Hinduism vs Buddhism
The world has many different religions. Asia has had many religions spring up.
Out of these, Buddhism and Hinduism are the most popular beliefs in the general
population. Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally
hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been
established around 1500 B.C. but one person never founded Hinduism, as it
evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite
founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or
Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated
in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and
after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as Buddhism.
Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but
in the same light they differ immensely.
Hinduism and Buddhism both have numerous gods and both follow the same
paths to ultimately achieve Nirvana (a place where all the enlightened beings
reside). "He set himself forty-eight vows to fulfill, which, he proclaimed, would
allow him to reach Nirvana." (Encarta 98, "Amitabha,") This is about one man
who makes rules for himself so that he can get into Nirvana. The concept of a
god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not
even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life.
The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer; Brahma is the
creator and Shiva the destroyer. They are r ...