Compare and Contrast Buddhism and Hinduism
The Beliefs and Relations of
Hinduism & Buddhism
Mr. Valor Pickett
Robert Truett
5/1/13
The Beliefs and Relations of Hinduism and Buddhism
The two major religions that have dominated the country of India are known as Hinduism and Buddhism. Unlike the majority of religions known to man, these two religions are more followed as a way to live rather to gain enlightenment than a dualistic battle between deities trying to claim the souls of the world before the apocalypse as scribed in the scriptures of the Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the Zoroastrian beliefs only to name a few. Hinduism and Buddhism more or less describe the pursuit of enlightenment.
I initially thought that Buddhism would be nearly identical in the belief structure seeing how it is stemmed from Hinduism. There are actually many differences in the two religions and how each individual theistic system of gaining enlightenment varies. First we must cover the basics of both Hinduism and Buddhism and then we will compare and contrast with one another.
“Truth is one, though the wise refer to it by various names.” This phrase written in the Sanskrit’s Rig Veda 1.164.46 pretty much summarizes my perception of Hinduism in a nutshell. Even though Hinduism is considered Monotheistic, there are over 330 million individual deities. This is described by Indic religious expert Graham M. Schweig as a “polymorphic bi-monotheism.” This is because even though there are millions of deities in Hinduism, they are considered many forms of the one dual-gendered divinity. The Vishnu is the primordial being, which is the source of Lord Brahma.
The teachings of Hinduism have not been prescribed a date or origin of beginning but researchers have traced back as far as the 15th century or 1500 BCE. The origins of the teachings have been traced even farther than before scripture was invented and prior to the Aryan invasion. This would conclude that Hinduism is not native to India and has migrated and
Hinduism & Buddhism
Mr. Valor Pickett
Robert Truett
5/1/13
The Beliefs and Relations of Hinduism and Buddhism
The two major religions that have dominated the country of India are known as Hinduism and Buddhism. Unlike the majority of religions known to man, these two religions are more followed as a way to live rather to gain enlightenment than a dualistic battle between deities trying to claim the souls of the world before the apocalypse as scribed in the scriptures of the Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the Zoroastrian beliefs only to name a few. Hinduism and Buddhism more or less describe the pursuit of enlightenment.
I initially thought that Buddhism would be nearly identical in the belief structure seeing how it is stemmed from Hinduism. There are actually many differences in the two religions and how each individual theistic system of gaining enlightenment varies. First we must cover the basics of both Hinduism and Buddhism and then we will compare and contrast with one another.
“Truth is one, though the wise refer to it by various names.” This phrase written in the Sanskrit’s Rig Veda 1.164.46 pretty much summarizes my perception of Hinduism in a nutshell. Even though Hinduism is considered Monotheistic, there are over 330 million individual deities. This is described by Indic religious expert Graham M. Schweig as a “polymorphic bi-monotheism.” This is because even though there are millions of deities in Hinduism, they are considered many forms of the one dual-gendered divinity. The Vishnu is the primordial being, which is the source of Lord Brahma.
The teachings of Hinduism have not been prescribed a date or origin of beginning but researchers have traced back as far as the 15th century or 1500 BCE. The origins of the teachings have been traced even farther than before scripture was invented and prior to the Aryan invasion. This would conclude that Hinduism is not native to India and has migrated and
Bibliography: owker, John Westerdale (pg. 72.) A brief history of God,( DK Publishing INC, New York, NY, 2002) ISBN 0-7894-8050-6 Fowler, Merv Rosen, Steven J. (2006), (pg. 113) Essential Hinduism, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-275-99006-0 Schweig’s essay “Krishna, the Intimate Deity” in Edwin F [ 2 ]. Schweig’s essay “Krishna, the Intimate Deity” in Edwin F. Bryant and Maria L. Ekstrand, Eds., The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004), p. 19 [ 3 ] [ 4 ]. Bowker, John Westerdale. A brief history of God,( DK Publishing INC, New York, NY, 2002) ISBN 0-7894-8050-6 [ 5 ] [ 6 ]. Rosen, Steven J. (2006), (pg. xviii) Essential Hinduism, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-275-99006-0 [ 7 ] [ 8 ]. Rosen, Steven J. (2006), (pg. 179) Essential Hinduism, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-275-99006-0 [ 9 ] [ 10 ]. Rosen, Steven J. (2006), (pg. 113) Essential Hinduism, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0-275-99006-0 [ 11 ] [ 12 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 34 ) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005) [ 13 ] [ 14 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 45) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005) [ 15 ] [ 16 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 50) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005) [ 17 ] [ 18 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 55) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005) [ 19 ] [ 20 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 56-60) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005) [ 21 ] [ 22 ]. Fowler, Merv. (pg. 63) Zen Buddhism; Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. (Portland, OR. 2005)