Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most dominant and profound religions around the world. Both religions have similar foundations and philosophies that began in India before the Common Era. (Citation?) They are among the top five major religions in the world.(Citation?) Hinduism is the third highest ranked organized religion and has been around much older than Buddhism. Since Buddhism evolved from Hinduism, they are very similar, but they are two different faiths, with different sets of beliefs and interpretations on life and enlightenment(Citation?). They have survived for centuries and are still widely practiced around the globe. No one knows where and when Hinduism was started. Their oldest documents written were the Vedas, which were first copied onto paper in 1000 B.C., however they existed orally long before that time.Hinduism is thought to have originated from the Vedas. Today Hinduism differs greatly from when it was first practiced, there are now different sects, which are also known as
The first is the belief in Karma which we understand in the modern world as “what goes around comes around”. It is the outcome of one's good and bad deeds done in a lifetime. The second is the belief in Dharma or social order and Hindu traditions. They must believe in the three main Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They must believe in reincarnation after death, honor the sacred Vedas and have a belief that if one has lived a religious life, they can achieve ‘moksha’ meaning freedom . Hindus worship many gods, but they believe in a single god, Brahma. Everything comes from Brahma, it does not matter who they worship, because ultimately all worship goes to Brahma. Buddhism was founded by Siddartha Gautama unlike Hinduism which was not founded by any particular prophet. For many people Buddhism goes beyond religion. It is more of a philosophy or ‘way of