Hinduism Vs Buddhism Essay

Religion as a whole is the most sacred tradition known to man since the world began. Religion can be broken down into many different forms from polytheism, monotheism, tribal religions, ancestral worship, and so on. After that many groups began to determine their own set of beliefs and that became a doctrine for the many religions we are familiar with today. Every religion has many differences and similarities. Throughout this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting several traditional religions with the religion of Buddhism which will be my main focus. Dating back to 6th century BC, Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion with approximately 250 to 500 million adherents. In this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting Buddhism with Hinduism; the world’s third largest religion, and Christianity; the world’s largest religion. First I will begin with Hinduism. Hinduism originated in 1500 BC and has a population of about one million adherents. Siddhartha Gautama, the Historical Buddha, was originally raised with Hindu traditions. One day Siddhartha went out in the world and realized that he had been living all wrong. Siddhartha then broke free from his religion and decided to find the right path on his own. This was
Like Buddhism, Hinduism puts a strong emphasis on ahimsa, which means no harm. The two religions are very peaceful and non-violent. Buddhism and Hinduism also relate in the terms of soteriology. They both revolve around reaching enlightenment and finding the right path to salvation. Another way these religions are similar is in their belief that the ego is the ultimate setback to the path to salvation. Buddhism and Hinduism agree that you must let go of desires in order to become enlightened. In both views, detachment from worldly objects is the only way to truly live a spiritual life. These are some of the ways Buddhism and Hinduism are similar, now let’s take a look at how they