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Hinduism and Buddhism
A Brief Introduction
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Scriptures
• Hundreds of scriptures
• oldest scriptures: the
four Vedas
• all scriptures divided
into two broad
categories: shruti and
smriti
• Most popular scripture:
Bhagavad Gita
Hindu Trinity
•
•
•
•
Brahma - the Creator
Vishnu - the Preserver
Shiva - the Destroyer
Three aspects/powers of
the same divine being
Basic Beliefs
• Karma - the law of
cause and effect; “you
reap what you sow”
• Reincarnation - eternal
soul traverses through
different bodies till it
finds liberation
Holy Cow!
• Hindus have always
had great respect for
Mother Nature and its
creatures
• Cow is especially
significant because it
symbolizes gentleness
5 Common Hinduism Questions
1.
Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?
–
2.
Do Hindus believe in reincarnation?
–
3.
Karma is the universal principal of cause and effect. Both good and bad
karma not only decide our fate (sorrow and happiness) in the present life,
but also in future life.
Do Hindus have a Bible?
–
5.
Yes, they believe the soul (without body) is immortal and takes birth
again and again.
What is Karma?
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4.
Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created many Gods, highly
advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers
Our “Bible” is called the Vedas which means “wisdom” and which
reveals the word of God.
Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle of their
forehead?
–
It represents a divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu.
Buddhism…
Buddhism emphasizes the development of
wisdom rather than faith.
• A 2500 year old tradition that began in India
and spread and diversified throughout the Far
East
• A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice
followed by more than 300 million people
• Based on the teachings of the Buddha
Who was the Buddha?
• Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India,
563 B.C.E.
• Raised in great luxury to be a king
• Empathy for the suffering of others; at age 29 rejected
the life of luxury to seek enlightenment and the solution
to suffering
• Through meditation, achieved Nirvana – an awakening
to the truth about life, becoming a Buddha, the
“Awakened One”at the age of 35
• Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching others
how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
• To live is to suffer
• The cause of suffering is selfcentered desire & attachments
• The solution is to eliminate
desire and attachment, thus
achieving Nirvana
(“extinction”)
• The way to Nirvana is
through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
How does Buddhism differ
from Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…
• Authority of the ancient Vedic texts
• The Vedic caste system
• The Vedic and Hindu deities
• The efficacy of Vedic worship and ritual
• The concept of Brahman
Does a Buddhist believe in god(s)?
What do Buddhists believe?
• Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments
(karma)
• Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
• Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle
of rebirth
Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of
life in this world, having achieved Nirvana and
teaching multitudes his way of life, he ceased to
exist as a distinct being
• Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the
Buddhist God – he is just a revered teacher