Introduction
Buddhism and Hinduism are the ancient religions in India. Both religions are based on their beliefs, practices, and elements. Hinduism and Buddhism are the religions that believe in karma, rebirth, and spiritual liberation, but both religions have diverse ways of promoting these factors. Buddhism religion is one of the world's largest religions, and it 2500 years ago originated in India. While Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, more than 7000 years old.
Buddhism vs Hinduism
Buddhism is non-Vedic, whereas Hinduism is based on the Vedas. Hinduism is a religion about understanding existence. Brahma means understanding the concept of "self" or "soul". On the other hand, Buddhism believes in experiencing and validating four noble truths of life. Buddhism is like other religions, which are originally referred to as Vedic religions but separate from Vedic religions.
Difference Between Buddhism and Hinduism in Tabular Form
| Parameters of Comparison | Buddhism | Hinduism |
| Definition | An Asian religion that originated in India by Buddha. Buddhism is a religion which follows the teaching of the Buddha. | The followers of Vedas were called Arya. Anyone who follows the Vedas is known as Arya, and this is known as Hindu. And the religion of Hindus is Hinduism. |
| Founder | Gautam Buddha, born as Prince Siddharth in Lumbini. | There is no one particular founder of Hinduism. |
| Place of Origin | Indian Subcontinent | Indian Subcontinent |
| View of the Buddha in both religion | Buddha is the highest teacher of Buddhism. | Hinduism sects claim Buddha was an avatar of Lord Vishnu. |
| How old this religion is? | 2500 Years old (B.C.E) | 7000+ Years old, it is clearly written in Vedas (B.C.E) |
| Marriage | Monks and Nuns in Buddhism don’t marry. It is not a religious to marry. | Man may marry only one woman. |
| Language | Pali and Sanskrit | Sanskrit |
| Goal of religion | To be released from the cycle of rebirth and death, attaining Nirvana. | To break the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Attain salvation (moksha) |
| View of other Religion | Dharma means law, teaching, discipline, other Dharmas are rejected. | Hinduism believes that Buddhist, Jains, Sikhs are reunite with Hinduism. |
| Principle | There is only way to escape from suffering is realizing four noble truths of life and practicing them. | Follow dharma, laws of dharma to get eternal peace. |
| Place of Worship | Shrines, Buddhist Monasteries | Temple (Mandir) |
| No. of Followers (Population) | 500-600 million | 1.2 billion |
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism religion is founded by Gautam Buddha, he was a Prince named Siddharth. This religion originated in India. It is the world's fourth-largest religion. The followers of Buddhism are known as Buddhists. The Gautam Buddha, who is the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini, which is present in Nepal now. Buddha spent his life in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Buddhism has faced many challenges and changes. Like other religions face difficulties, Buddhism also faces challenges. East Asian Buddhism suffered under various wars with China during the modern era, such as Taiping Rebellion and World War II. In the 19th century, Asian Buddhist immigrants arrived in Western countries like the United States and Canada to promote Buddhism. The 20th century is a new era of Buddhism because this century saw the growth of new Buddhist Institutions in Western countries.
The Ashokan Era is a very great era for Buddhism. Buddhism may start to spread slowly through India from the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Ashoka gives to support the spread of Buddhism. He builds Stupas, such as the Sanchi stupa, and temples, such as Mahabodhi Temple, and start spread Buddhism. During the Mauryan period, they build schools, temples, and other structures to spread Buddhism. Emperor Ashoka sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghmitra to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism.
Practices of Buddhism
When Buddha established Buddhism, he added some practices to learn Dharma, they are as follows:
Hearing the Dharma
The first step of Buddhism is hearing the teachings given by Buddha, hearing the Dharma. Buddhist teachers also said that hearing the dharma is necessary if someone wants to learn and practice Buddhism.
