Origin/Founder God/Symbol Dharmachakra The Wheel
Siddhartha Followers of Buddhism don't
Gautama (Sanskrit) or acknowledge a supreme god
Siddhartha Gautama (Pali) or deity. They instead focus
is also known as the on achieving enlightenment
Shakyamuni Buddha or The —a state of inner peace and
Buddha. He is the historical wisdom. When followers
founder of Buddhism and the reach this spiritual echelon,
primary figure in Buddhism. they're said to have
He was born in Lumbini, experienced nirvana. The
which is located in present- religion's founder, Buddha, is
day Nepal. considered an extraordinary
being, but not a god.
Place of Worship Worship Garment
Monastery. The BuddhistKāṣāya are the robes of fully
place of worship is
ordained Buddhist monks and
called a Vihara, also referred
nuns, named after a brown or
to as Temple or Centre. saffron dye. In Sanskrit and
Buddhists worship there Pali, these robes are also
whenever they can. The given the more general term
Vihara (monastery) is
cīvara, which references the
traditionally the focal pointrobes without regard to color.
for corporate worship and Monks from Central Asia and
communal life. China wearing traditional
kāṣāya.
Social Dictate Sponsor/Advocate
The Buddha, indeed, was the Ashoka promoted Buddhist
first man to have envisaged expansion by sending monks
the basic concepts of social to surrounding territories to
living and human share the teachings of the
relationships. Buddha. A wave of
conversion began, and
Buddhism spread not only
through India, but also
internationally.
of the Law (dharmachakra) is
the single most important
symbol of Buddhism,
denoting the Buddha's First
Sermon in the forest at
Sarnath, where he set
Buddhist Law (dharma) in
motion.
Praying Posture
In the kneeling position, one's
hand in añjali [palms
together, fingers flat out and
pointed upward] are raised to
the forehead and then
lowered to the floor so that
the whole forearm to the
elbow is on the ground, the
elbow touching the knee.
Social Issues
Buddhism is essentially a
teaching about liberation -
from suffering, ignorance,
selfishness and continued
rebirth. Knowledge of 'the
way things really are' is
thought by many Buddhists to
be vital in bringing about this
emancipation.
Sacred Text
The most important of these
is the Tripitaka, a Sanskrit
word that means "Triple
Basket." The Tripitaka
therefore serves as the sacred
text of Buddhism. The oldest
branch of Buddhism is called
Theravada.
The Vinaya Pitaka, or
Basket of Discipline
The Sutta Pitaka, or Basket
of Discourse
The Abhidhamma Pitaka,
or Basket of Special
Festivals/Rituals
Vesak or Visakah Puja
("Buddha Day")
Magha Puja Day (Fourfold
Assembly or "Sangha Day")
Asalha Puja Day ("Dhamma
Day")
Uposatha (Observance Day)
Kathina Ceremony (Robe
offering ceremony)
Loy Krathong (Festival of
Floating Bowls)
The Dharmachakra
Doctrine/Core Belief
They are the truth of
suffering, the truth of the
cause of suffering, the truth
of the end of suffering, and
the truth of the path that leads
to the end of suffering. More
simply put, suffering exists; it
has a cause; it has an end; and
it has a cause to bring about
its end.
Dietary Practice
There are not set dietary laws
in Buddhism, customs vary
with region. Vegetarian is
common due to the principle
of nonviolence and the
avoidance of suffering.
Theravada and Mahayana:
often do not eat meat and
fish, some are vegan.
Aum (or Om)
 Origin/Founder
Most scholars believe
Hinduism started somewhere
between 2300 B.C. and 1500
B.C. in the Indus Valley, near
modern-day Pakistan. But
many Hindus argue that their
faith is timeless and has
always existed. Unlike other
religions, Hinduism has no
one founder but is instead a
fusion of various beliefs.
Doctrine/Core Belief
Hindu beliefs include the
four Puruṣārthas. Namely,
dharma (ethics/duties), artha
(prosperity/work)
kama (desires/passions) and
moksha (liberation/freedom
from the passions and the
cycle of death and rebirth, as
well as karma (action, intent
and consequences and
saṃsāra (cycle of death and
rebirth).
Dietary Practice
The majority of Hindus
are lacto-vegetarian (avoiding
meat and eggs), although
some may eat lamb, chicken
or fish. Beef is always
avoided because the cow is
considered a holy animal, but
dairy products are eaten.
Animal-derived fats such as
lard and dripping are not
permitted.
God/Symbol
The Hindu Trimurti consists
of Brahma the Creator,
Vishnu the Preserver, and
Shiva the Destroyer. Most
Hindus are principally
devoted to the god Vishnu,
the god Shiva, or the
Goddess.
Place of Worship
Mandir. The Hindu place of
worship is called a 'Mandir'
(Temple). Hindus do not have
to go to the Mandir to pray or
hold religious ceremonies.
Social Dictate
Hinduism reinforced a strict
social hierarchy called a caste
system that made it nearly
impossible for people to
move outside of their social
station. Emperors during the
Gupta empire used Hinduism
as a unifying religion and
focused on Hinduism as a
means for personal salvation.
Aum (or Om) It is the most
important symbol in
Hinduism as it represents
Brahman or god and is
believed to be the sound
heard at the time of the
creation of the universe.
Worship Garment
Traditional Hindu women
wear the sari. Traditional
male Hindus wear the white
cotton dhoti. Women in
particular may wear a dot
(tilak) of turmeric powder or
other coloured substance on
their foreheads as a symbol of
their religion.
Sponsor/Advocate
Gandhi (1869-1948) who among Hindus.
attempted to promote Hindu-
Muslim unity, as well as non-
violent resistance as the way
to persuade the British to
leave India. His use of Hindu
symbols and ideals, adopting
the appearance of a
traditional Hindu holy man
and invoking Ramrajya
(Rama’s rule) as a state of
perfection inaugurated by
Some of the more popular
Hindu symbols are the
aum/om (letters), the swastika
(ancient religious symbol),
the trishula (trident), the
Shiva Linga (an abstract
representation of Shiva), and
the Nataraja (dancing Shiva).
Most Hindu rituals are
performed in the presence of
many of these symbols.
Praying Posture
While praying in
temples, hold the palms of
both hands together in the
shape of a lotus. We pray
with folded hands and closed
eyed while visiting temples
and in front of images of
deities. We even fold our
hands even to show respect to
people.
won much popular support
Sacred Text
The Vedas. The revealed
texts constitute the Veda,
divided into four sections: the
Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda,
the Sama Veda, and the
Atharva Veda. The Vedas are
hymns that are also
accompanied in the total
Veda by Brahmanas (ritual
texts) Aranyakas (“forest” or
“wilderness” texts), and
Upanishads (philosophical
texts).
Festivals/Rituals
Diwali is the festival of lights
for Hindus and Sikhs.
Maha Shivaratri
celebrations honor Shiva,
destroyer of the universe.
Holi is the Hindu festival of
colors.
Ram Navami takes place in
April and celebrates the birth
of Lord Rama.
Raksha Bandan celebrates
love for comrades and
brothers.
Social Issues
Hinduism reinforced a strict
social hierarchy called a caste
system that made it nearly
impossible for people to
move outside of their social
station.
 Rama’s divine kingship,

14 Teachings of Buddhism
They are (1) arrogance, (2)
negligence, (3) wrong views
of the self, (4) shallow
understanding, (5) attachment
to earthly desires, (6) not
understanding, (7) not
believing, (8) scowling with
knitted brows, (9) harboring
doubts, (10) slandering, (11)
despising, (12) hating, (13)
envying, and (14) bearing
grudges.