Essay about The Seperation of Hinduism and Buddhism

The origins of Hinduism can be traced back to the Vedic traditions of the Indus Valley Civilization (Mittal and Thursby 23) where as Buddhism can be seen as originating from Hinduism, and yet they are seen as two completely different religions. Why? These religions do share some of the same practices, however there are also vast differences. The caste system is a major social institution of Hinduism, but Buddhism rejects the caste system. Buddhism opposes the idea of a soul, while Hinduism perceives the soul as being one with Brahman. Moksha and Nirvana are both the release from saá ¹Æ'sÄ ra, but the pathways to attaining release are dissimilar. One of the major Hindu beliefs that Buddhism rejects is the Caste System, or â€Å"jati† in†¦show more content†¦The interesting thing about Buddhisms repudiation of the caste system is that the Buddha was originally had very high status as a Hindu. In the 6th century BCE, a man named SiddhÄ rtha Gautama, was born in the Kshatriya caste, as a Hindu prince. (Mittal and Thursby 81) SiddhÄ rtha grew up shielded from the outside world, and had everything he could ever desire within his grasp. (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 398) He never knew much of the world until he ventured beyond the palace walls and saw what are now known as the Four Passing Sights. There were an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a religious mendicant. (DKWR 62) This was SiddhÄ rtha’s first exposure to suffering and religious ascetics. He rejected his high status, and left everything behind to discover his way as a forest dweller. (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 398) Eventually SiddhÄ rtha would create a reform group, that would become known as Buddhism and he as the Buddha. Buddhism may not have a caste system, but the religion does have a large monastic order. These monks and nuns are the â€Å"sons and daughters of the Buddha† (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 406). Anyone, despite age or caste can be a Buddhist, worship freely, and join a monastic life style. (Mittal and Thursby 81) In Hinduism you have to be of the upper castes, and there are no specific monastic groups. There are many types of Hindu ascetics who live mostly inShow MoreRelatedAP Human Geography Religion Notes Essay1830 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Religion Unit Essay Notes 1. Secularism began to arise with the seperation of church and state in Europe. A. Why is this so? (Deblij 207, 222-224) Secularism is the indifference to or rejection of formal religion. The most secular countries today are in Europe. Secularism has become more widespread during the past century due to the rise in democracy. Democratic governments disadvantage the traditional practices of a religion because they offer freedom, whereas other forms of government may