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Buddhism and Hinduism are two ancient world religions, which have their origins in India. Hinduism formed 3500 years ago and worships Brahman, a supreme lifeforce from which atman (souls) and even gods originate. Buddhism was formed approximately 2800 years ago and is both a stem off from Hinduism but a completely different in theology religion. The religions share many similar concepts and terminologies. Both religions believe in the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth, known as samsara, all life in existence follows this cyclicality. Both religions also embrace the concept of dharma, which is meant as the eternal nature of reality viewed as either cosmic law underlying right behavior and social order (in Hinduism) or the universal truth (in Buddhism). Finally, both religions have karma as a fundamentally underlying concept, representing the actions and intentions of individuals, presenting them as good or evil. Karma is then tied to samsara, or rebirth (History.com Editors, 2019).
This is where the religions start to differ, their belief in the gods and life after death. In Hinduism, there are multiple gods, each representative of certain qualities or entities, but all come from the lifeforce known as Atman. Meanwhile, Buddhism fully rejects gods, even the presence of a single omnipotent Creator. Instead, they believe in a general lifeforce, cosmos type of entity, but also, they argue that each person has their personal god. However, God is not necessary for Buddhism, which is a practical religion focused on self-enlightenment rather than faith in a deity. They believe that there is no permanent self or soul, and it is not the soul being reborn or reaching nirvana, but rather just energy (BBC., n.d.).
Therefore, in simple terms, for Hinduists, the primary goal is to live a life with good karma and achieve closeness to the gods in order to have a better life after rebirth. They must achieve the four aims called Purusharthas, and act morally and ethically, to lead a good life. Eventually, after multiple rebirths and climbing up the caste ladder, one is able to achieve moksha: or salvation that ends the cycle of rebirths and their soul merges with Atman. Meanwhile, in Buddhism, the aim is to achieve nirvana through self-enlightenment, attainable only by eliminating negative aspects such as greed, hatred, and ignorance. By doing so, their energy transitions further into the unknown breaking the cycle of rebirth, but unlike most other religions, there is no belief in eternal souls or afterlife.
References
BBC. (n.d.). What does Buddhism teach about life after death?. Web.
History.com Editors. (2019). Hinduism. Web.
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