Compare and Contrast Hinduism and Buddhism free essay sample

Hinduism and Buddhism Some people may think that Hinduism and Buddhism are the same religions with just two different names. They aren’t, Buddhism and Hinduism both have different types of rituals, holidays, founders, and so-on. The two extensive religions of Hinduism and Buddhism have lots of information behind themselves. They are made up of cultures, rituals, practices, and many other things. â€Å"Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that developed slowly over a long period of time. (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005) Hinduism has been made up of so many different cultures and beliefs that unlike Christianity and Islam it is unable to be traced back. Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. Karma is good and bad things that a person does and they follow them through each reincarnation. Reincarnation is the rebirth of a soul or spirit which follows after death into a new body and begins another life. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast Hinduism and Buddhism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The three major Hindu gods were Vishnu the protector, Brahma the creator, and Shiva the destroyer. The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism was founded around about 563 B. C. There are no worshiped gods in Buddhism. In Buddhism karma and reincarnation were strongly believed in just like in Hinduism. In 273 B. C. Ashoka took the throne he had adopted many of the ideas of Buddhism, which helped a lot in the spread of Buddhism. The goal for some Buddha was enlightenment and to achieve this they had to follow the Eightfold Path one step at a time. The final goal in Buddhism is nirvana which is a state of being perfect and ending the process of reincarnation. Today there is an estimated 600 million Buddhists. There are many differences between the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism just like there are many similarities, but here are a few. Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism, but there was no founder for Hinduism, it was just put together by combining many different religions and cultures. In Hinduism there were three major Gods that were worshiped by the Hindus, but there was not one God in Buddhism that was ever worshiped or looked up to. Also, Buddhism was a more peaceful and calm religion. Unlike in Buddhism, in Hinduism there was a caste system. It was a group from a social system. Hindus had gone by using a caste system, but it was rejected in the Buddhism community which resulted in many Buddhist being laborers and craftspeople. Hindus and Buddha both had different beliefs. For example, â€Å"Hindus saw religion as a way of liberating the soul from illusions, disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence. † (World History Patterns of Interaction, 2005) There were also a few similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism. For example, they both believed in reincarnation after death and karma, which means to keep people bound to the world through the cycle of life and death. Also they each had final goals. For example, in Buddhism the final goal was called nirvana and in Hinduism the final goal was called moksha. Each would happen after reincarnation was finished and the spirit and soul had a perfect understanding. Both Buddhism and Hinduism were helped spread by people. For example, Ashoka spread Hinduism by adopting it in a way after war, and missionaries helped spread Buddhism. Also, both religions promote non-violent beliefs toward all living things. To conclude this essay I would say that Hinduism is more or less a group rather than a religion because it was made up of other religions and Buddhism is like a subcategory that would branch off of Hinduism. Hinduism and Buddhism both support the belief of reincarnation and karma. But they don’t both believe in Gods. Also they both support non-violent actions to living things. Buddhism was originally created from Hinduism because the founder, Siddhartha Gautama was originally Hindu but then after creating Buddhism he became the Buddha. Bibliography Hay, Jeff. Buddhism. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. 2006. Rinehart, Robin. Contemporary Hinduism. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Inc. 2004.