Hinduism
and
Buddhism
Hinduism
• Found in India (South Asia) and Southeast Asia
• A collection of religious beliefs
– Has no true founder
– Thought to have started in India with Early Indus
• Stories come from religious book- Vedas
• Upanishads tried to interpret beginnings
– Priests had discussions to interpret meanings
• Beliefs of Hinduism reinforced the caste system
Hindu Beliefs
• Believe in afterlife- called moksha
– A state of perfect understanding of all things
• Reincarnation- rebirth
– Living multiple lives to reach moksha
• Karma- souls good and bad deeds
• 3 main gods of Hinduism
– Brahma- the creator
– Vishnu- the protector
– Shiva- the destroyer
Hinduism Life
• Religion affects everything in life
– Connects with caste system to tell people how
to live depending on caste
– People of the lower castes unhappy with this
• No way to change their lives
• Harsh life leads to new religions- Jainism
and Buddhism
Crash Course
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nn5uq
E3C9w&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_
mode=1&safe=active
Jainism
• Believe everything in universe
has a soul
– Should not harm it
• Practice a vegetarian lifestyle
– Only eat what will not kill a plant
• Wear masks to not accidentally
suck in bugs, and brush their
paths to avoid killing souls of
animals
Buddhism
• Founder- Siddhartha Gautama
– Was Hindu prince w/ a perfect life
• Fortune told of 2 possible lives
– Leave the castle – religious leader
– Stay within the walls – political leader
• Sneaks out and wanders and sees the world
– Sees 3 things – sickness, suffering, death
– Eventually sees a happy religious man
• Goes to gain enlightenment – beings meditating
– Takes the name Buddha- enlightened one
Four Noble Truths
• All things suffer
– Everything in the world is suffering right now
• They suffer due to desire
– Due to wants and desires people suffer
• To end suffering you must end desire
– If you don’t desire, you are happy
• To end desire you must follow the Eightfold
Path
– 8 ways to gain happiness
Beliefs of Buddhism
•
•
•
•
No real god- will worship Buddha
No real religious book
Believe in Nirvana- version of perfection
Believe in reincarnation
– Many lives to reach nirvana
• Monks are religious leaders- orange robes
• No caste system- Buddha rejected it
• Religion spread trough trade
So How Do They Compare??
• What are the similarities of Hinduism and
Buddhism?
• What are the differences of Hinduism and
Buddhism?
• Why are these similarities and differences?