No one is completely sure of where Hinduism was started and by whom.



Today, it is the world's third largest religion. Many changes have

come upon Hinduism since they practiced it first. Hinduism includes

many different denominations and beliefs that have arisen. Though

there are many things in common with all of the Hindu sects, their

basic beliefs are what tie them together. Their oldest written

documents, the Vedas, were written down in 1000 B.C. but had existed

orally long before.

The religion of Hinduism teaches us that each living body is filled

with an eternal soul. Hindus say that the individual soul was a part

of the creator spirit, Brahma. It is each soul's job and wish to

eventually return to Brahma. It is not possible because of sins and

impurities from the world; they are no longer pure and holy to return.

The process of becoming pure is so difficult that no soul can

accomplish it in one lifetime. The soul is forced to live life after

life until it is pure enough to return to Brahma. The Hindus call the

cycles of rebirths samsara, or the Wheel of Life. When a soul is

finally cleansed enough to break free of samsara it is called moksha.

The soul returns to Brahma for an eternity of contentment and ecstasy.

There is no one incorporating creed in Hinduism. A follower may choose

any god as their personal god, or may worship several of them.

Although, to be a Hindu there are certain things that a follower must

believe in and live by. These beliefs include a belief in karma,

dharma and reincarnation after death. Also, that there are three main

gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Vedas is also honored for sacredness.

Aside from these three gods, Hindus are truly monotheistic by

believing in a single god. The reason behind this is that everything

comes from Brahman. It does not matter whom the worship is for because

it is ultimately Brahman. Brahman does not reward or punish those for

their deeds in life. All souls create their own rewards and

punishments through karma. Dharma, on the other hand, is the ultimate

commendable balance of all things living. It belongs to everything,

including the universe. Every soul is responsible for balancing their

dharma. The areas to balance in dharma are religious, social, and

within the family. They must keep promises, and remain faithful to

religious rituals, while also taking care of their family. If a soul

loses this balance, then it will affect their karma. Dharma has been

called tradition, duty, and a custom, but to a Hindu it is spiritually

more than that.

The society of Hinduism is strictly divided. The different levels,

castes, do not mingle. The division is largely due to the practices of

dharma and karma. Both practices express the idea that if someone is

born into a specific lifestyle, they must stay there. It would be bad

karma to attempt to leave that lifestyle. Within the caste system,

there are four levels along with two groups that are apart from the

castes. Every caste comes from Brahma, with the highest level being

the Brahmin. This level is the priestly caste, but also included

teachers and keepers or the religion. The next level, the Kshatriyas,

were the kings and soldiers. The third level is the Vaisyas. They

occupy the jobs of merchants, artisans, and farmers. The fourth and

final caste is Sudras. These people are the manual workers,

represented by Brahma's feet. It is considered a sin to associate with

people of a lower caste than you. So each caste is made up of a

different level of the society.

There are also two groups outside the caste system. One group is for

foreigners. They might be a nonbeliever or anyone who receives special

treatment from the Hindu society. The second outcaste group is known

as the Untouchables; these people are considered nonhuman and cannot

participate in any Hindu practices. They do the work no one wants to

do and do no associate with anyone that is of a higher caste.

Siddartha Gautama founded Buddhism and became the Buddha. His

intentions were not to form a new religion, only to modify an older

one. Brahmanism, or Hinduism, had become very mainstream. Siddartha

was a minor king of northern India. He ventured outside the palace

walls one day and saw how life really was. Inspired, Siddartha left

his home, and family to discover the meaning of life. For years he

listened to and studied with the Indian wise men; he then turned to

meditation. Discouraged by not finding the answer he desired, he sat

under a fig tree for 49 days. When the answer finally came to him, he

became Buddha. Therefore, Buddhism was founded.

Buddhism is a reformed version of Hinduism. Buddha discovered the Four

Noble Truths, which are the foundation for all forms of Buddhist

philosophy. There is suffering, suffering is caused, eliminating the

causes of suffering can extinguish suffering and the way to extinguish

the causes of suffering is to follow the Middle Way stated in the

Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path also comes from Buddha; it teaches to practice

moderation. If followed, one may achieve true enlightenment, or

nirvana. Nirvana is reaching Brahma in one lifetime. Buddha believed

that you could live a perfect life and not have to continue in the

samsara. The basic way to this is the Eightfold Path, which says to

practice moderation by having the right mind set, actively wanting to

eliminate suffering, not lying, insulting or causing suffering with

words. Also, to have the right conduct, means of livelihood,

endeavors, mindfulness and meditation. Buddhists believe that if you

follow this you will be enlightened.

