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Hinduism and Buddhism are two closely related Dharmic religions that are in some ways parallel to each other and in other ways divergent in theology and practice.

Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world. Hinduism is identified as Sanātana Dharma ( सनातन धर्म ), which translates to the eternal way. Unlike Buddhism, Hinduism has no single founder.

According to the Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama was born as a Kshatriya prince to the Shakya clan, at the beginning of the Magadha period (546–324 BCE), in the plains of Lumbini, modern day Nepal region of the Indian subcontinent. Siddhartha Gautama is known as the Shakyamuni (literally "the sage of the Shakya clan"). Under a fig tree (sacred in Hinduism as the tree of Vishnu) now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed to meditate until he discovered the truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment.

Siddhartha Gautama was then known as "Buddha", which translates to "the enlightened one." For the remaining 45 years of his life, he travelled the Gangetic Plain of central India, teaching his doctrine and discipline to a diverse range of people. Nastik Buddhists believe the Buddha, like Vidyaranya, accepted and incorporated many tenets of Hinduism in his doctrine, but also taught that to achieve salvation one did not have to accept the authority of the scriptures or even the existence of God. Many Hindus converted to Buddhism. Both Hinduism and Jainism influenced Buddhism with their emphasis on compassion for all life.

Similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhārtha was born in Lumbini, under the full moon of the sixth lunar month, in the spring. His father was Śuddhodana (Pāli Suddhodana), of the Hindu Kṣatriya varṇa, was the chief (raja, or king) of the Śākya nation, one of several ancient tribes on the margins of the growing state of Kośala (Pāli Kosala). His mother was Māyādevī, King Sudhodhana's wife. Like the founders of all Dharmic schools, Siddhartha Gautama was an influential Hindu who selected a set of principles found in Hinduism to form a newer, relatively limited set of principles.

Ahinsa

Ahinsa is a religious concept which advocates non-violence and a respect for all life. Ahinsa (अहिंसा ahiṁsā) is Sanskrit for avoidance of himsa, or injury. It is most often interpreted as meaning peace and reverence toward all sentient beings. Ahinsa is an important doctrine of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Its first mention in Indian philosophy is found in the Hindu scriptures called the Upanishads, the oldest of which date to about 800 BCE.

Idol worship

A murti (also spelled murthi or murthy) typically refers to an image in which the Divine Spirit is 'murta', or expressed. A murti becomes worshippable after the Divine is invoked in it for the purpose of offering worship. Thus the murti is treated as the Deity of the Divine. Buddhists during view statues of deities as points of meditational focus as well as a reminder of the ultimate goal, Buddhahood.

Buddhists venerate many deities of Hinduism, even deities that Hindus themselves no longer worship, including that of Indra. Indra is venerated by the Chinese, Korean and Japanese as Taishakuten while Ganesh is worshipped as Lord Shoten. In "Ganesh, studies of an Asian God", edited by Robert L. BROWN, State University of New York Press, 1992, page 241-242, he wrote that in the Tibetan Kanjur, it is said that the Buddha had taught the Ganapati Hridaya Mantra (or Aryaganapatimantra) to disciple Ananda. However, having taken the vows of refuge, a Buddhist does not rely on such deities for enlightenemnt or liberation but simply to aid them in worldly life for such material things as wealth, food and shelter which provides conducive conditions for practising. As for Ganesh, the a Tibetan tradition holds that Chenrezig out of compassion dissolved an emanation of himself into Ganesh, thereby blessing him to support Buddhist practitioners. It is taken that this particular Ganesh is the one venerated by Buddhists and is seen to have gained enlightenment by now. Thus, another Ganesh has taken the former's position and the new Ganesh is not venerated by Buddhists.

Karma

Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म from the root kṛ, "to do") is a word of ancient origin meaning action or activity and its subsequent results (also called karma-phala, "the fruits of action"). It is commonly understood as a term to denote the entire cycle of cause and effect as described in the philosophies of a number of Dharmic Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Karma originated in the Vedic system of religion, otherwise known as Hinduism.

Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. Individuals go through certain processes and accompanying experiences throughout their lives which they have chosen, and those would be based on the results of their own creations. Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward. Karma simply deals with what is. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to others. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

Dharma

Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) means Natural Law or Reality, and with respect to its significance for spirituality and religion might be considered the Way of the Higher Truths. Dharma was first described in Hinduism. Hinduism is called Sanatana Dharma which translates to "the eternal dharma." Dharma forms the basis for philosophies, beliefs and practices originating in India. The four main ones are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, all of whom retain the centrality of Dharma in their teachings. In these traditions, beings that live in harmony with Dharma proceed more quickly toward Dharma Yukam, Moksha, Nirvana (personal liberation). Dharma also refers to the teachings and doctrines of the various founders of Dharmic traditions, such as Vidyaranya, Kumarila Bhatta, Gautama Buddha and Mahavira. As the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual. Dharma can refer generally to religious duty, and also mean social order, right conduct, or simply virtue.

Aum

In Buddhism and Hinduism, the term bija is used for mystical "seed syllables" contained with mantras. These seeds do not have precise meanings, but are thought to carry connections to spiritual principles. The best-known bija syllable is Om, which first is seen in the Hindu scriptures known as the Upanishads.

Mantra

A mantra (मन्त्र) is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words or vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in India with Vedic Hinduism and were later adopted by Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains, now popular in various modern forms of spiritual practice which are loosely based on practices of these Eastern religions.

Yogic traditions

Yoga, meaning 'yoke' in Sanskrit, is a family of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. It is one of the six schools of Hindu Philosophy, in which it is often paired with Samkhya, and they are referred together as the Samkhya-Yoga school. The diversity within Yoga philosophy itself is traditionally classified into four main braches: Karma Yoga (yoga of action), Jnana Yoga (yoga of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (yoga of devotion), and Raja Yoga (yoga of meditation), but other classifications do exist. It remains a vibrant living tradition in which the common goal of all branches is liberation from suffering by attainment of enlightenment.

There is a considerable overlap between Yoga and Buddhism. Of particular interest is a comparison of the Buddhist eight-fold path and the eight limbs of Patanjali's Yoga. Their moral precepts (the sila of Buddhism, the yama and niyama of yoga) share the Hindu principle of non-violence (ahimsa); their final steps point towards a common goal - 6. Buddhist Samma Vayama (Effort) vs Yogic Dharana (Concentration), 7. Buddhist Samma Sati (Mindfulness) vs Yogic Dhyana (Meditation) and 8. Buddhist Samma Samadhi vs Yogic Samadhi. An in relation to views of the Self, yoga's asmita-samapatti is designed to eradicate the wrong views on the Self much in the same way Buddha did it in Anatta-lakkhana-sutta.

The correlation between Yoga and Buddhism seems to be particularly strong in Tibetan Buddhism, due to various historical events including the influence of Tantra on Tibetan traditions. For example, a system of 108 bodily postures practiced with breath and heart rhythm timing in movement exercises is known as Trul khor or union of moon and sun (channel) prajna energies, and the body postures of Tibetan ancient yogis are depicted on the walls of the Dalai Lama's summer temple of Lukhang.

Prominent Tibetan Buddhist Yoga schools Six yogas of Naropa, Tumo and Tsa lung Trul khor.

In addition Yogācāra (Sanskrit: "yoga practice"), also spelled yogāchāra, is an influential school of philosophy and psychology that developed in Indian Mahayana Buddhism starting sometime in the fourth to fifth centuries C.E., also commonly known as Consciousness-only.

Dhyana

Dhyāna's beginings are traced to Hinduism, where it is considered to be an instrument to gain self knowledge, thereby seperating maya from reality and helping attain the ultimate goal of Moksha. Depictions of hindu yogis performing dhyāna are found in ancient texts and in statues and frescoes of ancient India temples. Siddhartha Gautama studied dhyāna during his early years away from his kingdom.

Reincarnation

In India the concept of reincarnation is first recorded in the Upanishads (c. 800 BCE), which are philosophical and religious texts composed in Sanskrit.

According to Hinduism, the soul (atman) is immortal, while the body is subject to birth and death. The Bhagavad Gita states that:

Worn-out garments are shed by the body;

Worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller within the body. New bodies are donned

by the dweller, like garments.

