Introduction
Hinduism and Buddhism are widely known as two of the most popular polytheistic faiths in the world. A minority of people even mistake these for different factions of the same religion. Even though Buddhism and Hinduism share many similarities, they are distinct from one another. In many different aspects, these religions have proven themselves to be unique. Buddhism and Hinduism originate from India, which explains the similarities in them. Some notable ones are that both of them accept the idea of multiple worlds, emphasize on things around them. The notion of karma, a person’s actions in this life will affect him or her in the next, is a significant part of the two. Castro writes about the concept of karma which is “reincarnation or rebirth, in which a person is born in a new human body after death” (Castro). Both of these faiths are empathetic, which reflects to their focus on peace and non-violence. Another similarity is the concept of various spiritual practices such as meditation, concentration, and state of mind. The root to all evil and suffering for both religions is desire. In addition to that, they both are open to the idea of multiple paths to enlightenment. Buddhists and Hindus both practice many forms of yoga and meditation and other ways to calm one’s mind and focus the mind, such as Buddha did. In essence, it can be said that both religions are more philosophical then religious.
Origin and Influence
Hinduism and Buddhism have originated in the Indian subcontinent and share a rather identical but abnormal relationship. Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was born in a Hindu family. As a result, many people, even to this date, still argue that Buddhism is a sect branching off of Hinduism and the Buddha is a part of the Hindu culture. However, this was unacceptable to Buddha’s followers, the Buddhists. Surprisingly, the Hindus at one point did accept that the Buddha was a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. Due to that, there was an intense rivalry between the followers of both religions. On the contrary, one cannot argue the fact that Buddhism gained awareness and spread throughout India because Hinduism was the only tradition present. The people wanted an alternative. Flood mentioned that these “Sramana traditions, including Buddhism developed during the first millennium BCE and were in conflict with brahmanical, vedic orthopraxy” (Flood, pg 17). The revolutionary and insightful teachings of Gautama created a new sense hope and aspiration for those in the existing society with no freedom of choice. A community that was dominated by ritualistic form of worship, caste system and privileged classes. These were values that were held dearly by the Vedic religion.
Despite the fundamental differences between both the religions, Hinduism and Buddhism influenced each other in many ways. The Buddhist notion of non-injury and compassion toward all living beings took deep roots in the Indian soil, while Buddhism took cue from the traditional Indian methods of devotional worship. Buddhism influenced the growth and development of Indian architecture and contributed richly to the practice of breathing and art of meditation in attaining the highest state of mindfulness.
God
Hinduism is primarily monotheistic even though the religion accommodates hundreds, maybe thousands, of deities with various form. Ultimately, each divine being is seen as one manifestation of the one Supreme God. In the Hindu culture, it is a very common observation that each family is devoted to a particular deity and will usually only practice worshiping to them. Majority of the Hindu follower’s worship and express devotion to either Lord Vishnu or Lord Shiva, or an incarnation of them. This is seen as one essential part of the religious practice.
The Buddha, consequently, preached that we should not concern ourselves with worship or devotion to a particular God. In the article, Buddhist attitude to god, the writer states that “Buddhism rejects the notion of a Supreme God. It also rejects the notion of an abstract God-principle operating in the universe” (Gunasekara). However, the Buddha himself did not deny the existence of a Supreme God. He stated that we are responsible and the one’s in control of our lives. We should not believe in the that there exists one supreme being who could come to our aid.
One aspect of Hinduism that the Buddha denounced is the practice of animal sacrifices as offering to the gods and goddesses as part of worship. He was in disbelief that it was an ordinary act. Eventually, this belief in the sacredness of all life spread to Hinduism. Nevertheless, animal sacrifice still became the exception. Like I mentioned before, the ideological impact of Gautama on Hinduism was so strong that followers did believe that the Buddha was an incarnation of Lord Vishu. The Buddhists, however, do not share this belief.
Goal and Afterlife
Buddhism and Hinduism have come to accept the same ultimate goal of the religious life: to escape the cycle of death and rebirth. Even though desire is seen as suffering, Buddha asserted that it is this feeling that keeps us bound to the vicious cycle of death. Therefore, freeing oneself from desire is the final step in order to escape from this pattern. In his book, Basham defines Nirvana as “the highest state –where the specious personality disintegrates in a state of calm, indescribable bliss- is particularly associated with Buddhism” (Basham, Pg 89). According to Tibetan Buddhism, the spirit of the departed goes through a process stages called "bardos." At the conclusion of the bardos, the person either enters nirvana or returns to earth for rebirth. Ultimately, the goal is to obtain release.
Buddha’s belief of “anatta” is the concept where Buddhism shows a clear distinction where Buddha departed most radically from the teachings of Hinduism. Anatta is the notion that individuals do not possess eternal souls. Despite its transitory nature, this false self hangs together as a unit, and even reincarnates in body after body. In Buddhism, as well as in Hinduism, life in a body is viewed negatively, as a sort of suffering. In ‘An Introduction to Hinduism’, Flood states the doctrine that all life is suffering is common to renouncer traditions and is the first noble truth of the Buddha” (Flood, Pg. 76). It is important that an individual remains fully aware for as long as possible prior to death. This is because those thoughts influence the nature of both the after-death experience and, if one fails to achieve nirvana.
The Upanishads, the ancient set of Hindu religious texts, postulated an eternal, changeless core of the self called as the "Atman." The Atman was also entrapped in the cycle of death and rebirth. While many make the idea of coming back into a new body desirable, Hinduism and Buddhism portray this process as unhappy. Hinduism refers to the law of karma as the reason why we are trapped in this cycle. Simply put, every good or bad deed eventually returns to the individual in the form of a reward or punishment. If one dies before reaping the effects of one's actions, the karmic process demands that one come back in a future life. This allows karma to to reward or punish one through the circumstances to which one is born. Just like Nirvana is Buddhism, the term for release or liberation in Hinduism is "Moksha". Moksha can be attained in numerous ways, from the proper and traditional way of performing certain rituals to highly disciplined forms of yoga. In the Upanishads, it is proper knowledge, in the sense of insight into the nature of reality, that enables the aspiring seeker to achieve liberation from the wheel of rebirth.
Conclusion
Buddhism and Hinduism are very alike, and yet very different. Both of these religions emerged in India and since the beginning, they have been influencing one another. They have a similar notion of birth, death, peace and achieving the best possible state of a human: Moksha and Nirvana the terms for Hinduism and Buddhism, respectively. Nirvana is the abandoning the false sense of self and attaining enlightenment to escape suffering. Hinduism also heavily emphasizes on karma, the concept of reincarnation or rebirth. Another similar belief that both faiths share is that there is a supreme god. Essentially, they are two distinct religions with different defining elements, beliefs and impacts.