Hinduism and Buddhism: The Comparsion and Contrast Between Two Eastern Religions

Hinduism and Buddhism: The Comparison and

Contrast of two Eastern Religions

The Eastern World is comprised of a variety of religious faiths. Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam are some of these notable religions. Most of the Eastern religions bare striking similarities and obvious differences amongst each other. Two prominent Eastern religions that draw comparisons and differences with each other are Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is the world's oldest surviving religion. It is the third largest active religion in the world today. Buddhism surfaced around 5th Century B.C. Its followers are between 310 to 350 million people worldwide. These two bodies of theology have a number or similarities and differences in each other of their doctrines. In this essay, I will explore their correlative and contrastive traits utilizing their origins or place of creation, their religious beliefs and doctrines.

In the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, their associative qualities have been illustrated through the examination of their origins and religious beliefs. One relative quality involving Hinduism and Buddhism was their beginning on the subcontinent of India. Archaeological symbols have traced Hinduism to the endings of the Neolithic era onto the Early Harappan period of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. However, it was believed that Hinduism was created as far back as 2000 B.C. Hinduism was a vast collection of various religious theories and schools of thought. Buddhism was founded by an Indian spiritual teacher named Siddhartha Gautama, also referred as the “Supreme Buddha”. Gautama was an Indian prince who was raised in a small village named Kapilavastu. As a child, a seer visualized that Gautama would be either a great king or a holy man. He became a mendicant and his teachings developed into the religion of Buddhism. A second parallel trait between Hinduism and Buddhism is their set of chosen beliefs. Both faiths adhere to belief of many different paths to spiritual enlightenment. In Hinduism, a person journeys through a series of life-affirming stages in hopes of divine clarification. The noted phases are: (1) student, (2) the householder, (3) a retreat to nature for spiritual quests and (4) abandonment of the material world. Collectively, all segments provide a blueprint of a practical Hindu lifestyle. Buddhists utilized a similar set of divine standards called the Four Noble Truths. These theories are: (1) All life is suffering, (2) Suffering stems from desire, (3) There can be an end to desire, and 4) The way is the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path is a series of the principles one can adhere to in order to receive true peace, freedom, and personal wisdom in their lives. Buddha urged