Hinduism and Buddhism

Two Major Religions from India

 Similarities
 Grew out of Vedic religious traditions
 Karma, Dharma, Moksha
 Reincarnation
 Nonviolence / Ahimsa
 Hinduism: Origins
 No single founder
 Developed from the overlapping beliefs of Indus
and Aryans as well as others
 Hinduism is one of the most complex religions
 Hinduism: Major Beliefs
 Everything in the universe is
part of the unchanging, all
powerful spiritual force called
Brahman.
 Hindus worship many gods that
are part of the Brahman
 Brahma: the creator
 Vishnu: the preserver
 Shiva: the destroyer
 Hinduism: Major Beliefs
 Every person has an essential self or atman
which is just another name for Brahman, and
the ultimate goal is moksha, or union with the
Brahman, thus reincarnation makes this
possible
 Karma: refers to all actions of a person’s life
that affect their fate in the next life, and
Dharma: the religious and moral duties of an
individual that help escape the wheel of fate.
 Hinduism: Sacred Texts
 Sacred Texts
 No single sacred text:
 Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita,
and Mahabharata
 Vedas and Upanishads recorded Hindu teachings
 The Bhagavad-Gita spells out many ethical ideas
central to Hinduism such as ahimsa, or nonviolence.
  Prince Siddhartha Gautama
Buddhism: enjoyed a happy life, married
Origins and had a son
 One day he left the palace and
he saw suffering for the first
time and set out to discover
“the realm of life where there is
no suffering or death
 One day he sat down to
meditate for 48 days until he
became enlightened and
understood the cause and cure
for suffering and pain he then
became the Buddha
Buddhism: Major Beliefs
 Four Noble Truths:
 all life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow
 The cause of suffering is the desire for things that
are really illusions
 The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire
 The way to overcome desire is to follow the
Eightfold Path
 Eightfold Path
 right views, right aspirations, right speech, right
conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right contemplation.
 Through meditation a person might achieve
enlightenment or Nirvana: the union with
the universe and release from the cycle of
rebirth.
 Buddhism: Sacred Texts
 Buddhism spread by Buddha’s teachings
and those of his disciples and
monasteries grew as centers of learning.
 Some of his followers collected his
teachings into the Tripitaka or “Three
Baskets of Wisdom”
Buddhism Spreads
 Later split into two major
schools of thought
 Theravada: more like
Buddha’s original
teachings
 Mahayana: easier for
everyday people to follow,
and worshiped Buddha as
god.
 Other Differences
 Buddhism rejected the priests, formal rituals,
and existence of many gods
 Buddhists rejected the caste system offering
hope of nirvana to all
 Religions of India Song
To the tune of “Mary had a Little Lamb”
India has 2 religions Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism
Hinduism and Buddhism rejects the caste system
Both believe in karma, dharma, They offer hope to all who
want to achieve nirvana
ahimsa, and reincarnation

Hinduism is the oldest religion India has 2 religions

with thousands of gods but
no founder
3 of the most important are
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
Hinduism and Buddhism
Both believe in karma, dharma,
ahimsa, and reincarnation