Buddhism and Hinduism: Similarities, Differences, Beliefs
Buddhism and Hinduism: A Comparison
Similarities and Differences
1. Compare Buddhism and Hinduism, highlighting three similarities and three differences. Explain your choices.
Similarities:
- A) Both religions believe in samsara, the cycle of rebirth, which is considered an unsatisfactory condition.
- B) Both believe that salvation is liberation from samsara—stopping the cycle of rebirth to reach a state of absolute peace (Nirvana in Buddhism, Moksha in Hinduism).
- C) Both believe in karma, the principle that actions generate consequences that either bind us to or liberate us from the cycle of samsara.
Differences:
- A) Traditional Hinduism recognizes a caste system, while Buddhism does not.
- B) Hinduism values the Vedas as sacred texts. Buddhism does not recognize the Vedas.
- C) Hinduism believes in the atman, an individual soul that persists through each reincarnation. Buddhism denies the existence of a permanent self (the doctrine of anatman).
- D) Hinduism recognizes various types of gods, while in Buddhism the question of God is not necessary.
These points were chosen because they represent fundamental aspects of each religion’s worldview, practices, and goals.
True or False Statements
2. Respond whether these sentences are true or false, and explain why:
a) In Christianity, life after death (i.e., salvation) is resurrection, and in Hinduism, it is reincarnation.
False. While resurrection is salvation for Christianity, reincarnation is not salvation in Hinduism, but rather the cycle *from which* one ultimately seeks liberation. Liberation is to *stop* being reincarnated.
b) Buddhism is an atheistic religion; that is, it strongly denies the existence of God.
False. Buddhism does not deny the existence of God. The question is considered secondary. What matters is not who or what saves, but *being* saved.
c) Buddhism is a religion of self and for self, apart from the world and its concerns.
False. The enemy of Buddhism is the egoic ‘I’ (addressed by the doctrine of anatman). Since the main virtue is compassion, one cannot be detached from the world but must engage with it.
d) The Dalai Lama is the Pope of Buddhism, and Buddha is their god.
False. The Dalai Lama is a leader only in Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana), which represents a small percentage of total Buddhism. A Buddha is not a god, but rather a visionary who has found absolute peace—a state that all beings can achieve.
e) The common reference of Hinduism is the Vedas, holy books that speak of Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi and proclaim that ‘Atman is Brahman.’
False. Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi are deities from the fourth stage of Hinduism (Classical Hinduism) and appear in the Puranas, not the Vedas. The Vedic gods are Indra, Varuna, Agni, etc. ‘Atman is Brahman’ is stated directly in the Upanishads, representing the second stage of Hinduism (Brahmanism).
f) Castes are a way of organizing society according to social class, typical of Hinduism and Buddhism as religions born in India.
False. Buddhism does not have a caste system. All are equal in the suffering of rebirth.
g) All Hindus are necessarily polytheistic because they have millions of gods.
False. Hindus may be polytheistic, monotheistic, or believe in one God present in many others, or in an ocean of God (Brahman). Hinduism is not defined by orthodoxy (strict belief) but by orthopraxy (correct practice).
Brief Answers
3. Answer these questions very briefly:
a) Define the concept of samsara.
Samsara is the cycle of rebirth in which we are trapped, a situation that is inherently unsatisfactory.
b) What is karma, and what does it have to do with reincarnation?
Karma refers to the consequences of our actions. Good actions lead to good consequences, and bad actions lead to bad consequences. The balance of karma determines the nature of our rebirth.
c) What is a bodhisattva, and what is their key virtue?
A bodhisattva is an individual of high spiritual status who, upon reaching the threshold of Nirvana, vows not to enter until all living beings have entered. They remain out of compassion to help others find liberation. Their key virtue is compassion.
d) What does the ‘lotus flower’ symbolize?
The lotus grows in stagnant water, rising from the mud. This symbolizes our existence: we are immersed in the ‘mud’ of the world. We must realize this and rise, like the lotus, reaching a state of purity, like the immaculate lotus petals, and achieving final liberation.