Sila
Sila is the Sanskrit word that means "moral virtues". This is the second group of the noble path. Sila generally consists of right speech, action, and livelihood. This is the important ethics in Buddhism, including giving or charity, also known as Dana, Goodwill, self-respect, etc. Sila is one of the most basic forms of ethics in Buddhism is the taking of precepts. This ethics includes Five precepts for lay people, eight to ten precepts for monastic life as well as for Dharma.
Vinay
This is the specific code of conduct for a group of monks or nuns, also known as a sangha. This practice is to set their own standards for its implementation for schools and tradition. Vinay rules have been traced in all Buddhist traditions, with the oldest surviving ancient Chinese translations.
Meditation
This is such a popular practice in Buddhism done by every monk and nun. A wide range of meditation practices has developed in the Buddhist traditions. Meditation primarily refers to the attainment of Samadhi, which is the practice of dhyana means the practice of concentration. Meditation is the practice that helps in mindfulness. Mindfulness is a full awareness of the present moment, which enhances and increases the strength of memory.
Renunciation
Renunciation is an important practice taught by Buddha. This practice is taught prior to formal sitting meditation, and it is a way to self-examine concentration. Living at the root of a tree is one of the ascetic practices for Buddhist monastics, and it is known as Trukkhamulik’anga.
Principle of Buddhism
Every religion has principles on which the Dharma or the religion works. Buddhism also has principles given by The Gautam Buddha. Buddhism believes that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth. But if one achieves a state of enlightenment, it is possible to escape this cycle forever. Gautam Buddha was the first person to reach this state of enlightenment and was, and is still today, known as the Buddha.
There are four important principles of Buddhism given by Buddha:
- The truth of suffering (Dukkha)
- The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudaya)
- The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
- The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism is a religion or dharma that originated in India, and Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. It is the world’s third-largest religion with 1.2 billion followers. The follower of Hinduism is known as Hindu. There is no particular founder of Hinduism. This is a religion that works on Vedas, which means Hinduism is Vedic religion. The basic principles given by Hinduism are patience, Ahimsa, self-restraint, and honesty. Hindu practices include worship known as puja, havan, pravachan, devotion, chanting, and charity (dana).
Hinduism is a very vast religion. That's why Hindu beliefs are also vast and diverse. The slogan of Hinduism is "Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam", this slogan of Hinduism's Sanskrit language means The world is one family. Like the Mauryan empire in Buddhism, there were also many empires in Hinduism that secured and promoted Hinduism. In the post-Gupta period, the period of the Gupta empire, Vedanta developed in southern India, where Brahmanic and Hindu cultures were preserved.
The history of Hinduism is very epic. It is divided into a period of development. The first period of Hinduism is the pre-Vedic period. This is the period from when the introduction of the historical Vedic religion started. There are many gods in Hinduism, but the most important god worshipped by Hindus are Tridev, which means three major gods named Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Mahadev). Brahma is the developer, Vishnu is the parent, and Mahadev is the destroyer. These are the works of Tridev in Hinduism. There is an epic Mahabharata, which was a war between Pandavas and Kauravas. This war happened to stable Dharma. Lord Vishnu takes an avatar named Shri Krishna in Dwaparyug. There is one more epic named Ramayana, which was also the war between Lord Shri Ram and Demon King Ravan. This war also happens to stable the Dharma.
There are nearly 22 countries in the world where Hinduism is followed. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, 7000+ years old.
Practices in Hinduism
There are prominent on which Hindu beliefs, including four Purushartha, Dharma, Artha, Karma, and Moksha. Moksha is the way to escape from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. To escape this cycle and to achieve moksha, Hindus do various practices and worship god.
