Hinduism and Buddhism: A Detailed Comparison of Religious Themes

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Hinduism and Buddhism, highlighting both their similarities and differences. It explores key themes such as the law of cause and effect, karma, dharma, and the concept of enlightenment, which are shared by both religions. The essay also discusses the differing views on deities, with Hinduism embracing a multitude of gods and goddesses while Buddhism does not focus on worshipping deities. Symbols like Mudra and Dharma Chakra are common in both religions. The essay concludes by referencing scholarly sources to support its claims and provide a comprehensive overview of the two religions. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study tools.

Compare and Contrast
essay Hinduism and
Buddhism

Table of Contents
Hinduism...............................................................................................................................3
Buddhism...............................................................................................................................3
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Hinduism................................3
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Buddhism...............................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

Hinduism
As per many scholars, it is considered to be the oldest religion and which is originated in the
Indian subcontinent (Narayanan, 2018). This religion is responsible for shaping the culture of
India and as per Readers Blog, Hinduism is the third-largest religion after Christianity and Islam
(What is Hinduism, a religion or a way of life?)
Buddhism
Buddhism is the largest religion and Buddhists believe that meditation and good behavior are the
ways one can achieve nirvana (Walker, 2019). As per World History Encyclopaedia, they do not
believe in a creator god which was founded by the sage Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism).
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Hinduism
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Hinduism are explained below-
 They believe in the universal law of cause and effect.
They also believe in moksha with the help of this the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
can be resolved (Chattopadhyaya, Chimpa, and Chattopadhyaya, 2018).
 They believe in many gods which are connected to a natural and universal process.
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Buddhism
Three different themes related to the religious beliefs of Buddhism are explained below-
 The Law of Cause and Effect
 The law of Karma comprises the fact that every event that occurs will be followed by
another event whose existence was caused by the first.
 That everything changes
Both Hinduism and Buddhism have similarities as they share a lot of the same concepts
and features (Tachibana, 2021). In both the religions, the terms such as dharma, karma, and
samsara are seen and along with it, the whole concept of enlightenment is similar in both
religions. Mudra and dharma chakra are the symbols that are the same in Hinduism and
Buddhism. Mudras are defined as hand gestures that are with meanings and it is also used during
meditation. Dharma chakra is presented as a wheel which is known as the Wheel of Law and it
commonly appears on Hindu temple walls and mainly in temples of the sun god that is Surya
(McCutcheon, 2018). One of the main differences between the religions is that Hindus believe in

and worship many deities comprises including Lord Shiva, Ganesh, Brahma, and Lakshmi while
Buddhists do not worship numerous deities. In Hinduism marrying in different caste is not
acceptable throughout India and in Buddhism as per Gautam Buddha’s teachings, he taught that
all are equal and of the same value.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Tachibana, S., 2021. The ethics of Buddhism. Routledge.
Chattopadhyaya, A., Chimpa, L. and Chattopadhyaya, D., 2018. Taranatha's history of Buddhism
in India. Motilal Banarsidass.
Walker, B., 2019. Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes.
Volume I AL (Vol. 4). Routledge.
Narayanan, V., 2018. Hinduism. In Her Voice, Her Faith (pp. 11-57). Routledge.
McCutcheon, R.T., 2018. Studying religion: An introduction. Routledge.
What is Hinduism, a religion or a way of life? 2022 [Online], Retrieved from
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/rationalthoughts/what-is-hinduism-a-religion-
or-a-way-of-life-40809/>
Buddhism 2020 [Online], Retrieved from <https://www.worldhistory.org/buddhism/>