Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism & Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most prominent religions in the world, ranking among the five largest. Twenty percent of the world today is either Hindu or Buddhist. Both religions evolved throughout centuries, offering interesting beliefs and distinctive views to the cultural world. Buddhism is a reformed version of Hinduism; it has adopted many features of Hinduism yet developed entirely opposite ones in the process. Both religions encompass a variety of tradition, beliefs, and practices.

Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Buddha, meaning "Enlightened One," founded Buddhism. Buddhism follows the teachings of the Buddha, stating that individuals should follow the eightfold path in order to attain Nirvana. Buddhism was born sometime between 563-483 B.C.E. Hinduism dates so far back into history, surpassing Buddhism, that it has no known beginning and its foundation remains a mystery. Hinduism gained influence from the Vedic age, where it gained its most sacred texts such as the Vedas. Over time, Hinduism developed a caste system; separating individuals at birth into one of four classes: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra while Buddhism began more collectively accepting. Buddhism gained popularity in India because it released people from the oppression of tradition, such as the caste system. These faiths gained followers as they held promise of spiritual salvation for all who gave themselves over devoutly. Although Hinduism and Buddhism share connections in origins, morality, and the idea of karma and reincarnation, they nevertheless are diverse with regard to foundation and achieving the ultimate objective and social structure related to each faith.

It is difficult for some to classify Hinduism as a monotheistic or polytheistic religion because it is virtually both. Hinduism believes in the existence of three central gods: Brahma--the creator, Vishnu--the preserver, and Siva--the destroyer. There are also about 330,000,000 other gods. However, some believe that all the deities are manifestations of one supreme and divine god. Buddhists do not believe in deities or gods of any kind; however devas, or "celestial beings," are accepted as those suffering in the samsara--the repeating cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Another generally known and important difference between the two religions lies among their religious texts. Hinduism's most sacred texts are known as the Vedas--a collection of religious and philosophical poems and hymns, and the Upanishads (a contribution of the Vedic philosophy) that are a collection of more