The idea that the soul (of any living being - including animals, humans and plants) reincarnates is intricately linked to karma, another concept first introduced in the Upanishads. Karma (literally: action) is the sum of one's actions, and the force that determines one's next reincarnation. The cycle of death and rebirth, governed by karma, is referred to as samsara.

Buddhism believes in the anatta. Buddhists also believe that a new-born child may be the reincarnation of some important departed lama. In Tibetan Buddhism, the substance that make up the impermanent "self" (skandha) of an important lama (like the Dalai Lama) is said to be reborn into an infant born nine months after his decease. This process is said to occurs after years of crystallization of the skandhas through mental cultivation. And when the body dies, some of the crystallized skandhas (which normally dissolves at death), is said to attach itself to the consciousness. So that when the next rebirth occurs, the new person will have some of the old characters. This belief, however, does not contradict with Buddha's teaching on the impermanent nature of the self.

Nirvana

The Sanskrit term "Nirvana" was nothing a the time of Buddha, as Hindu scriptures concentrated on this principle. Parinirvana, in Hinduism is known as Mahasamadhi. Although in modern-day terms, Buddhism is different from Hinduism, in which the Nirvana is Brahma-Nirvana. Buddhists today argue whether the Buddha has eternally remained a Buddha, come down as humans only to show humans that this eternal bliss is achievable by anyone. This form of Buddha in Buddhism is known as Dharmakaya Buddha. It was Buddha who is remembered for saying, "You are a Buddha, I am the Buddha."

Symbollism

Mudra

This is a Vedic hand-gesture way of expressing an emotion. Depictions of the Buddha are almost always depicted performing a mudra.

Dharma Chakra

The Dharma Chakra, which appears of the national flags of India and a few Buddhist countries (e.g. Thailand) is a symbol used by members of both religion. The Buddha used it for His path.

Rudraraksh

These are beads which devotees, usually monks use for praying.

Tilak

Many Hindu devotees mark their heads with a tilak, which is interpreted as a third eye. The Buddha's too marked his forehead with a peice of hair.

Swastika

The swastika is a symbol to keep evil away. It can be either clockwise or counter-clockwise and both are seen in Hinduism and Buddhism. Many times the Buddha is depicted with a swastika on his chest. For Buddhists swastikas are used in every Buddhist country, including on the flags of a national Buddhist community.

Differences between the two religions

Despite the similarities there exist differences between the two religions. The major differences are mentioned below.

God

Like other schools of Dharmic religions, including Vaisheṣhika and Lokāyata, Buddhism selects a set of beliefs (marga) and teaches to follow a certain dharma. The Buddhist philosophy does not emphasise on either God or a class of priests to perform rituals.

Gautama Buddha (as portrayed in the Pali scriptures/ the agamas) set an important trend in nontheism in Buddhism in the sense of denying the existence of an omnipotent God. Nevertheless, in many passages in the Tripitaka Gautama Buddha spoke about Gods and gave specific examples of individuals who were reborn as a God, or Gods who were reborn as humans. Buddhist cosmology recognizes various levels and types of Gods, but none of these Gods is considered the creator of the world or of the human race.

Buddhist canonical views about God and the priests are mentioned below:-

13. 'Well then, Vasettha, those ancient sages versed in ancient scriptures, the authors of the verses, the utterers of the verses, whose, ancient form of words so chanted, uttered, or composed, the priests of to-day chant over again or repeat; intoning or reciting exactly as has been intoned or recited-to wit, Atthaka, Vamaka, Vamadeva, Vessamitta, Yamataggi, Angirasa, Bharadvaja, Vasettha, Kassapa, and Bhagu -- did even they speak thus, saying: " We know it, we have seen it", where the creator is whence the creator is, whither the creator is?

15. O Vasettha, those priests who know the scriptures are just like a line of blind men tied together where the first sees nothing, the middle man nothing, and the last sees nothing- Tevijja-Sutta, Dighanikaya, 13:15.

Hinduism, on the other hand believes in the Creator God. This is one of the major differences between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Nastika and Pasanda

In Buddhism, non-Buddhist Dharmas classified as heterodox are known as "Pasanda",

They are called pasanda because they lay out a snare (Be: pasam denti; Ce: pasam oddenti); the meaning is that they throw out the snare of views among the minds of beings. But the Buddha's dispensation frees one from the snare, so it is not called pasanda; the pasanda are found only outside the dispensation.

