Hinduism vs Buddhism
Over the past centuries, the United States has developed tremendously in culture, religion, and the diversity of people who created it. We take pride in our country because our family has come from distant seas to experience the American Dream. Through these hopes and destinies we have created the American melting pot. Our generations of children are free to experience choose and believe in any religion they want. The majority of Americans practice Christianity, Catholicism, or Judaism, while a small percent believe in Hinduism and Buddhism. Both of these ancient religions are still progressively growing with the modern day world, but many do not realize how closely related and different Hinduism and Buddhism are. The method in researching about Hinduism and Buddhism was derived from books in the University of San Francisco's library. The difficulty in finding information was reading and clearly understanding the books. Since Hinduism and Buddhism originated in India, books often used Indian words and names in their descriptions, making it difficult to understand and keep track of everything that is happening. Researching on the Internet was easier than reading the books, because websites woul
4 Hindu Website. May 2002. Jayaram. 7 Oct. 2002 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/ ¹ BBC Home page. 7 Oct. 2002. 7 Oct. 2002 http://www.bbc.co.uk More importantly, we find that Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities with each other. Both religions believed in reincarnation. It was important for a believer to live their life with purities and morals, so when they die, their soul is embodied into a new body. Transmigration of souls and the cycle of births and deaths for each soul is a common in both religions. Achieving enlightenment is also vital for the soul to reach, and was possible by taking a variety of paths 4. The mind and body are important to Hindus and Buddhism because they represent essentials in life. Places of worship being near to mountains and sacred rivers bring about peace of mind. The history of Hinduism dates all the way back to 3000-1000 BCE in Punjab and Mohenjodaro where cultures have performed rituals and worship. Symbols of pastoral gods and fertility goddesses were found in the urban Indus valley (Renard 7). In 2000 BCE, Aryans arrived in northwest India from southern Russia and the Baltic with their own religion and traditions. The newcomers would threaten the Indian's culture. The Aryan religion greatly influenced India's already established religion in many ways. Indus valley communities worshiped rivers (water) and had both male and female gods, while Aryans worshiped around a fire and believed in the forces of nature¹. This mixture of beliefs led to combining both of the religions. Aryans also presented the varna system (caste system), which divided the society into social classes based on wealth and power. The caste system had four hereditary classes called Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra.² The most obvious similarity is that Hinduism and Buddhism originated in India. Hinduism is one of the most ancient religions followed by Buddhism, due to the drastic changes in society. Buddhism questioned certain beliefs and practices in Hinduism, however, both influenced each other's growth. The practice of Buddhism and Hinduism has remained the same in India. However, today's modern day world, there has been talk of war and disagreeable terms from the Middle East. An article in the Wall Street Journal of this year stated "on Feb.27, a group of Muslims in the state of Gujarat attacked a train carrying Hindus from a place of long-simmering tension over Hindu plans to build a temple on the site of an ancient mosque." It resulted in the deaths of 62 innocent people, which brought to immediate retaliation by the Hindus, ending in 1,000 Muslim deaths (Rekhi and Rowen). It is ridiculous to see that people would fight over a temple being built, considering it is a place for worship. The differences between India and Pakistan are solely based on religion point of views. What would make these countries stop using non-violent tactics? Both believe that eventually all living spirits will achieve enlightenment and liberation, even if it takes many incarnations. In Mahayana Buddhism, the original teachings of Buddha are assimilated to Hindu practices, including prayers, gods (even the Buddha becomes a god in all of his many incarnations). Mahayana Buddhism also introduces the idea of several heavens and hells 4. 4 Hindu Website. May 2002. Jayaram. 7 Oct. 2002 http://www.hinduwebsite.com/ Compared to Buddhism, which doesn't believe in a god, Hinduism recognizes a single god named Brahman. However, it is known that Hindus believe in multiple gods, which means there is possibly more than one god. And each of these gods is under one ¹ BBC Home page. 7 Oct. 2002. 7 Oct. 2002 http://www.bbc.co.uk Religion has been a basis of existence for nearly every country. For thousands of year
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hinduism Buddhism, Buddhism China, Hindu Website, Maya Prebish, Sudra² Buddhism, Russia Baltic, BBC Home, Life Hinduism, Bihar Buddha, Greece Siddhartha, oct 2002, 7 oct 2002, 7 oct, hinduism buddhism, 2002 7 oct, oct 2002 7, 2002 7, home page 7, bbc home, 2002 http//wwwbbccouk, page 7 oct, ¹ bbc, home page, page 7, hindu website,
Approximate Word count = 2547
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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