ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

754 Words4 Pages
Hinduism and Buddhism are both two religions that are similar, yet different in many ways. Known to be one of the oldest religions in the world, Hinduism began in India about 4000 years ago. Hinduism was originally practiced by an ancient population, the Aryans. About 2500 years ago, or 1500 years after the beginning of Hinduism, a prince by the name of Siddhartha Gautama realized that even princes can not escape illness and death after he saw those who suffer from them. It is said that he practiced praying, meditating and fasting until he was given the name Buddha, meaning the Enlightened one because of his understanding of the truths of life. Therefore, a new branch of Hinduism emerged and is now known as Buddhism. One of the two similarities between the two religions is Symbolism. Moreover, the two religions figured out the how to avoid death. On the other hand, a difference between Hinduism and Buddhism is the fundamental ideology. Buddhist strive to achieve nothingness and they believe that there is no god while in hinduism, they do.

Symbolism is used to represent their ideologies, very important to both Hinduism and Buddhism. The two religions have many symbols in common, one of them being the lotus flower. The lotus flower is a very important symbol to both religions and it has a stand in the Eight Auspicious Symbols in buddhism. The lotus flower represents divinity, beauty and fertility but it can also be the symbol of life and the ever-renewing youth. Because the
Open Document