In Hinduism, different philosophies within Indic traditions are classified by Brahmin priests either as Astika or Nastika, that is, philosophies which either affirm the existence of Brahman or else regarded it as fallible human inventions. According to this tradition, Buddhism is one of Nastika schools by priests since it does not confirm the existence of god.

Conversion

Since the Hindu scriptures are essentially silent on the issue of religious conversion, the issue of whether Hindus evangelize is open to interpretations. Those who view Hinduism as an ethnicity more than as a religion tend to believe that to be a Hindu, one must be born a Hindu. However, those who see Hinduism primarily as a philosophy, a set of beliefs, or a way of life generally believe that one can convert to Hinduism by incorporating Hindu beliefs into one's life and by considering oneself a Hindu. The Supreme Court of India has taken the latter view, holding that the question of whether a person is a Hindu should be determined by the person's belief system, not by their ethnic or racial heritage.

Buddhism allows conversion, a Buddhist is someone who takes refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Refuge should be given by a monk or preceptor. In some traditions monks have the authority to do so by their own teacher. Usually the convert takes the 5 Lay Precepts (of morality) together with the refuges and receives a new Dharma name. Sometimes it is believed that if they break any of the precepts in a significant way later on, their refuge has been lost, but some schools do not follow this interpratation.

Hindu views

Many Hindu scholars are of the opinion that Buddhism should be regarded as "reformed Hinduism", and many Hindus believe that Buddhism, like Vaisheṣhika and Lokāyata, is one of the sects of Sanatana Dharma. According to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Buddha did not look upon himself as an innovator, but only a restorer of the way of the Upanishads.

Hindus revere the Buddha for his utter renunciation (tyaga). In fact, the Bhagavata Purana, considers the Buddha an incarnation of Vishnu. In Hinduism, there can be no higher testament to the Buddha's holiness then this.

Buddha Purnima, a festival celebrating the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most popular Hindu festivals.

In Japan, the Shingon Fire Ritual is derived from Hindu traditions. Hindu political parties like the BJP have also Buddhist members. The Dalai Lama has also visited Hindu events, like for example the VHP's second World Hindu Conference in Allahabad in 1979.

Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda wrote in glowing terms about Buddha, and visited Bodh Gaya several times.

Ananda Coomaraswamy said:-

Hinduism is a religion both of Eternity and Time, while Gautama looks upon Eternity alone. it is not really fair to Gautama or to the Brahmans to contrast their Dharma; for they do not seek to cover the same ground. We must compare the Buddhist ethical ideal with the identical standard of Brahmanhood expected of the Brahman born; we must contrast the Buddhist monastic system with the Brahmanical orders; the doctrine of Anatta with the doctrine of Atman, and here we shall find identity. Buddhism stands for a restricted ideal, which contrasts with Brahmanism as a pars contrasts with the whole.

The systems of Buddhism and Hinduism must not be considered to be either contradictory to one another or completely self contained. Ananda Coomaraswamy wrote:

The more supreficially one studies Buddhism, the more it seems to differ from Brahmanism in which it originated; the more profound our study, the more difficult it becomes to distinguish Buddhism from Brahmanism, or to say in what respects, if any, Buddhism is really unorthodox.

Hindus scholars have also accepted Buddhism as a a fulfillment of Sanatana Dharma philosophy  :-

The relation between Hinduism (by Hinduism, I mean the religion of the Vedas) and what is called Buddhism at the present day, is nearly the same as between Judaism and Christianity. Jesus Christ was a Jew, and Shakya Muni was a Hindu. The Jews rejected Jesus Christ, nay, crucified him, and the Hindus have accepted Shakya Muni as God and worship him. But the real difference that we Hindus want to show between modern Buddhism and what we should understand as the teachings of Lord Buddha, lies principally in this: Shakya Muni came to preach nothing new. He also, like Jesus, came to fulfill and not to destroy.

Buddhist scholars such as, Rahula Walpole wrote that the Buddha was trying to shed the true meaning of the Vedas. Buddha is said to be a knower of the Veda (vedajña) or of the Vedanta (vedântajña) (Sa.myutta, i. 168) and (Sutta Nipâta, 463).

