Comparative Essay

Jagrit Arora

University of Winnipeg

Lucas Skelton

November 16, 2022

and concepts in terms of worshipping God and practising their own cultures. The main

difference which arises between them is how the people analyse the meaning of worshipping

in their own way. Both religions have diversity in their traditions and practices. For example,

people who practice Buddhism learn from the teachings of Buddha, whereas people

practising Hinduism learn from the Hindu gods. The upcoming paragraphs will reflect some

light on comparisons as well as similarities between these two religions thoroughly.

Firstly, talking about the origin of Hinduism, this religion’s birth is slightly different from

other religions like Buddhism and Christianity because it is not developed from the teachings

of a single founder rather it has its own long history and developments (Rod-Ari, 2018). The

people who worship Hinduism are known as Hindus. Hindus believe and stick to the

principles of Sanskritic texts known as Vedas, which are very old since 1700 B.C.E (Rod-Ari,

2018). Now, belief in the soul is a major subject to talk about in Hinduism. Hindus are true

devotees of God, and they believe in themselves as God. They believe in the concept of the

soul. There are two types of soul in the world, one is our self or individual soul known as

atman, and the other is a universal soul or cosmic spirit called Brahman (Adams, 2020). In

Hinduism, it is believed that the soul is everlasting. This soul will be reincarnated every time,

whether in the form of a human being or any animal but this cycle of rebirth will continue

again and again (Adams, 2020). By the continuous practice of Hindu yoga and meditation, a

person will realise his purpose in life and he will learn all the lessons of life while doing

meditation, this practice and realisation will release the soul from the cycle of rebirth and

Moksha will be attained (Adams, 2020). Another topic to discuss is the process of

worshipping. Hindus primarily believe in two Gods; one is their own God named Ishvara and

the other is a universal God known as Brahman. They practice worshipping God daily as they

believe by worshipping god continuously, one can attain peace and seek blessings from
various deities (Adams, 2020). It is also important to understand that each person can worship

either their own god or universal god, there are no specific limitations. Festivals also play an

indispensable role in many religions. In Hinduism, there are many holy days, and each

festival is devoted to a particular God. Janmashtami is a festival and a holy day which

symbolises the birth of Lord Krishna (Taylor, 2011). Likewise, there are many more festivals

like Ganesh Chaturthi, Raksha Bandhan, Ram Navami, etc. (Taylor, 2011).

Now, talking about the origin of Buddhism, one of the biggest factors that resulted in the

development of Buddhism was the social caste system which was described by Hindu

Dharma (Rod-Ari, 2018). Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism has a single founder. Siddhartha

Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, founded this religion in the 5th or 6th century B.C.E, his

life story is also a part of the Buddhist teachings and creates a deep influence in the minds of

people (Rod-Ari, 2018). He once lived in an extremely rich family but as he grew older, he

realised his true purpose and decided to leave his sheltered life in search of the truth of the

universe (Rod-Ari, 2018). The people who believe in Buddhism are known as Buddhists.

Buddhists do not believe in the concept of the soul or atman, they think that there is no

reincarnation of the soul (Adams, 2020). They feel that the energy of short-term pleasures

and anxieties is just a part of life that takes birth and dies in the cycle of samsara (Adams,

2020). If we go deep into the teachings of Buddhism then it is observed that relief from

samsara can be attained through the acceptance of the Four Noble Truths and by following

the Eightfold Path (Adams, 2020). Also, Buddhists do not believe to worship Gods and

deities, they feel that worshipping Gods will not help them in finding inner peace or attain

liberation from suffering (Adams, 2020). Gods are like sentient beings, for Buddhists, who

will die and retake birth, therefore they are never considered objects of respect (Adams,

2020). Like in Hinduism, there are also many festivals in Buddhism as well. Festivals like
Dharma Day, Buddhist New year, Pavarana Kathina Ceremony, Buddha’s Birthday, etc.

(Peto, 2020).

Finally, both religions share a common practice named Yoga, however, their style of

practising can be different, but their goal is the same (Adams, 2020). For Hindus, Yoga helps

in joining their own soul with Brahman's soul by holding their breath for long periods

whereas, in Buddhism, the primary goal is mindfulness meditation which is done to obtain

inner peace and wisdom (Adams, 2020). In conclusion, it is very much evident that both

Hinduism and Buddhism have a common goal of attaining peace and doing good deeds but

they both have different interpretations of them.

Adams, N. (2020, June 17). Hinduism and Buddhism — Similarities and Differences in Belief

and Practice. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/interfaith-now/hinduism-

and-buddhism-similarities-and-differences-in-belief-and-practice-324f7057a247

Peto, A. (2020, November 15). The Buddha’s Vacation: Understanding the Buddhist

Holidays and Ceremonies. Alan Peto. Retrieved from

https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-holidays-calendar/

Rod-Ari, M. (2018, January 24). Hinduism and Buddhism, an introduction – Smarthistory.

Retrieved from https://smarthistory.org/hinduism-and-buddhism-an-introduction/

Taylor, A. (2011, September 23). Hindu Festivals. The Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/09/hindu-festivals/100154/