then he found a peaceful and serene mendicant monk, and thereafter decided to adopt their way of life, so abandoned his family, wealth and power to start...
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