Hinduism And Buddhism

10 Pages 2529 Words

Hinduism and Buddhism Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the five major religions in our world today. Both are widely practiced, and have survived for centuries. There are many similarities between the two religions, but there are also plenty of differences. The similarities are numerous because of the fact that Hinduism served as the base structure for Buddhism. Both religions have aspects that are unique to that religion. We know more about the origins of Buddhism, but those of Hinduism aren’t as clear. Hinduism and Buddhism are both religions that are prominent in Asian countries, but that have many followers all over the world. No one is completely sure of where Hinduism was started and by whom. The oldest written documents of Hinduism, the Vedas, were first written down in 1000 B.C. but they had existed orally long before that. The Vedas are where Hinduism originated and are the base for the practices of Hinduism. Today, Hinduism is the world's third largest religion. Many changes have come upon Hinduism throughout time. Hinduism includes many different sects, or denominations, and beliefs that have arisen in different sects. Within these different sects, there are basic beliefs that are shared. Their basic beliefs are what tie all of them together. The religion of Hinduism teaches that each living body, including animals, is filled with an eternal soul. Hinduism says that the individual soul was a part of the creator spirit, Brahma and it is each soul's job and wish to eventually return to Brahma. It is not possible though because by a soul's sins, and impurities from the world, they are no longer pure and holy to return. Instead,a soul must become pure before returning to Brahma, who is absolutely pure. The process of becoming pure is so hard that no soul can become pure in only one lifetime. The soul is forced to live life after life until it is pure enough to return to Brahma. These cycles of rebirth are called sa...