Hinduism Vs Buddhism

Hinduism vs Buddhism

The world has many different religions. Asia has had many religions spring up.

Out of these, Buddhism and Hinduism are the most popular beliefs in the general

population. Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally

hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been

established around 1500 B.C. but one person never founded Hinduism, as it

evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite

founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or

Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated

in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and

after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as Buddhism.

Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but

in the same light they differ immensely.

Hinduism and Buddhism both have numerous gods and both follow the same

paths to ultimately achieve Nirvana (a place where all the enlightened beings

reside). "He set himself forty-eight vows to fulfill, which, he proclaimed, would

allow him to reach Nirvana." (Encarta 98, "Amitabha,") This is about one man

who makes rules for himself so that he can get into Nirvana. The concept of a

god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not

even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life.

The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer; Brahma is the

creator and Shiva the destroyer. They are referred as Trimuti. Most Hindu gods

are associated with animals and therefore Hindus feel that being a vegetarian is

vital. Cows are sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped as the divine mother,

making eating beef taboo. Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In

Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths which are the truth of

suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of cessation, and the truth of

the path. These all follow the Eightfold Path, which describes the ways in which

one must live. Hindu scriptures advocate the pursuit of many goals in ones life

including righteous living, wealth, prosperity, love and happiness. The ultimate

goal is to achieve Nirvana. Following these steps and pleasing all these gods

ensures ones ticket to achieving Nirvana.

Both religions believe that during life nonviolence is essential to reaching

Nirvana. Buddhists preach compassion, charity and nonviolence and while

Hindus profess pacifism and ahimsa, which is the avoidance of harm to people

and animals, they still believe war is justifiable in certain cases. They see it as

their duty to fight in a just war. Harming others is wrong but if the war will cause