In addition, Indians such as Ashoka the great, Buddhabhadra, Bodhidharma and B.R. Ambedkar took to Buddhism. India also is home to the government of Tibet in exile under Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.

Further reading

• N.N Bhattacharyya: Buddhism in the History of Indian Ideas.
• Chitrarekha V. Kher: Buddhism as Presented by the Brahmanical Systems.
• Coomaraswamy, Ananda Kentish: Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism. Citadel Press, Secaucus NJ, 1988 (1916). -: (with Sister Nivedita): Hindus and Buddhists. Mystic Press, London 1987 (ca. 1911).
• Elst, Koenraad: Who is a Hindu, 2001. Delhi: Voice of India. ISBN 81-85990-74-4
• GOEL, Sita Ram: Samyak Sambuddha. Bhârata-Bhâratî, Delhi 1997 (1957).
• Ram Swarup: Buddhism vis-à-vis Hinduism. Voice of India, Delhi 1983 (1958).
• V. Subramaniam, ed.: Buddhist-Hindu Interactions.
• Gurusevak Upadhyaya: Buddhism and Hinduism.

See also

• Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu
• Dharmic religions
• Quotes on Buddhism by eminent Indians
• Vegetarianism in Buddhism

References

1. From the River of Heaven: Hindu and Vedic Knowledge for the Modern Age by David Frawley
2. Pagan Theology: paganism as a world religion by Michael York
3. An Introduction to Hinduism, "The Origin of Hinduism" on About.com
4. Hinduism and the Clash of Civilizations by David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri)
5. Osborne, E: "Accessing R.E. Founders & Leaders, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism Teacher's Book Mainstream.", page 9. Folens Limited, 2005
6. Klostermaier, K:"A Survey of Hinduism", page 1. SUNY Press, 1994.
7. A.L. Basham, Ed., A Cultural History of India (Oxford 1999) ISBN 0195639219
8. Sir Charles Eliot, Hinduism and Buddhism,Vol. I (London 1954)
9. Buddhism: A fullfillment of Hinduism
10. 'Hinduism and Vegetarianism' by Paul Turner, Mar. 2000.
11. Deity worship site, ISKCON, Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya
12. Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami Maharaja
13. Karma
14. Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi, Chapter 21 ISBN 1565892127
15. Swami Krishnananda on the Guru mitigating the karma of the disciple
16. Understanding Hinduism
17. Dharma, Vocation and Your Life’s Purpose by Dennis Flaherty
18. Sanatana-dharma by Suhotra Swami
19. Bija Mantra The Bija mantra
20. Bhagavad Gita II.22, ISBN 1-56619-670-1
23. Discourses of the Ancient Nuns (Bhikkhuni-samyutta) Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi
24. Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999). The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21972-4. p. 2.
25. ^ "Does Hinduism Accept Newcomers?"
26. Brahmachari Siddheshwar Shai v. State of West Bengal (Supreme Court of India), available at
27. e.g., John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon): Shakti and Shakta. Koenraad Elst: Who is a Hindu (2001). Christian Lindtner: “From Brahmanism to Buddhism”, Asian Philosophy, 1999
28. Radhakrishnan: Indian Philosophy, vol.2, p.469.
29. R.K. Payne: The Tantric Ritual of Japan. Feeding the Gods: the Shingon Fire Ritual., and Koenraad Elst: Who is a Hindu. 2001
30. “Zanskar youth to join BJP”, Organiser, 12-2-1995.
31. McKean, Lise: Divine Enterprise. Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement. Chicago University Press, 1996. Elst, Koenraad: Who is a Hindu (2001)
32. Sister Nivedita: The Master as I Saw Him. Koenraad Elst 2001: Who is a Hindu
33. COOMARASWAMY, Ananda Kentish: Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism. Citadel Press, Secaucus NJ, 1988 (1916).
34. Ellora Concept and Style by Carmel Berkson
35. Speech delivered in Colombo in 1927, quoted by Gurusevak Upadhyaya: Buddhism and Hinduism, p. iii., and Koenraad Elst: Who is a Hindu (2001)
36. Buddhism: A fullfillment of Hinduism

External links

• India and Hinduism: The spirtual tradition
• Gandhi and Lord Buddha

• Comparative Buddhism
• Religious comparison