A Tale of Two Religions
Throughout the world different nations have different beliefs or religions. Some religions evolve from others and some are a combination of different religions. What starts out as the ideas of one man can become a worldwide phenomenon. Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities and are connected to each other in various ways. While both religions have some common themes, their differences are what make them individually recognized today. "Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in existence. After Christianity and Islam, it ranks as the world's third largest religion. Today there are 650 million Hindus worldwide" (Wangu p.6). Although the exact date of the emergence of Hinduism is uncertain, some of its earliest themes and forms arose around the third millennium B.C. Many believe that Hinduism began with the migration of Aryan people into India. These two races combined ideas and started what would become one of the largest and oldest religions known. One of the most important contributions that the Aryan people brought to Hinduism was their oral texts, known as Vedas or for Hindus eternal truths. The Vedas not only provide a guide to life, but also give the creation story. The Vedas
It is difficult to assign exact dates to these writings, because many were compiled gradually, over centuries, through oral tradition. Buddha wanted to move the importance from external beings (gods) into the works and actions of the individual. The Mahayana sect follows basic teachings of Buddha, but also believes there were other teachings that Buddha only taught to a few select followers. It is not clear whether Buddha's intentions were to form a new religion or to simply reform Hinduism as it was. This was one of his main objections with the caste system; if everything is connected to everything else, than all is equal and no hierarchy exists. What first begins as a small revelation can turn into a widely accepted way of life. It is important to note that Buddha's followers played an integral part in Buddhism becoming a world renowned religion, as did Buddha himself. As a result of Buddha's teachings certain aspects of Hinduism failed to seem useful; for example, building temples, rituals of worship or sacrifice. Thus, making it possible to spread and become an accepted religion. In both cases, these rulers of large empires were converted to what had previously been small, struggling religions. Buddha thought everything in existence was linked to everything else. Therefore, everything in Samsara has to repeat the life cycle which causes the rebirth of a soul. This idea is basically the same in Hinduism and Buddhism where all actions, good or bad, are ultimately going to affect your outcome in life.
Common topics in this essay:
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Eightfold Path,
Brahman Brahman,
Vedas Hindus,
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Buddhists Hindus,
Christianity Islam,
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Siddhartha Gautama,
Buddhism Hinduism,
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teachings buddha,
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hinduism buddhism,
buddha's teachings,
caste system,
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minor lesser gods,
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