Hinduism Vs. Buddhism

Everyone struggles to find perfect happiness, however most differ in the path that they choose. Hinduism and Buddhism have many of the same elements, stemming from similar cultural beliefs. Each one however differs greatly from the other at the same time. In both religions, essentially the goal is the same- to reach bliss.

In life, everyone has the aspiration to find perfect happiness. Hindus and Buddhists all over the world set forth everyday to achieve this. In Hinduism, a man can only hope to achieve moksha ("salvation"). Moksha allows this man to break the cycle of Samsara. (In Buddhism, as in Hinduism, Samsara is the constant cycle of rebirth and the everyday world of change.) He achieves a higher place out of the cast system. Buddhists struggle through life to be rewarded with Nirvana ("extinction"). Nirvana releases you from all suffering, allowing your exemption from rebirth. This is obviously consistent with moksha. Although these two achievements are similar in that aspect, they differ as well.

The caste system plays an important role in Hinduism. In order to pursue moksha, one must be a man of a high caste. If not, he/she needs to work for the opportunity. They can only hope to become something of a higher caste in their next life, for there is no chance in their present life. With the notion of nirvana, however, it is thought that an enlightened person has already been reborn many times but it is not a requirement. Thus, it can be any Buddhist's hope to reach nirvana, but only a Brahmin's hope to reach moksha. While the path to nirvana is not as discriminatory, it is not easily attained.

There was one person who began the religion of Buddhism- Siddartha Gutama. Through 49 days of extreme meditation, he reached enlightenment. Although Siddartha, from that point on, was known as "The Great Buddha", he is not considered a god. This is a great difference from Hinduism, which has no founder. Most Hindus worship one being of ultimate oneness (Brahman) through infinite depictions of gods and goddesses- over 300,000 of them. These various demonstrations of gods and goddesses come to life within idols, temples, gurus, rivers, animals, etc. Buddhism remains more modest in representations.

As the great Buddha teaches, the Noble Eightfold Path is the way to inter-peace. It consists of the right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and action. Together they describe three main goals: to face life objectively, live kindly, and to cultivate inner peace. In essence, this is living without harm to him/her or others-karma. In order to achieve moksha, Brahmin too must have positive karma towards them but they must engage in extreme self-denial. Buddhists do not have to deny themselves. The act of asceticism would stray from the middle path- remaining neutral. The middle path is the way to reach enlightenment. Hindus must avoid temptation, however this is not enough.

A physical way to move toward moksha is to practice the yogas. The word means "union", and because they suggest roads to perfection, they can also be known as margas ("paths"). There are several different types of yoga, however. Since the Hindus recognize the "self", an individual's caste and personality type will help to determine the appropriate yoga to practice. Meditation in Buddhism is very important as yoga is to the Hindus. Since this was what the Buddha was practicing at the time of his enlightenment, people are now encouraged to do the same. Strong meditation will help to answer the main questions which Buddhists seek.

Hinduism asks the question: At the very deepest level, what really am I? I am clearly not just my body- my height and weight and hair color, all of which are subject to alteration....Or is there more? (Molly 81) For the person who understands reality at the deepest level, everything is God. In Hindu belief, each person has and individual soul, which confers uniqueness and personality. This is called atman, or "inner self". Differing from this idea is Buddhism's anatta. The Buddha denied the existence of the permanent identity of anything. In essence, anatta is the total opposite of Atman, seeing as everything and everyone are constantly changing. In actual fact, this Sanskrit term (anatman) actually means "no Atman".

Buddhism, since derived from Hinduism, has come a long and modern way. It is interesting how many concepts the two religions have in common, yet certain things that may possibly differ completely. Analyzing this subject would make one realize that no matter which religion you believe in, or agree with, there are almost always references and explanations behind it.

Neusner, Jacob. Comparing Religious Traditions: The Life of Virtue, Vol. 3