Further Deviation From Parent Religion

Hinduism and Buddhism are among the oldest traditions in the world. Incidentally, both traditions have their roots in India. Since their beginning, both traditions have co-existed peacefully and even spread beyond India in similar patterns. Most people have scattered information about the traditions and make assumptions that they are similar. However, they also have clear distinguishing features. This paper intends to study the similarities and contrasts between the two traditions in various contexts. First, the traditions will be compared and contrasted based on how they began. The development processes of both religions will then be contrasted. The paper will then discuss the similarities and differences between the two religions based on the social and the political roles they played.

How can we begin to understand such a diverse and ancient religion? The width of Buddhism is immense. It is a religion without any written rules. Buddhism is based on self-discovery. Buddhists are born with the quest to find their true form. They believe that they are prisoners of the physical plain until they reach nirvana. Nirvana is the ultimate goal for a Buddhist (Buddhism, 2007). It is the state that saves them from all suffering and evil. They believe that only nirvana can remove them from the never-ending circle of life.

     Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. These religions have developed philosophies on certain subjects that can be compared in order to show their similarities and differences. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon are the paths to

Christianity and Buddhism are two very prominent religions dating back from early years up until today. Both are offshoots of other religions-- Christianity from Judaism, and Buddhism from Hinduism. The Buddhists follow the teachings of Gautama Buddha, while Christianity is centered upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity is monotheistic while Buddhism is nontheistic. Christians believe that Christ is the son of God, while Buddhists do not believe in God as the creator of the universe.

Hinduism and Buddhism shared many similarities and differences in their origins and founders.Hinduism originated in early India, it evolved over time from the original Vedic religion of the Aryans. It had no exact founder. Buddhism also originated in Early India, Siddhartha Gautama was a king in the kshatriya system. Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism, a person who believed being kind to everyone and respectful, he did not believe in violence and achieved nirvana. Both Hinduism and Buddhism came from the same place, showing how they had similar qualities. Since Hinduism did not have a founder it is showing how they did not have someone leading them,

Both Hinduism and Buddhism came from the region called India. Hinduism was the dominant one in the subcontinent, while Buddhism had to flee to other regions to spread its belief to the people. The creation of Hinduism will eventually give birth to Buddhism later on. Even though both “religions” came from the same region, they have some similarities and differences between them.

There are several differences between Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism was started by a man named Siddhartha Guatama. He wanted to find enlightenment so he could stop suffering. Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion. It originated around 14 or 1500 B.C. in India.

At first glance the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear very different from each other. One centers around a God that was at one time physically manifest on earth in the human form of his "son" Jesus Christ, the other primarily worships a historical figure that gained divine status through enlightenment. This assessment is broad at best, especially in the case of Buddhism where the Theravada and Mahayana traditions differ significantly. Christianity also has division within itself, the most prominent being between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems. There are however, despite obvious differences, some very interesting similarities between Buddhism and

Between 600 BCE, and 600 CE, Buddhism and Christianity were spreading across India and the Middle East, but the two religions have a lot in common, yet each have their differences.

Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread contemporaneously in during the Classical Period different territories. Both of them share some similarities as well as differences. Both of these religions were founded based upon different principles taught by different people; in Buddhism’s case Gautama Buddha a thinker and in Christianity’s it is Jesus Christ who is a prophet. These two universal doctrines spread in times of chaos, in which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of any kind. Although alike these two doctrines didn’t have a

Buddhism and Hinduism are similar in many ways, like believing in the doctrine of Karma and the place of origin, as the Buddha practiced Hinduism before going off to establish Buddhism; nonetheless, there are significant differences between the two. One of the major differences is seen in the establishment of the religion where in Buddhism it was founded by the Buddha, while in Hinduism there was no particular founding prophet. Furthermore, In Buddhism the ultimate reality is seen as nothingness where they reach nirvana by detaching themselves from everything around them, to have no self. On the other hand, in Hinduism, the ultimate reality is said to be united and to become one with the universe. Another big difference is in life after death,

“Look to this day, for it is life, the very breath of life...For yesterday is only a dream, and tomorrow is yet a vision… Look well, therefore, to this day”(Ancient Hindu Sanskrit); “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”(Buddha, n.d.). Buddhism and Hinduism are similar in various ways, in that they both originated from the Indian subcontinent and continued to spread across Asia. Each of them also believe in multiple paths to enlightenment, represented in Buddhist Eight-Fold and Hindu's Vedas Path, and both believe in reincarnation. They are different however in that Hinduism has a concept of sin, whereas Buddhism does not. These religions are also different because Siddhartha Buddha founded Buddhism, but nobody knows who founded Hinduism. The final reason that they are different is that their philosophies differ. These two religions are homologous with how they are structured yet have different characteristics in some areas.

Throughout the class we have learned about four different religions. Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity are all very complex and interesting religions, but all of them are very different from each other. Hinduism and Buddhism are very similar while Christianity and Judaism are similar. The two with the most differences would be Buddhism and Christianity. There are many differences between the two religions, but when a person puts them side by side there are three major differences that pop out at them. Those differences are, who each religion worships, the sacred text of the two, and finally the idea of life after death or the afterlife. Yes, almost all religions have commonalties between them, like prayer or meditation, or even the idea of a human messiah sent by their deity, but at the core of these two religions are very different from each other. In order to understand these differences in greater detail one must look at the origins of the two religions and look at the little differences before you can explore the three larger ones.

Hindus believe in the four stages of life, but the Buddha do not share that believe. Whereas the Buddhists believe in the concept of Bodhisattvas, or the enlightened existence, but the Hindus do not. Buddhists must believe that the Buddha, Sangha, and Dhamma are the three most important requirements on the eightfold path, or the principal teachings of the Buddha. Hinduism has many different paths of self realization. Both religions believe in karma and reincarnation, but their terms and conditions vary, different in as many ways as they are similar. Buddhists have no priests or rituals like the Hindus do. Also, in the Buddhist religion, any follower than achieve Nirvana, but in the Hindu religion, only the Brahmins, or priests, could achieve moksha, the Hindu equivalent of Nirvana. Another large difference is that Buddhists do not believe in the Caste System, a main factor in Hinduism. This is one of their largest differences. Hinduism does not know their original creator, unlike most other religions; they’ve lost any information about their founder over the many years, whereas the Buddhists know their creator, Buddha. Buddhism is a much younger religion than Hinduism. The two religions are very much different.

Although Buddhism evolved from Hinduism it differs from Hinduism in god beliefs. According to Buddhists there is no God, but they reverence the Buddha and his teachings as though he were one.