Hinduism and Buddhism Are Two Term Paper

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The responsibilities of one's current caste also constitute the dharma which will further advance or punish one in your next life. In other words, exceeding one's dharma in not only unnecessary, but in all probability will hurt your dharma, causing you to fall into a lower caste in your next life. This intertwining of social strata with religion creates a fatalism derived from inevitable destiny, guilt complexes of past life caste determination, a philosophy of acceptance, and fear of punishment for transcending one's dharma.. Both religions maintain a broad perspective of religious worship; however,. Hinduism is polytheistic while Buddhism maintains no structured belief in an independent, sentient god-like entity (especially in human form).

Both religions believe in a system of reincarnation, and both religions emphasize the community over the self. The major rift between the two religions seems to stem from the role of social structure in the two religions. Hinduism's caste system perpetuates a fatalism and apathy toward social rights and advancement while reinforcing the ruling establishment. Buddhism concentrates on the individual's release from suffering, implying no overriding social definition.

Concepts of reincarnation and Nirvana

Both Buddhism and Hinduism have their ultimate goal the perfection of the individual. (Smith, 1958, 22). Buddhism concentrates not on the society, but on the individual, thus divorcing religion from the interests of the ruling stratum. The pessimism of Hindu reincarnation is replaced by a more optimistic and less fatalistic cycle. One is no longer born into a position due to past inequities. Although Buddhism does see life as pain and suffering and reincarnation as a renewal of this suffering, there is a potential escape.

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If one renounces his attachment to desire and self, Nirvana, or escape from the cycles of suffering, is possible. The most important aspect of Nirvana, however, is its unrestricted access to people of any social background. In other words, although a Hindu "untouchable" cannot possibly advance in this life through any extraordinary effort of his own, any Buddhist can achieve Nirvana through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, realizations of the essence of suffering and the methods to remove all suffering.

Conclusion

Buddhism also seems to be less ritualistic, culture-specific and deity-dependent than Hinduism. The lack of an artificial "diety" to instill purpose in a religion's followers makes Buddhism significantly different, and more advanced, than Hinduism. In this light, Hinduism becomes a tremendous force for stagnation, eliminating the initiative for progress in a philosophy of acceptance which breeds an apathy for social justice. Such a pervasive philosophy becomes an asset to the status quo and ruling stratum, stabilizing the social structure at the expense of individuals.

Hinduism, since it is based on the concept of a caste system, has not had much success taking root outside of South Asia; however, such Hindu beliefs, such as the concept of reincarnation and yoga, have become popular in the West. On the other hand, Buddhism, especially in its Zen Buddhist form, has had a profound influence on Western culture via the Beat movement. Many towns in the United States, especially on the West Coast, have Buddhist temples and the Dalai Lama is, after the Pope, the most influential religious leader in the world......

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