Many Buddhist beliefs are almost the same as a Hindu's. Buddhists do

not practice the caste system. One of the only ways to achieve nirvana

in one lifetime is to be a monk or a nun. If you break an area in the

Eightfold Path, then you cannot achieve nirvana. Also, in order to

follow the 4th part of The Eightfold Path, all Buddhists are

vegetarians. Killing of an animal is seen as causing suffering. Like

the Hindus, an animal has a soul.

Despite all the talk about suffering, Buddhism is really about the

absence of suffering. Buddhism is a way to develop the ability to love

the entire universe, simply because it is. By understanding that the

universe exits inside a blade of grass, just as the blade of grass

resides within the universe. All things are inter-connected.

Both Hinduism and Buddhism accept and believe that there is one

creator spirit. Each of them recognizes Brahma or a version of Brahma

as the creator spirit. Though they also recognize other gods, Brahma

is the ultimate god. All praise goes to him, no matter which god you

are praising. This is a significant similarity between the two

religions.

The two religions of Hinduism and Buddhism believe in the process of

reincarnation. Reincarnation is being reborn again with one soul.

Inside this belief, they also believe that your deeds, or activities,

during your life will determine where you will end up. If you have

lived a good life, you will be rewarded by another good life, or you

might be allowed finally to rejoin with Brahma. If you've led a bad

life, you will remain on earth longer, and most likely have a bad life

when you are reborn.

In the religion of Hinduism there are castes, or social classes. They

decide what your lifestyle will be like in that lifetime. If you are

born a slave, you must stay a slave your whole life. Or, if you are

born a wealthy man or woman that is what you must be all of your life.

To the Hindus, it is a sin to try to change what caste you belong to,

as well as to associate with a person from a caste that is lower than

yours.

On the other hand, the teachings of the Buddha did away with the caste

system. A person is allowed to change their social class. If they

follow the Eightfold Path, then this is permissible. It is an honor to

be a monk or a nun, for they are the ones who can achieve nirvana.

Buddhists also will mingle with those of less importance then

themselves.

Hinduism teaches that you must go through samsara in order to finally

reach moksha. They do not believe that a soul can totally cleanse

itself of all impurities in just one life. It is a gradual process

involving dharma, balancing one's life, and karma, weighing the deeds

of a lifetime. Meanwhile, the Buddha again went and brought question

to samsara. He found that it is possible to cleanse oneself in one

lifetime and return to Brahma; he called it nirvana. In order to

achieve nirvana, a Buddhist must follow and accept The Four Noble

Truths, and the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path serves as an

instructional guide as how to keep oneself on the right path to

nirvana.

Hinduism and Buddhism also have several smaller differences. The area

of greatest concentration for Hinduism is India. India is where

Buddhism originated, but Hinduism eventually was a more appealing

religion and became dominant. Buddhism is found mostly in East Asia,

inside China and Mongolia. These areas prefer having small gods, as

opposed to the Hindus only having three major ones and then smaller,

less important gods. Buddhism was founded by Suddartha Gautama, or the

Buddha. Hinduism was started gradually; no one knows for sure who

founded it; most likely, it was many people. Both practice meditation,

but

they practice it in different forms. A Hindu will meditate obtaining

inner peace through the charkras of the body. Once all of the charkras

have been balanced, a white light is said to be above the person's

head, and they are enlightened. Buddhists meditate similarity, but

have different variations of how it is preformed; their main goal is

to end suffering.

The two religions of Buddhism and Hinduism are very alike, and yet

very different. To accept their way of thinking, one must put aside

their own religion. They strive for an inner peace, and finally to

reach heaven through either moksha or nirvana. I being a Christian,

have found in some ways it hard to understand the process of

reincarnation, and Brahma. Though, I can see how that for people of

another culture, these religions are very supportive, and soothing.

Culture plays a big part in determining your beliefs. Obviously, they

are very deep-rooted for surviving longer than Christianity. I admire

their strong faith and their desire to become pure and unblemished.

Hinduism and Buddhism are two major religions, firmly planted in their