Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report (Helpful Study Essay)

Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report

The world has many different religions. Asia has had many religions spring up. Out of these Buddhism and Hinduism are the most popular beliefs in the general population. Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but oneperson never founded Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and after years of searching for truth created a religion now knownas Buddhism. Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but in the same light they differ immensely.


Hinduism and Buddhism both have numerous gods and both follow the same paths to ultimately achieve Nirvana (a place where all the enlightened beings reside). "He set himself forty-eight vows to fulfill, which, he proclaimed, would allow him to reach Nirvana."(Encarta 98, "Amitabha,") This is about one man who makes rules for himself so that he can get into Nirvana. The concept of a god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life. The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer; Brahma is the creator and Shiva the destroyer.They are referred as Trimuti. Most Hindu gods are associated with animals and therefore Hindus feel that being a vegetarian is vital. Cows are sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped as the divine mother, making eating beef taboo. Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, thetruth of cessation, and the truth of the path. These all follow the Eightfold path, which describes the ways in which one must live. Hindu scriptures advocate the pursuit of many goals in ones life including righteous living, wealth, prosperity, love and happiness. The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana. Following these steps and pleasing all these gods ensures ones ticket to achieving Nirvana.Both Hinduism and Buddhism have restrictions to the amount of freedom a woman can possess but a Buddhist woman has more freedom than a Hindu woman possesses. "'All sentient beings are our fathers and mothers.' Even someone who looks like a ruffian or a robber is still someone who has on his mind. 'All mothers, all sentient beings.' (Dalai Lama, Ocean of Wisdom, p.25) This means that everysentient being in Buddhism is equal to each other and all have a chance to reach enlightenment. In Buddhism the place of women is an inferior one, which stems from traditional, cultural, and social values of Asia. Although females can accumulate good karma, they have a harder time achieving enlightenment due to their social standing and their commitment to their family value. In Hinduism the role ofwomen is downgraded as well and no act is to be done according to her will. A woman must always be cheerful and clever in the household business and keep the furniture well cleaned, meaning that she has to be cheerful and cannot get angry with the husband for doing anything. The woman must always have a free hand. She must have only one husband, even if he dies. If a woman commits adultery, she mustbe burned to death and all property a couple may acquire belongs to the male. Though both these religions have restrictions to women's freedoms, a Buddhist female can do things more freely than a Hindu woman.


Both religions believe that during life nonviolence is essential to reaching Nirvana. Buddhists preach compassion, charity and nonviolence and while Hindus profess pacifism and...