Download Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism
Hinduism
 No single founder
 No single sacred text.
 Grew out of various groups in India:
 The Aryans added their religious beliefs to
those of the Indus Valley.
 Our of all its complexity, though, there are
certain basic beliefs…
Hindu Beliefs…
 God is one, but is known by many names.
 Everything in the universe is part of the
unchanging, all-powerful force called Brahman.
 Brahman is too complex for most people to
understand.
 They worship gods that give a concrete form to
Brahman.
 Gods are Brahma the Creator; Vishnu the
preserver, Shiva, the destroyer
 All are aspects of Brahman
 Every person has an essential life, or atman.
More Hindu beliefs
 The ultimate goal is to attain moksha, union
with Brahman.
 Since this usually takes more than one
lifetime, Hindus believe in reincarnation.
 Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in
another bodily form.
 Karma; your good or bad deeds affect one’s
future, and the future of those around one,
for good or suffering
There are four ways to
Moksha
 1. The Way of Action: This involves carrying out
certain religious ceremonies, duties and rites. The
objective is to perform works without regard for
personal gain.
 2. The Way of Knowledge: This requires using
your mind and philosophy to come to a complete
comprehension of the universe.
Four Ways to Moksha (cont.)
 3. The Way of Devotion: Salvation is reached through acts
of worship, based upon the love for a God (there are
thousands of gods in Hinduism).
 4.The Royal Road: The use of meditation and yoga
techniques. This method of reaching salvation is typically
only used by wandering monks.
 Salvation is through human deeds, if not successful, you
reincarnate to get it right.
More Hindu Beliefs…
 All existence is ranked: Brahman, humans,
animals, plants, things.
 To help escape the wheel of fate, dharma,
religious duties, can help one acquire merit
for the next life.
 Vedas and Upanishads are sacred texts. The
BhagavadGita spells out many ethical ideas.
 Ahimsa is another key principle of
Hinduism; nonviolence.
Buddha
 Gautama Buddha, from the foothills of the
Himalayas, founded a new religion.
 Gautama born about 566 BC
 He saw for the first time in his protected
environment, a sick person, an older person,
and a dead person.
 Gautama left a happy married life to
discover the realm of life “where there is
neither suffering or death.”
Buddha…
 He meditated and fasted. For 48 days he
meditated in one place. He believed he understood
the cure for suffering and sorrow; he was now
Buddha.
 The Four Noble Truths are the heart of Buddhism:
1. All life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow.
2. The cause of suffering is the desire for things that are
really illusions, such as riches, power and long life.
3. The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire.
4. The way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold
The Eightfold Path:
 Right views
 Right aspirations
 Right speech
 Right conduct
 Right Livelihood
 Right effort
 Right mindfulness
 Right contemplation
Buddhism
 Final goal of Buddhism is nirvana,
union with the universe and release
from the cycle of rebirth.
 Buddhism and Hinduism agree on
karma, dharma, moksha and
reincarnation.
 They are different in that Buddhism
rejects the priests of Hinduism, the
formal rituals, and the caste system.
Buddha urged people to seek
enlightenment through meditation.
Buddhism
 Buddha preached in northern India and his teachings
spread.
 Buddhas followers gathered his teachings into the
Tripitaka.
 Gradually Buddhism split into two parts, schools:
– Theravada Buddhism. Closely followed Buddha’s original
teachings.
– Mahayana Buddhism. Made following Buddhism easier for
the ordinary people.
 Buddhism declined in India, being swallowed up by
Hinduism which made Buddha another Hindu god.