Buddhism vs. Hinduism
Buddhism and Hinduism have a lot in common concept-wise, but the way they interpret them is significantly different, so today I want to compare them across various aspects.
Historic Origins
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in northeast India around the 5th century BCE. It actually rose as a response to dissatisfaction with Hindu practices and beliefs during a time of social change and religious experimentation. Hinduism, however, doesn’t have a single founder or a precise starting date; its roots trace back to the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2nd century BCE).
Perception of Reality: Hinduism
In Hinduism, reality is split into the material (Maya), the individual (Atman), and the ultimate (Brahman).
Maya
Maya refers to the illusion or appearance of the material world. When we look at the world through the senses of our mind, we see multiplicity, and when we enter a higher state of consciousness, we transcend this duality and separateness. The world exists only as a condition of perception. Objects make sense to us in our head (through our senses, our nervous system) only with the qualities we ascribe to them. Outside of it, at the subatomic level, all separate phenomena dissolve into atoms and energy. Because of Maya, we perceive the world in dualistic terms (subject-object), which leads to attachment, desire, and suffering.
We never really encounter the world; all we experience is our own nervous system. ― Deepak Chopra
Atman
Atman is the individual soul in its purest form, the essence of every human being. The ancient sages discovered Atman, or the Self, by exploring the mind and testing each level of awareness by withdrawing consciousness from the body through means of meditation. They found the mind enters a kind of singularity (a state beyond time and change, where life is seen as a whole) in which the sense of separate ego disappears.
The goal of spiritual practice in Hinduism is to become liberated. Liberation (Moksha) occurs when one recognizes the unity of Atman (the Self) with Brahman (the ultimate force) and transcends Maya (the material world)—this realization dissolves the illusion and separateness and ends the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (Samsara).
This in Hinduism is immortality, and thus Atman is an eternal individual soul, one with God, that needs nothing and has everything.
Brahman
Brahman in Hinduism is the equivalent of God. It’s both the eternal source and the essence. According to Hinduism, Brahman (in the form of Atman) resides in each one of us, and through various spiritual practices we must realize this oneness. Brahman is incomprehensible, shapeless, unchangeable, and infinite. It is both immanent and transcendent. Hinduism has multiple paths to achieving liberation: devotion (Bhakti), action (Karma), knowledge (Jnana), and meditation (Raja).
Perception of Reality: Buddhism
Buddhism's perception of reality, although it emerged from Hindu contexts, is quite the opposite. Buddhism rejects the notion of an immortal, omnipresent creator, which is God (non-theistic), finding that the idea of a universal almighty deity is a response to fear and hopelessness and is a distraction from achieving awakening (Nirvana). There are deities in Buddhism, albeit impermanent and not worshipped.
The highlights of Buddhism are impermanence (Anicca), emptiness (Sunyata), interconnectedness (Pratītyasamutpāda), and the non-self (Anatta) nature of reality.
Anicca
In Buddhism, nothing is permanent - all phenomena arise, change, and pass. Failure to accept impermanence leads to attachment, which consequently causes suffering (Dukkha).
Anatta
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism denies the existence of an eternal, unchanging soul. Instead, the soul is a collection of ever-changing physical and mental components called the Five Aggregates (Skandhas) - body, senses, perceptions, mental formations, and conscious awareness. These five elements are believed to give rise to attachment or clinging.
Sunyata
Sunyata is the concept of emptiness, the idea that everything, including the soul, is void of any intrinsic qualities or independent existence - everything arises out of cause and has an effect, signifying interconnectedness and interdependence. Attachment to the inherently transient causes suffering.
Pratītyasamutpāda
We've already touched upon the concept of interconnectedness - all phenomena arise and temporarily exist due to a web of causes and conditions. When those conditions change, they too cease to exist in their previous form.
Samsara & Nirvana
In Buddhism, Samsara is also a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, driven by attachment, desire, and ignorance of the true nature of reality. Liberation or enlightenment/awakening (Nirvana) is achieved by developing non-attachment and overcoming the source of desire that fuels the cycle.
The cessation of suffering signifies the end of the cycle of rebirth. Thus, Nirvana is the escape from Samsara—the realization of the ultimate/transcendental nature of reality without distortion or the illusion of Self. For example, if our default emotions are ignorance, jealousy, greed, lust, etc., that's Samsara; it's a mental state we're stuck in. Once our emotions are purified—meaning those of kindness, love, non-attachment—that's Nirvana.
Important Texts
Hinduism
- Vedas - The word Veda means knowledge; the Vedas are the oldest Hindu manuscripts written in Sanskrit. They are seen as the ultimate, divine revelations (dictated to the sages by Brahman) and for many centuries were passed down orally.
- Upanishads - The Upanishads are the philosophical texts attached to the end of the Vedas. They explore Maya (the material world), Atman (the Self), and Brahman (the ultimate).
- The Bhagavad Gita - Part of the Mahabharata, a 700-verse dialogue between Prince Arjuna and his charioteer Lord Krishna, who embodies Brahman.
- Ramayana and Mahabharata - The two epic poems about heroes, gods, and wars.
- Puranas - The mythological texts that describe the creation of the universe, the gods and goddesses, and the history of the world.
Buddhism
- Tripitaka (Pali Canon) - The most important scripture in Theravada Buddhism, written in Pali. It contains the discourses of the Buddha, philosophical analyses, and the rules for monastic life.
- Mahayana Sutras - A collection of teachings that form Mahayana Buddhism; they introduce the concepts of Sunyata (emptiness) and Bodhisattva (one who delays their enlightenment to help others reach it).
- Dhammapada - A manual for ethical living; a collection of teachings attributed to the Buddha.
- Tibetan Book of the Dead - A guide through the intermediate state between death and rebirth, as well as the journey of consciousness after death.
That's all for now. Regardless of what religious beliefs or philosophical doctrines we adhere to, I think Buddhism and Hinduism are just extremely fascinating fields to explore and broaden our understanding of the world and its order.