A Comparative Analysis of Hinduism, and Buddism
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 that they embrace all religions. They believe that truth can be attained by different ways. There are some fundamental beliefs that separate Hinduism from other religions. These include the belief that the highest authority is the Vedas, which are the oldest Indian sacred texts; the Brahmans or the priests are the highest class ; reincarnation, which is the soul that transmits from one body to a next at death and karma, which determines the destiny of a person, both in this life and the next. Most Hindus are followers of a God or Gods. Some follow Vishnu, who is considered the protector of the world, some follow Shakti and others Shiva, who is one of the chief gods, and is called the destroyer. There is a great deal more Gods who are manifestations of one of the main gods. Hindus worship these gods by giving offerings and having images and statutes of them. The main goal of the Hindu is to release soul from all these rebirths and be with the supreme God or The One. Hindus believe in Karma which means actions. A person’s moral actions have an effect on his fortunes not only in this life, but in the rebirth as well. Hindus believe that human life has four purposes: Dharma, which is fulfilling one’s purpose; Kama,