A Comparative Analysis of Hinduism, and Buddism - 1481 Words

Attempt a comparative analysis of Hinduism, and Buddhism with reference to their origins, beliefs, and practices Hinduism is an ancient religion whose origin and founder are not known. Hinduism is a combination of all types of different religious beliefs and philosophies that developed thousands of years ago, in India. All Hindus do not practice or follow the same doctrines. Although most follow the teachings of the Vedas, which is a collection of sacred texts, there are many different sects. For example, some worship the divine, who is called Atman, which is self, others worship Shiva and Vishnu. The highest class in Hinduism is the Brahmans, who are the priests. Hinduism is a very open-minded religion. This means†¦show more content†¦His father wanted him to become a world conqueror. As faith would have it, Suddharta saw the sufferings of some of his people and it disturbed him. When he was about twenty nine years old, he gave up all his worldly possessions and headed fo r the forest in search of enlightenment. Siddharta sort help from two Hindu masters in his quest for enlightenment. He also joined a band of ascetics, who follow the doctrine that a person can reach a higher spiritual state by practicing self-denial and rigorous self discipline. He almost died due to starvation by following their teachings. This made Siddharta realize that there must be a middle way between having too much and having too little. In the final stage of his quest, he began a combination of Hinduism’s raja yoga, which teaches driving the psychic energy to the deepest part, and mystic concentration. Siddharta sat under the Bo Tree and vowed not to move from that tree until he reached his goal. After overcoming all sorts of temptations, he finally achieved his goal of Great Awakening. After that, he was no longer Siddharta, but Buddha. Buddha founded an order of monks who he trained for three months of the year. The other nine months were devoted to preaching. His ministry lasted about forty-five years. He died at the age of eighty years old. Buddhists do not believe in reincarnation the same way as Hindus believe. Buddha