In Hinduism, Hindu practices include worship of gods, fire rituals mean havan, pravachan, devotion, chanting, meditation, charity, sacrifice, seva, annual festivals, and many more. Following are the practices in Hinduism which are majorly done by Hindus:
Worship (Puja)
There are 33 supreme gods in Hinduism who are worshipped by devotees. They are also known as 33 Koti gods. In Sanskrit, Koti means crore, but here Koti means Uchcha Koti means Supreme. The worship of these gods is done by their devotees in various ways. Some devotees offer fruits, flowers, and many things to god. Aarti is the most important component of worship. Also, Hindus consider it to be the five basic elements light, fire, earth, air, and water. These elements also worship by Hindus. These five elements are also considered a god.
Fire Rituals (Havan)
Hinduism is based on Vedic terms. In Vedic Hinduism, fire rituals (havan) are performed on special occasions by a Hindu priest or devotees. Havan is rooted in the Vedic religion and was adopted in ancient times by Buddhism and Jainism also. Havan is also known as Home or Yadnya. Havan is performed at home, in the temple, or at any good function like marriage. Sticks are placed in the form of samadhi in the centre of Havan Kund, sticks are lightened by fire, and devotees offer ghee, grains, milk, incense, seeds, and samidha to the fire in havan. Fire is a symbol of energy and grace in Hinduism. Havan is one of the important practices in Hinduism.
Seva
Seva means selfless service to the needy and is also part of practice in Hinduism. “Seva Paramo Dharma” is also a quote in Hinduism, that means giving selfless service to the needy is Dharma. According to Hindu scriptures, seva is seen as the highest form of dharma. Seva is a form of good karma that facilitates the soul to obtain moksha.
Principle of Hinduism
There are 1.2 billion followers of Hinduism all over the world. All Hindus believe that there are some important goals in human life such as Kama, artha, dharma, and moksha. These are the most important principles in Hinduism followed by Hindus.
Kama
Kama is the pursuit of pleasure. This is the philosophy in Hinduism. Kama is defined as desire, longing, and pleasure of which sexual pleasure is considered essential for the well-being of an individual. It is an essential and healthy goal of human life.
Artha
Artha is Sanskrit meaning wealth. It is a basic necessity of humans. Artha is one of the four basic principles of Hinduism. Artha provides the foundation for dharma and Kama. Without artha, means without wealth and prosperity in society life becomes difficult. That’s why Artha is important.
Dharma
Dharma is a very important and main factor in Hinduism. Dharma means duty and morality. It refers to the power which upholds the universe and society. Dharma can be explained in Hinduism as, The nature of fire. Fire is used to burn as well as to provide heat and light. So, Dharma is fire to provide heat, light, and the ability to burn for those who provide harm to religion.
Moksha
Moksha is one of the important and last concepts in Hinduism. Moksha is defined as the end of the cycle of death and rebirth. It is achieved by overcoming desires and ignorance in human life. Every Hindu has a belief that once you achieve moksha, you break the cycle of birth and death and attain true knowledge of divine bliss. In Vedas, it is written that after attaining moksha, the soul enters Vaikuntha or Moksha Loka, which is the ultimate realm of Lord Vishnu.
Main Difference Between Buddhism and Hinduism In Points
- Gautam Buddha is the founder of Buddhism, whereas there is no particular founder of Hinduism.
- Both religions are founded in Indian Subcontinental.
- The main language of Buddhism is Pali, whereas Sanskrit is the main language of Hinduism.
- There are 500-600 million followers of Buddhism all over the world, whereas 1.2 billion people follow Hinduism.
- Buddhism is 2500 years old religion, whereas Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, 7000+ years old.
- Buddhist Monasteries is a place of worship for Buddhists, whereas Hindus go to the temple to worship.
Conclusion
The goal of Hindus is to become free from the law of Karma. Buddhists believe in four noble truths of life. In Buddhism, monks' aim of religious life is not to gain material profit, win veneration, reach higher morality, or be capable of the highest mental concentration. They only want peace and just to follow the four truths of life. Whereas Hinduism believes in the importance of the observation of behaviour, including rituals, and they have only the ultimate goal of moksha, to break the cycle of birth and death. Moksha is the ultimate goal for all Hindus in Hinduism.
References
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org
