Buddhism & Hinduism
Reincarnation The two great religions of India have their start with the Aryans that migrated
from Europe. Two key concepts of the early Aryans will play heavily in both Buddhism and
Hinduism – Reincarnation & Karma. Reincarnation is the idea that the individual soul is
reborn in different form after death and progresses through several existences on the wheel of
life until it reaches its final destination n a union with the Great World Soul, Brahman. From
this concept comes the term Brahmanism, referring to the early Aryan religious traditions that
were written into the Vedas. Brahmanism will develop into Hinduism.
Because life is harsh, this final release is the objective of all living souls. A key element in this process is the idea of karma – that one’s
rebirth in a next life is determined by one’s actions in this life. (Hinduism will later add the caste system to this as the only way to move
from one caste to the next. The current status of an individual soul, then, is not simply a cosmic accident but the inevitable result of
actions that the soul has committed in the past existence.)
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) Around 563-483 BCE a new doctrine appeared in northern India that would eventually begin to rival
the popularity of Brahmanical beliefs throughout the subcontinent – Buddhism. The historical founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha
Gautama (Buddha), was a native of a small kingdom in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. He was born in the son of a ruling
(kshatriya) family. Gautama was raised in affluent surroundings and trained like any other member of his caste. At the age of twentynine, however, he suddenly discovered the pain of illness, the sorrow of death, and the degradation caused by old age in the live of
ordinary people and exclaimed, “Would that sickness, age, and death might be forever bound.” He decided to dedicate his life to
determining the cause and seeking the cure for human suffering. To find the answers to these
questions, Siddhartha abandoned his home and family and traveled widely. Then one day after a
lengthy period of meditation under a tree, he achieved enlightenment as to the meaning of life and
spent the remainder of his preaching it. His teachings would be the foundation for the religion of
Buddhism. According to legend, the Devil (the Indian term is Mara) attempted desperately to tempt
him with political power and the company of beautiful girls. But Gautama resisted:
“Pleasure is brief as a flash of lighting or like an autumn shower, only for a moment… Why
should I then covet the pleasures you speak of? I see your bodies are full of all impurity:
Birth and death, sickness and age are yours. I seek the highest prize, hard to attain by men
– the true and constant wisdom of the wise.”
Nirvana It is not certain if Siddhartha Gautama ever meant to create a new religion. In some
respects, his ideas could be viewed as a reformist form of Brahmanism, designed to transfer
responsibility form the priest to the individual. Much of the Brahmanism belief system and its
practices were kept. For example the concept of reincarnation and the role of karma as a means of influencing the movement of
individual’s souls up and down the scale of life is very much the same. Gautama praised nonviolence and a life of simplicity and chastity.
He would also champion the idea of Nirvana, a vision of metaphysical reality. Nirvana is the highest state of consciousness devoid of
selfishness and pain. It is the highest plain of existence where one becomes one with the universe. Nirvana is very close to the Aryan
concept of Brahman – which will also be the ultimate goal of Hinduism. Buddhist will often explain this as the reunion with the Great
World Soul, likened to a dreamless sleep. The biggest difference from Buddhism and Hinduism is the idea of the human soul. In
Gautama eyes this was the great illusion, that we are all a part of the some great soul and we must transcend past our earthly lives to reach
Nirvana. Once worldly cares are abandoned, pain and sorrow can be overcome. With this knowledge comes bodhi or wisdom (source
of the term Buddhism and the familiar name for Gautama the Wise: Gautama Buddha).
Buddhism: The Middle Path Achieving bodhi is the key step on the road to Nirvana, which, as in Brahmanism (Hinduism), is a form
of release from the wheel of life. Like so many messages, it is deceptively simple and is enclosed in four noble truths: life is suffering,
suffering is caused by desire, the way to end suffering is to end desire, and the way to end desire is to avoid the extremes of a life of vulgar
materialism and a life of self-torture and to follow the Middle Path. Also known as the Eightfold Way, the Middle Path calls for right
knowledge, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right awareness, and right meditation. The religious
community, together with Buddha and the dharma (Buddhist & Hindus doctrine or law), make up the “Three Jewels” of Buddhism.
Buddhism and Society Gautama’s teaching rejected the caste system; thus, many early Buddhists came from the lower castes. This
rejection of the caste system would ultimately lead to Buddhism losing favor in India. However, before this happened, do to the cross
socialization of early cultures and the trade of the Silk Roads, Buddhism would move into the Far East (places like China).
The Four Denominations of Hinduism
For over 200 years, Western scholars have struggled to understand Hinduism, a faith whose
followers seemed (to outsiders) to arbitrarily worship any one of a dozen Gods as the Supreme, a religion vastly diverse in its beliefs,
practices and ways of worship. Hinduism dates back to the Aryans who came over the Hindu Kush Mts and their religion of
Brahmanism, which can be found in the Vedas. Some scholar labeled the Hinduism they encountered polytheistic; others even coined
new terms, like henotheism, to describe this baffling array of spiritual traditions. This is common misconception of the west, as
Hinduism is monotheistic. Hindus believe in a Great Spirit that is multifaceted, meaning all the different gods are just part of the one
true spirit. Moreover, few in the west have realized, and fewer still have written, that India's "eternal faith, " known today as Hinduism
and comprising nearly a billion followers, is a family of religions with four principal denominations Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and
Smartism. This single perception is essential for understanding Hinduism and explaining it accurately to others. As stated above Hindus
all worship a one Supreme Being, though by different names. For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God. For Saivites, God is Siva. For
Shaktas, Goddess Shakti is supreme. For Smartas, liberal Hindus, the choice of Deity is left to the devotee.
Nine Beliefs of Hinduism Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in turn direct our actions. By our actions,
we create our destiny. Beliefs about sacred matters--God, soul and cosmos--are essential to one's approach to life. Hindus believe many
diverse things, but there are a few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following nine beliefs, though not exhaustive,
offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.
1.
2.
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4.
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8.
9.
Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and
Unmanifest (destroyer of) Reality.
Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as
equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana dharma, the eternal religion.
Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts,
words and deeds.
Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and
moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal
devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal
discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.
Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, no injury, in thought,
word and deed.
Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets
of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Dharma
Dharma yields Heaven's honor and Earth's wealth. What is there then that is more
fruitful for a man? There is nothing more rewarding than dharma, nor anything more ruinous
than its neglect. When God created the universe, He endowed it with order, with the laws to
govern creation. Dharma is God's divine law prevailing on every level of existence, from the
sustaining cosmic order to religious and moral laws which bind us in harmony with that order.
Related to the soul, dharma is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the
right and righteous path. It is piety and ethical practice, duty and ob ligation. When we follow
dharma, we are in conformity with the truth that inheres and instructs the universe, and we
naturally abide in closeness to God. Adharma is opposition to divine law. Dharma is to the
individual what its normal development is to a seed--the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature
and destiny.
RECIPROCAL TEACHING LOG –
Summary
A brief summary
(no more than 2
sentences)
Section
Restate the main
idea in your own
words.
Reincarnation
Siddhartha
Gautama
(Buddha)
Nirvana
Key Words
Buddhism & Hinduism
Clarification
Visualization
Question(s)
At first I was
confused, but…
Explain what you
pictured or
visualized.
What are you
wondering about?
Write down
4 key words
from section.
What words
didn’t you
understand?
What image came
to mind?
A question I have
about this section
is?
Buddhism: The
Middle Path
&
Buddhism and
Society
The Four
Denominations
of Hinduism
Nine Beliefs of
Hinduism
Dharma