RELI448N Comparison Contrast Essay Complete Solution
As do all forms of religion, Hinduism and Buddhism have their similarities and their differences. Hin
... [Show More] duism and Buddhism have numerous distinct and resembling characteristics within the goals and practices of these religions. Aside from sharing their history and predominance in India, the two religions have differing beliefs. Although the two religions have differing beliefs, they share similarities in spiritual exercises such as state of mind cultivation. For example, concentration and meditation, as well as the belief of existence of gods, or worlds of higher and lower levels, and their emphasis on compassion and non-violence towards living things (Jayaram, 2013). Buddhism refers to a philosophy and a religion that entails different practices, beliefs, and traditions, based on teachings related to Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama. Buddha, who is the spiritual leader of the Buddhists, refers to the “awakened one”. The founder of the Buddhist religion Buddha and it is said that Buddhism originated in India over 2500 years ago (Sandhu, 2017). Buddha gave insights related to end suffering sentiments, achievement of nirvana, rebirth, and the end of the suffering cycle. Such teaching have later formed into a large part of the Buddhism religion beliefs and rituals. Hinduism is one of the three largest religions in the world and is the major religion of India. This religion does not identify with a founder because no one knows where exactly it was started or who exactly started it (Fowler, 2017). On the other hand, Hinduism focuses on the eternal law, or Sanatana Dharma. Hinduism embraces some different yet complex views from Vedic Hinduism. Buddhism and Hinduism relate and differ in numerous ways and elements that this can be explained through are self/no-self (or atman/anatman) and karma/rebirth.
The two religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, are similar and different in various ways. The similar beliefs in reincarnation, the existence of different enlightenment paths, the belief that a human being’s suffering emanates from an excessive attachment to people and things in the world, the belief in existence of an ultimate spiritual being or reality that goes beyond the physical world, meditation and yoga, and the belief that in the end, living spirits will attain liberation and enlightenment, no matter the number of incarnations. With letting go of desires comes enlightenment. Hinduism and Buddhism differ in Brahmins, or priests, are not required as they are with Hinduism. While Hinduism calls enlightenment Moksha, Buddhism calls enlightenment, Nirvana (Molloy, 2013). So the two religions believe in enlightenment but their take on the subject is different. In Buddhism, it is possible for anyone to reach enlightenment but in Hinduism it is only possible for Brahmins to reach enlightenment. While one religion, Buddhism, does not have or follow a god, Hinduism has multiple gods. While in Hinduism you cannot convert nor is it encouraged to convert, in Buddhism you can convert and converting is encouraged. The Hindus believe that even individual should pursue the four chief aims, or arthas, in life. The four chief aims are dharma (religious duty), artha (wealth or material possessions), kama (desires and passions), and moksha (salvation) (Molloy, 2013). On the other hand, Buddhists believe that the world is full of sorrow and the chief aim of human life is ending the sorrow.
While Buddhism essentially denies the existence of an eternal soul, Hinduism on the other hand, is based on the concept of atman and Brahman. Brahman is the impersonal source and eternal essence of everything. The self is called atman and atman essentially is Brahman. Atman roughly translates to “self” or “soul”. “Perhaps the term Atman would be better translated as ‘deepest self.’” (Molloy, 2013). Atman is known to be more of the internal mind rather than the body, which is temporal and known to the outside world (Gordon, 2013). According to Hindu belief, in each life you have this core part of yourself, which is Atman, and when you die it doesn’t disappear but rather it take on or subjugate itself to another reality. After death, this individual may take on another identity in another reality. It’s the idea that all things are actually connected and this notion of the individual is just an illusion given to us. Essentially, all is one and all is Brahman. Meditation, within the Hinduism religion, is an important aspect in knowing atman. Attaining the highest level of life is a process in Hinduism. This process removes bodily distractions from life as well as allowing ones to eventually understand the Brahma nature within. Buddhism is more interested in finding the anatman, which is roughly translated to “not soul” or “not self”. Anatman is the Sanksrit term and anatta is the Pali term (Molloy, 2013). With every new though and experience we are constantly changing. Therefore, it is impossible to grasp the self and ultimately, there is no self. Anatta, or anatman, leads to the end of selfish desires because there is nothing to be selfish about. The simple comparison between Hinduism’s atman and Buddhism’s anatta (or anatman) is that atman is eternal and ultimate reality while anatta is no self.
Buddhism and Hinduism both strongly believe in karma and reincarnation. “The word karma is used to denote action (including behavior, speech, or thought) that results in consequences.” (Allen, Edwards, & McCullough, 2015). The religions combine the punishment of sins with the idea of multiple incarnations. This way, the suffering in this life can be explained by each and every individual’s wrongdoing whether it is in this life or a past life. All of an individual’s wrong-doing that happens in the present life will either be punishable in this or the future life (Kaufman, 2005). In simple terms, karma determines how an individual will be reborn. Hinduism believes that what one does in life directly impacts that individual either in their current or future life. If an individual’s karma is not good karma, then the individual will be reborn into something such as a dog or another animal. Buddhism also believes in karma and [Show Less]