FREE ESSAY ON HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM

HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM

Hinduism and Buddhism
Throughout the world, different nations have different believes or religion. Some
religions evolve from others, and others are combination of other religions. Religion is
a way of life, a life style; it should dictate how you live your life. For instance, in
India, Buddhism evolved from Hinduism, a religion were people believe in 300, 000 gods.
Even though, Hinduism and Buddhism have different similarities such as believes in god,
soul, and rituals, which in some ways connected to each other, both religions believe of
what happens after life. 
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. Buddha, believe in no Atman's, nor is there a Brahman or supreme
being because all is not permanent. They believe that to have faith in a higher power is
nothing more than illusion. The Buddhist "athirst" in fact think that life is not a
reality. In Buddhism, a person strives to reach the Nirvana through mediation. The
Nirvana is the "blowing out" of the fame of desire by ending the vicious cycle of
reincarnation. By not going with their instincts and ending all desire for the illusion
of this world, one is able to reach enlightenment and finally rest from his suffering.
The Buddhists worship the Buddha and follow the four noble truths in order to reach
salvation. The four noble truths are: life is suffering, all suffering is caused by
ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment and grasping that result
from such ignorance, suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance, and the path to the
suppression of suffering is the Eightfold Noble Path. The Eightfold Noble Path is divided
into three categories: morality, wisdom, and concentration.
In contrast, Hindus say, "…that thou art." This statement means that Brahman is the
same as one true self, or his Atman. Not only do the Hindus worship Brahman, they also
worship several other gods as well. The other gods are in the reincarnation series, or
the samsara, they are not ultimate but they help to bring liberation throughout the
grueling cycle. All Hindus believe in three most popular gods, which they are: Shiva,
Vishnu, and Brahma. Shiva is the deity of the renounces, especially of the many shiava
sects that imitate him. These are Kapalicas, Pashupatas, and Aghoris. Shiva is also the
deity that is said to have appeared on earth in various human, animals, and vegetable
forms. Vishnu, to his worshipers, is all-powerful and supreme. He is believed to be to
god from whose navel a lotus sprang giving birth to Brahma, the creator. Vishnu created
the universe by separating the heavens and the earth and has rescued it on a number of
occasions. As Hopfe and Woodward state "Vishnu is known as a god of love, benevolence,
and forgiveness (Hinduism 94)." " In some incarnations, he has come as a man." (94). The
third popular god is Brahma, the creator of the world.
Since Buddhism and Hinduism have different believes they also have different holy days.
Moreover, because Hindus worship variety of gods they have a variety of festivals. The
three main festivals of Hinduism are: Holi, Divali, and Dasehra. Holi is the most popular
festival. This holy day is celebrated each year during February-March to welcome spring.
"Holi is dedicated to god Krishna and it was once a fertility ceremony (104)." Throughout
the days of Holi, many of the casts and taboo restrictions are set aside and pleasure is
emphasized. The second ceremony Divali, celebrated in November, is a festival to welcome
a new year. Finally the third festival, the Dasehra, celebrated up to nine days in
October, in honor of Durga, a consort of Shiva. On the other hand Buddhism is divided in
many ways according to philosophy and geography. The major festivals that are celebrated
by most Buddhists are New Year, Buddha's birthday, the festival of souls, and robe
offering. In many Buddhist countries the New Year is celebrated in April. It usually
lasts three days. Another festival is Buddha's birthday. During this festival the birth
of Gautama, celebrated on April 8 in China and Japan and on the last full moon on May in
Southeast Asia. Buddhist communities celebrate by washing the statue of the infant Buddha
and a basin of fragrant water filled with flower petals to honor the gods who bathed the
Buddha immediately after his birth. The festival of souls id celebrated during July (in
Japan), and August (in China). Buddhists believe that purgatory is opened and the souls
of the dead are allowed to wonder about the world. The last festival celebrated by
Buddhists is robe offering. This festival is celebrated in November at the end of rainy
season. During this festival the laity present new yellow robber to the monks of their
region. This robe is one that has been made in a single day or night.
Hindus believe in souls and Buddhists do not. In Hindus religion it is believed that an
individual should abolish all once and desires in addition to refraining from any
temptations of sin in order to discipline himself or herself. Once all of these things
are done, the perfect joy and harmony with the infinite spirit is reached. The infinite
spirit refers to Hinduism belief that the soul never dies. Hindus believe that each time
a body dies the soul is reborn into a new body. On the contrary, Buddhism believe in the
Anatman or no soul. Buddhism sees human existence as made up of five bundles or Skandhas.
These are material body of feelings, perceptions, predispositions or Karmic tendencies,
and consciousness. Buddhists deny the permanent soul. Buddhists believe that as long as
they follow the four noble truths they would be freed from the life sufferings. 
Eventually, today both religions are still greatly worshiped and have millions of
followers. Buddhism and Hinduism are connected in many ways and still continue to
flourish after many, many centuries. Both religions have a similar goal, and path to
achieve that goal.