Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism are two very different religions, but both have many of their followers living in Asia. Hinduism has more followers than Buddhism. Hinduism has about one billion followers and Buddhism has about three hundred million. Almost all Hindus live in India. 905 million of the one billion followers live in India. Although, most Buddhists live in Asia, it is more widespread than Hinduism. Buddhism was formed by one single person named Siddhartha Gautama. Hinduism was not formed by one single person. Hinduism is the third oldest religion after Christianity and Islam. According to the scriptures, a few moments after Buddha was born he walked, talked, and even performed miracles. The Hindu religion has literally hundreds of gods. The Buddhists don’t believe in a god. They believe in the morals and teachings taught by Buddha himself. Some don’t even consider Buddhism to be a real religion because its believers don’t believe in a divine being. Many Hindus believe animals are sacred and that vegetarianism is very important.

Also, most of the Hindu gods are animals. Both Hindu and Buddha limit the freedom of women, but a Buddhist woman has more freedom than a Hindu woman. According to Buddha all sentient beings are equal and have an equal chance for enlightenment. According to the Hindu rules and traditions the woman of the house must take care of the house, be clever, never get angry at their husband, and she must have only one husband. Even if her first husband dies, she cannot remarry. If a Hindu woman commits adultery, she must be burned to death and all of her belongings given to the husband. The concept of suffering and reincarnation are common in both religions. Hindus believe that life has no ultimate significance but is part of a much larger unending cycle of life and death. This cycle is believed to be meaningless until one dwells in Brahman forever after the quest for the realization of truth. Hindus believe in reincarnation, transmigration, and successive births.

In conclusion, both of these religions have a lot in common but also have a lot of differences in beliefs, culture, and traditions.