Living in America, my access to information on eastern
religions is limited. All I have as a guide are a few books that I own, and the
internet. There are neither Buddhist temples nor any Shrines to a Hindu god
that I can just drive to and talk to any actual believers. Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the oldest and most
dominant religions in the world. Many Americans don’t know the difference
between the two (for that matter most southerners don’t know the difference
between these and Islam).The two religions have many similarities but they are
also different in many ways.
Both religions started in India
before spreading to the rest of the world. The earliest evidence of prehistoric religion in India dates back to the late Neolithic age 5500-2500 B.C.E. Buddhism was founded on the principles of Siddhartha Gautama,
most commonly known as Buddha or “The Awakened One.” Gautama is believed to
have lived and died in the India sometime between 560 B.C.E. and 400 B.C.E. The
central teaching if Buddhism is known as The Four Noble Truths.
1.
The
Truth of dukkah (suffering or stress)
2.
The
origin of suffering.
3.
The
cessation (stopping, discontinueance) of suffering.
4.
The
path to the cessation of suffering.
The first truth refers
to the nature of suffering. We suffer as we grow old and our body and mind
deteriorates. We suffer with the stress and anxiety of everyday life.
The second truth
refers to the fact that we can know the cause of our suffering. In many
teachings it is our greed for material possessions that ultimately lead to our
suffering.
The third truth is
that our suffering will end eventually.
And the fourth truth
refers to the path that we take to end our suffering. This is known as the
Noble Eightfold Path.
Division
|
Eightfold factor
|
Sanskrit, Pali
|
Description
|
1. Right view
|
samyag dṛṣṭi,
sammā ditthi |
Viewing reality as it is, not just as it appears to be
|
|
2. Right intention
|
samyag saṃkalpa,
sammā sankappa |
Intention of renunciation, freedom and harmlessness
|
|
3. Right speech
|
samyag vāc,
sammā vāca |
Speaking in a truthful and non-hurtful way
|
|
4. Right action
|
samyag karman,
sammā kammanta |
Acting in a non-harmful way
|
|
5. Right livelihood
|
samyag ājīvana,
sammā ājīva |
A non-harmful livelihood
|
|
6. Right effort
|
samyag vyāyāma,
sammā vāyāma |
Making an effort to improve
|
|
7. Right mindfulness
|
samyag smṛti,
sammā sati |
Awareness to see things for what they are with clear
consciousness;
being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion |
|
8. Right concentration
|
samyag samādhi,
sammā samādhi |
Correct meditation or concentration, explained as the
first four jhānas
|
Hinduism, on the other
hand, has no founder. Hinduism is based off of thousands of religious and
encompasses many religious traditions. Their earliest root is the "historical Vedic religion"
practiced during the Iron Age 1500 – 500 B.C.E. Hinduism is tolerant of every god from every
religion. They believe that it cannot hurt to worship any god, it can only
help. Their main god is Brahma,
he is the Hindu god of creation, father of Manu from who all people are
descended. And Brahman,
the ultimate spirit, In Hindu religion he is defined as infinite. Hindu gods
are usually depicted with multiple faces, and arms. Believers say this is
because they have to do many things at once. A Hindu’s ultimate goal is to come have
Brahman level awareness in the next life.
As I stated above Hinduism is based off of thousands of texts
written over thousands of years. The oldest of these texts are called the “Vedas.” The Rigveda, the Yajurveda, and the Samaveda mostly contain hymns and
formulas for the priests. The fourth is the Atharvaveda is a collection of
spells and incantations. Buddhists have many texts as well. Different schools
of Buddhism focus on different texts. Theravada Buddhists focus primarily on the
Pali Canon, a collection of scriptures written
by the fourth Buddhist council in 29 B.C.E. The Pali Canon has rules for monks,
sayings from Buddha and some of his disciples, and various philosophy and
psychology. Mahayana Buddhists do not worry with the Pali Canon, they have many
other religious texts and Sutras. Sutras are a broad collection of scriptures mostly preserved by Chinese and Tibetan Buddhists.
Both Buddhists and Hindus are practitioners of Yoga. However there are some differences in terminology between the two
faiths. In Hinduism Yoga is linked to the belief that one soul could bind
itself with the entity that underlies everything, Brahman. In Hinduism Yoga emphasizes knowledge and practice, and in known to be
difficult. Hinduism holds to the 8 arms of yoga.
1.
Yama (The five
"abstentions"): Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truth, non-lying),
Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (non-sensuality, celibacy), and
Aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
2.
Niyama (The five "observances"): Shaucha(purity),
Santosha(contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of the Vedic
scriptures to know about God and the soul), and Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender
to God).
3.
Asana: Literally means
"seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to the seated position used
for meditation.
4.
Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"): Prāna, breath, "āyāma",
to restrain or stop. Also interpreted as control of the life force.
In Tibetan Buddhism yoga can refer to any spiritual practice
from tantra to yoga. On the subject of yoga in Tibetan Buddhism author Robert Svoboda said, “…Yoga controls
body and mind to enable them to harmonize with spirit, and Tantra seeks to use
the mind to balance the demands of body and spirit.” Tibetan Buddhists practice
108 body postures to control their heart rate and breathing.
With both religions centrally located in India, they share
some common vocabulary. Both religions have beliefs surrounding Karma and Dharma. Karma mean “action” or “deed” and
is understood by Indian religions to represent the cycle of cause and effect.
Good or bad actions will result in either joy or suffering in this life or the
next. Dharma means “natural law” or “duty” and could be related to by Buddhists
as “the way of the higher truth.” The concept of dharma is central to the
formation of both beliefs. In these traditions, it is believed that those how
live in more harmony with dharma move more quickly towards enlightenment and Nirvana (personal liberation).
Both religions believe in reincarnation, although in slightly
different ways. In both religions your position in your next life has to do
with how you lived your previous one, Buddhists believe that there are six different levels of reincarnation. The lowest are beings that live in
one of the many hells also called “Narakas.” Second are beings called “preta”
that sometimes share space with humans, also known as ghosts. Next are Animals,
followed by Humans. Although these realms share the same space, Humans are
capable of achieving Nirvana, Animals are not. Above humans are “Asuras” this
realm is where Buddhists believe most of the gods and demons of other religions
dwell. The highest beings are “Devas” these are the true gods. Buddhists
believe that in all these realms beings are subject to rebirth after some time.
Some Buddhists believe that reincarnation take places immediately after death,
others believe that you spend 45 days in a middle realm.
Most Hindus believe that every being has a spirit or soul.
Reincarnation is a core principle in Hinduism. In Hinduism you can only be
reincarnated as an animal or Human. The ultimate goal is to reach Nirvana,
perfect mental peace, detachment from material possessions, and a union with
the gods. This releases one from the cycle of death and rebirth, and you attain
Brahman consciousness. You become one with the universe.
Buddhism and Hinduism are two religions that have grown side
by side over the past 2600 years or so. They have learned from one another and
share very similar beliefs. I believe that Buddhism and Hinduism are split from
the same beliefs somewhere along the way. There is so much more to each of
these religions that I didn’t go into the Dali Lama and Mahatma Gandhi,
Holidays, Rituals, and much more. But I feel I have rambled on enough, I hope
now you know a little bit more about what makes these two faiths different.
Hinduism: A way of life (2008)
The Story of Siddhartha (2010)
Journey in to Buddhism (2007)
The Story of India (2007)
Buddhism and Hinduism
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