Social, Ethical, and Philosophical Differences in Hinduism and Buddhism
Introduction
Hinduism and Buddhism are two closely related religions that have been a part of India’s culture for quite a long time and have an effect on each other. Buddha happened to be a Hindu Prince before he set out on his path of enlightenment. To simplify the relation, one can construe that the relationship is not any different from that that exists between Judaism and Christianity in certain ways. For instance, Judaism was inspired by the life of a Jew while Buddhism was inspired by the life of a Hindu who felt that Hinduism was not the right path for and set out to define his own path. In the Western world in which we live in, it is not hard to come across people …show more content…
Simply defined, enlightenment can be described as the ultimate release from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. According to both faiths, the human soul eventually gets to achieve enlightenment even though it may take a number of reincarnations before this actually happens. In Hinduism, this process is referred to as moksha, which can be simply translated to mean “existence in the realm of gods”. However, according to Buddhists, this process of enlightenment is referred to as nirvana, which in simple terms means the removal from the cycle completely. This means that the soul of the individual does not move into another realm to exist with …show more content…
However, if an individual is to undergo reincarnation, there are certain possible theories as to what would likely happen. First, some Buddhists believe that the only part of the individual that survive at their death is their karma (the good deeds an individual did) and is passed on to another physical being. Others however believe that in the event of reincarnation, when an individual passes on, their emotions, sensations, perceptions and consciousness survive death and are passed on to another physical being. Hinduism on the other hand also believes in reincarnation but believe that the subtle body is what survives at death. The subtle body comprises of our actions, mind, sense, and intellect.
Another fundamental difference when it comes to belief between Hinduism and Buddhism is the fact that Buddhists believe that life is about suffering. As a Buddhist, once an individual is able to accept this notion, we finally stop trying to run away from life and set on a path on meditation in order to finally achieve nothingness. Hinduism on the other believes that life is made up of so much joy. Buddhism may be right to construe that as humans, the main cause of suffering is the attachment that humans have to things and people. Hindus however see this suffering to be part of the physical being and physical
Introduction
Hinduism and Buddhism are two closely related religions that have been a part of India’s culture for quite a long time and have an effect on each other. Buddha happened to be a Hindu Prince before he set out on his path of enlightenment. To simplify the relation, one can construe that the relationship is not any different from that that exists between Judaism and Christianity in certain ways. For instance, Judaism was inspired by the life of a Jew while Buddhism was inspired by the life of a Hindu who felt that Hinduism was not the right path for and set out to define his own path. In the Western world in which we live in, it is not hard to come across people …show more content…
Simply defined, enlightenment can be described as the ultimate release from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. According to both faiths, the human soul eventually gets to achieve enlightenment even though it may take a number of reincarnations before this actually happens. In Hinduism, this process is referred to as moksha, which can be simply translated to mean “existence in the realm of gods”. However, according to Buddhists, this process of enlightenment is referred to as nirvana, which in simple terms means the removal from the cycle completely. This means that the soul of the individual does not move into another realm to exist with …show more content…
However, if an individual is to undergo reincarnation, there are certain possible theories as to what would likely happen. First, some Buddhists believe that the only part of the individual that survive at their death is their karma (the good deeds an individual did) and is passed on to another physical being. Others however believe that in the event of reincarnation, when an individual passes on, their emotions, sensations, perceptions and consciousness survive death and are passed on to another physical being. Hinduism on the other hand also believes in reincarnation but believe that the subtle body is what survives at death. The subtle body comprises of our actions, mind, sense, and intellect.
Another fundamental difference when it comes to belief between Hinduism and Buddhism is the fact that Buddhists believe that life is about suffering. As a Buddhist, once an individual is able to accept this notion, we finally stop trying to run away from life and set on a path on meditation in order to finally achieve nothingness. Hinduism on the other believes that life is made up of so much joy. Buddhism may be right to construe that as humans, the main cause of suffering is the attachment that humans have to things and people. Hindus however see this suffering to be part of the physical being and physical