Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was [allegedly] born in Nepal, and lived and taught in the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent. The Buddha's teaching, Buddhism, originated in what is now Bihar, India during the reign of Maurya Empire.
Since Buddhism and Hinduism originated in ancient India, they share many similarities. Buddhism, however, became a world religion, whereas Hinduism has largely stayed on the subcontinent. The Buddha is mentioned in several of the Puranas (ancient Hindu religious texts), and some Buddhist teachings appear to have been formulated responding to ideas contained in the early Upanishads. - Ahimsa: a Sanskrit word meaning "non-violence" (non-harming) and respect for all life.
Buddha’s dialog of ahimsa in the Lesser Exposition on Karma Discourse (Culakammavibhanga Sutta) was a definitive move against the traditional [cruel animal] sacrificial Vedic rituals of Hindu culture. However, the Upanishadic literature in Hinduism was often critical of the Vedic ritual and emphasized the internal meaning and symbolism of the sacrifice rather than its literal enactment. Ahimsa doctrine was later developed in the Hindu Yajurveda under the Brahmanical culture.
- Karma: meaning one's deeds or actions or activity, which is a central theme of Buddhist teachings.
It is believed that this idea is derived from Hinduism. However, there are apparent inconsistencies regarding this. The Buddhist doctrine of karma is based on the Buddha's direct mystical observations, rather than literary derivations. Hindu seers had their interpretations, which the Buddha seems to have expanded on, clarified, and added to.
- Dharma: this term means "religious or ethical duty"
Both Buddhism and Hinduism believe that beings that live in harmony with dharma precede on towards moksha or nirvana (liberation).
Despite the similarities between the two religions, the major differences are:
- God: The Buddha set an important trend of non-theism [different from atheism] by denying the notion of an omnipotent God.
According to Buddhism, there are gods but a higher reality, but not an ultimate creator God beyond the law of karma or rebirth. Mankind's need for protection and agency [not to mention Buddhist devas or Greek-style demigods], which are psychologically deep-rooted, prompts a need for this belief. However, Hinduism strongly believes in the existence of an ultimate creator God [Brahman] and also believes that gods are reborn as humans to save the earth (avatars or "messiahs").
- Vedas: these Holy Scriptures are followed in Hinduism to acquire the divine Three-Knowledges of life.
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhists believe that Three-Knowledges should be achieved through the process of enlightenment, which the Buddha achieved in the three watches of the night on the night of his Great Enlightenment (mahabodhi). The Three-Knowledges are memory of past lives, seeing the rebirth of others according to their karma, and complete intuitive penetration of the Four Noble Truths and the destruction of spiritual defilements, which fester in the mind/heart (citta) and keep it obscured, defiled, and unenlightened. (This third knowledge is a composite one).
The Four Noble Truths are deep and profound. Understanding them fully (particularly the fourth) is the essence of Buddhist enlightenment. This understanding is not intellectual, however, but rather thorough-going, psychological, and even mystical.
- PROBLEM: All planes of existence are ultimately bound up with uneasiness (dukkha) in one way or another.
- CAUSE: This uneasiness is caused by cravings and attachments of all kinds.
- SOLUTION: This uneasiness ends when craving ends, when one is free of craving, which is achieved by knowledge-and-vision of nirvana, which means reaching the ultimate liberated state of enlightenment (bodhi).
- PATH: Reaching this liberated state is achieved by following the Path rediscovered and laid out by the Buddha.
It is apparent that later Indian religious thought was in turn influenced by Buddhism's new interpretations and novel ideas. The new religion gained prominence on the Indian subcontinent at one time eclipsing all other traditions in India before Hinduism assimilated many of its ideas and teachings and became the de facto state religion (with considerable Islamic and other minorities but almost no Buddhists independent of Hinduism).
Buddhism was eclipsed by a Hindu renaissance and Islam onslaughts in the 13th Century. It then flourished beyond India -- Theravada in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian nations; Vajrayana/Lamaism in the Himalayas (Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, etc.); and Mahayana in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, etc.).
Hinduism and Buddhism now coexist harmoniously in the world and are followed, at least in name, by hundreds of millions of adherents. Buddhism in India survived and is still practiced -- particularly in the Himalayan region such as Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and in the east in what is now Muslim dominated Bangladesh.
