Differences and Similarities Between Buddhism and Hinduism

Buddhism and Hinduism are both very similar and very contrasting from one another on multiple levels. In the most simplified comparison, one might say that they are two different paths to the same place. Through letting go of moral and worldly attachments, and becoming one with the "true self", those who follow either Buddhism or Hinduism can escape the cycle of rebirth and enter a purely spiritual and eternal state of being. This state of being is one which is shared with the gods, as in Hinduism beliefs, or with no gods that the Buddhists believe. This key difference in ideology is where the differences between these religions begin.

Buddhists worship no "gods" per say but they do accept Devas as respectful spiritual figures. The Hinduism religion, depending on the school of thought may worship one god, or it may worship hundreds of personal deities. In the Hindu religion, there is a shared belief that a being known as Adi Parashakti who is referred to as para brahman, which means "beyond brahman". There is no being in the Buddhist religion that comes close to being compared to this. As close as it gets in buddhism is its Buddhas. A Buddha is considered to be one who has become fully enlightened. When a human becomes a Buddha, they transcend being a human and become almost omniscient. This difference in belief comes forth to create even greater differences in practice of the religion. Worship of a god and giving up offerings to those gods is one of the greatest differences in these practices. Although this is a huge divide in practice of the ideologies, buddhists and hindus share many rituals and other practices that focus on the self. As well as focusing on the self, buddhists and hindus both follow a set of rules or guidelines that help their practitioners to attain their final spiritual state of being. In the buddhist religion, the 8 fold path is that which leads to enlightenment. This is not much different than the 5 yamas and 5 Niyams in the hidu religion. Both religions have their own sets of rules that act as guidance to enlightenment. This similarity is one that is shared by many religions around the world alike.

Similarly to many other religions, Buddhism is accredited to Prince Siddhartha