Hinduism Vs Buddhism Research Paper

This is part two of the exam and I had to use the 7 elements of religion to compare and contrast the ways in which Hinduism and Buddhism are both similar and different in their understanding of and teachings/interactions with animals. So, let’s start off with what are the the 7 elements? The 7 elements are ritual, experiential, narrative, doctrinal, ethical, institutional, material, and the 8th element, supernatural. Rituals are repeated and essential practices. Experiential are emotions/affective conserving mystical union, shamanic trance. Narrative are myth/story/cosmology that are authoritative view of our world and what are placed in it. Doctrinal are intellectual propositions of faith, usually formulated by an elite class. Ethical are

So, Hinduism strongly believes in ‘Atman’, that is found in all beings. It is the soul and ‘Brahman’, the eternity of self (Hinduism 6). Dharma which is the duty to also follow based on caste system, sex, and stage of life (Hinduism 4). In Buddhism, they have no ritual. There is no belief in a personal God besides praying to Buddha. In the other hand, Hinduism worships several gods or goddesses. Some similarities between these two religions are they are really supported with animals. Another cool difference is, that Hinduism wasn’t founded by a particular person, however, Buddhism was founded by Buddha (LeVasseur’s Powerpoint). Both started from somewhere in India. They both believe that animals should be appraise more than they should be. Like the first precept of Buddhism, you don’t injure or kill any forms of life, ranging from the most complex to the most simple (Buddhism 6). Buddhism had 5 things that you knew you shouldn’t do. Not to take a life, not to take what is not given, not to speak falsely, not to indulge in sexual misconduct, and not to indulge in intoxicants which clouds the mind (LeVasseur’s

There is even a monkey god named Hanuman in Hinduism (Hinduism 1). In the Jataka tales, the most represented in this are the monkeys and elephants (Buddhism 1). In Buddhism, killing one of these are is like a sin. I remember in class we discussed in class that meditation is a very common thing in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is called metta, which is like a series of meditation exercises and is the “loving-kindness.” They believe that the truth and spirituality is inward, not out. Another thing that they both have similar, was the whole planet will obtain Enlightenment or nirvana (LeVasseur’s Powerpoint). Nirvana is somewhere that will bring you to happiness and in peace. For example, heaven is a perfect one. Both Buddhism and Hinduism, view the planet as unsatisfactory and a place of both suffering gross (Waldau 208 & LeVasseur’s Powerpoint). Samsara and karma are both very unique things in the Hinduism and Buddhism religion. Samsara is the cycle of a soul just being reborn over and over again. So, you can never die. But in Hinduism, there is something called a Moksa, which lets you escape from samsara (Hinduism 7). The soul will be transfer not in