Hinduism and Buddhism

• Religion

  • System of faith and worship
  • Belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with it
  • Includes specific practices, behaviors, and morals
• Hinduism

  • Originates from the Sanskrit word for river; Sindhu
  • The Persians designated the land around the river as Hindu which also refers to the followers of Hinduism living in the subcontinent
  • Also called as Sanatan Dharma (eternal faith) by Hindus
  • Polytheistic religion
  • Has 3 most important gods that can have different forms: Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer)
• Brahmanism


  • Ancient Indian religious tradition that emerged from the earlier Vedic religion
  • Focused on Brahman (concept of ultimate reality)
• Goal of Hindus

  Achieving moksha or union with Brahman
• How does one achieve moksha?

  1. People must free themselves from selfish desires

  2. They must obey the law of karma

  3. Reincarnation allows people to work towards moksha through several lifetimes

  4. Living virtuously leads to good karma and being reborn at a higher level in the caste system
• Dharma


  • Religious and moral duties of a person
  • Duties vary
• Ahimsa


  • Concept of non-violence
  • All people and things are aspects of Brahman and therefore deserve to be respected
• Samsara

  Endless cycle of rebirth
• Buddhism


  • Began in India during late 500 BCE from a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who was later known as Gautama Buddha, meaning “enlightened one”
  • Don't believe in reincarnation but believe in Dharma which is their main source of faith and practice
• Four Noble Truths

  • Life is subject to mental and physical suffering (dukkha)
  • Origin or cause of dukkha
  • Overcoming of dukkha
  • Reaching Nirvana (state of mind that transcends desire and suffering)
• Eightfold Path


  • Described as the “right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation”
  • Stressed moral principles such as honesty
• Middle Way

  • Buddha’s enlightened view of life
  • Actions or attitudes that will create happiness for oneself and others
  • Buddha refused to answer metaphysical questions because he found it irrelevant in overcoming dukkha
• Bodhisattva


  • “Bodhi” meaning awakening or enlightenment and “satva” meaning being
  • Means “a being who is on the way to becoming enlightened”
• Dharma in Buddha


  Translated as “The Way” which shows what Buddhists should do in order to gain enlightenment
• Spread of Buddhism

  • Mahayana - described an afterlife and spread in China, Tibet, Korea, Japan
  • Theravada - followed Buddha’s original teaching and spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
  • Dalai Lama - head of Tibetan Buddhism
• What does hinduism cover?

  originated as a set of rules to help people live a disciplined life that adhered to the fulfillment of duties, moral values, and importance of self realization

  polytheistic in the practice of worshipping many gods
• Similarities and differences between Buddhism and Hinduism

  buddhism:

  grew from the same tradition as hindu

  seeks enlightenment through meditation

  non vedic

  
  

  hinduism:

  focuses on priests, gods, and formal rituals

  has the caste system

  brahmanical

  vedic

  
  

  Both:

  emphasized non violence

  both believed in karma, dharma, and a cycle of rebirth