Buddhism and Hinduism: A Comparative Analysis

Among the religions arising from the East, two major religions dominate the Indian subcontinent,
their place of founding. Whereas Buddhism spread throughout the world and could be found in different
languages including Pali, Sanskrit, Tibet, and Chinese; Hinduism is the third major religion next to
Christianity and Islam. 95% Indians have Hinduism as their religion and their way of life. The Buddhists
consider the world as full of sorrow and regard ending the sorrow as the aim of human life. The Hindu
teaching has four chief aims in life: the dharma (religious duty), the artha (wealth or material
possessions), kama (desires and passions), and moksha (salvation).

Origin

Buddhism began when Siddharta Gautama left his privileged life to the truths in suffering, its
causes, and whether freedom from suffering is possible where he was able to reach nirvana
(extinguishment) and bodhi (awakening) through meditation. As the buddha or “the awakened one”, he
taught doctrines to people of the caste and sent his disciples to spread the Dharma or the Truth from India
to Asia through the Silk Road, to far east asia until southeast asia.

Hinduism is not a religion but a group of religious and tribal movements that share identical beliefs,
regional variations, history, tradition, and practices original to their land and time of origin. Thus, there is
no known founder.

God/s

Traditional Buddhism known as Theravada Buddhism or Hiranaya Buddhism does not worship
the Buddha as their god. However, Mahayana Buddhism considers the Buddha as the Supreme Soul. In
Hinduism, the Highest Being is the Brahman “the Divine”, “the Real”; the reality that transcends all
personal names, one reality with infinite number of names and forms. Hinduism accepts the Buddha as an
incarnation of one of the gods of Hindu Trinity, Mahavishnu. Buddhism acknowledges some Hindu gods
and goddesses but gives them a lower status to the Supreme Being, Buddha.

Sacred Texts

Buddhist texts were initially shared orally and was written after the Buddha’s death through the
memory of His disciples. His teachings were collected into the open canons and dual canons. The
Tripitaka, a canon, was divided into three parts: the Sutra Pitaka consisted of the Buddha’s understanding
of the path to enlightenment, the Vinaya Pitaka contained guidelines for monks pertaining to morality and
social behavior, and the Abhidharma Pitika contained sutras.

Hindu texts were as numerous as Buddhist texts. The Vedas (knowledge) or the Shuti (hymns and
chants) are literatures containing wisdom of the origin, basis, and support of the universe. The
Svetasvatara Upanishad teaches about the Atman or the innermost self or the breath of life which is
considered equivalent to the Brahman. It is the ultimate reality that pervades the universe. Ramayana and
Mahabharata are two epics containing Dharmashatras teachings about the moral and social duties based
on the role in society and station life. Puranas are 100 narrations on divine manifestations and religious
expressions through rituals, pilgrimage, music, and dance.

According to Buddha, desire is the root cause of suffering. The Upanishads of Hindu text also
believes that actions prompted by desire and attachment would lead to suffering. Buddhism and Hinduism
as religions founded in the same land were bound to have similarities. The concept of karma,
transmigration of souls, and rebirth are believed by both religions. They also believe in several hell and
heavens, and higher and lower worlds. Both are committed to spiritual practices like meditation,
concentration, cultivation of the states of mind paving for the practice of yoga in modern times. Both also
accept that detachment from the worldly life is imminent to enter a spiritual life.

Hinduism and Buddhism are beliefs far from home, but holds a strong influence in our lives. The
practice of yoga as stated were from meditation as a way of connecting and being at peace with your inner
self. Their value on humbleness and letting go of worldly possessions are a food for the thought on how
we live in modern times where capitalism and the advancement of technology dominate our lives. Sutras
and mantras from the ancient times are still reflected in our modern way of living, and gives us the same
amount of reflection and power to face the future. These religions may be different but should be
respected as their influence to our lives are duly noted.