Similarities Between Confucianism And Buddhism

Confucianism and Buddhism Compared

The belief systems of Confucianism and Buddhism share compelling commonalities such as the very factors upon which they were founded, as well as many of the obligations and requirements for followers of the philosophy of Confucianism and the Buddhist religion. Nonetheless, Confucianism and Buddhism diverge greatly when it comes to women’s rights and gender roles.

At around 500 B.C.E both Confucianism and Buddhism were created by Confucius, and Siddhartha Gautama, respectively who were both experiencing similar situations which factored into the creation of their popular belief systems. Just years before Siddhartha Gautama created Buddhism, he was feeling the intense burden of suffering throughout society. To seek the root of this suffering, Siddhartha became an ascetic. When he became displeased with asceticism, and the unnecessary suffering it caused, Gautama created Buddhism; the middle way. Around the same time, Confucius, feeling the weight of a similar burden caused by an unending state political turmoil and the suffering it caused, sought to bring peace, order,

and education to the people of China with his philosophy of Confucianism. Both Confucius and Siddhartha Gautama started preaching their ways through constant education. Due to the similar factors of their respective origins, these two belief systems embodied many similar principles that shaped Asia’s world for centuries to come.
As a result of these similar principles in Buddhism and Confucianism, followers and adherents of these similar belief systems faced comparable obligations and requirements.

While Buddhists believed in Nirvana, an afterlife, Confucianists spent little to no time worrying about the afterlife. that being the case, both systems were primarily targeted toward organizing life into an efficient and harmonious society. Confucianists followed a system that described five key relationships that must always be respected. Similarly, Buddhists followed The Eightfold Path. Both of these systems, if followed correctly, harbored an efficient society. Followers of Buddha would also write down Buddha’s teachings in order to preserve them for generations to come. These requirements were the force that molded the political systems, social systems and Asian history as we know it

today.
The primary diversion point between Confucianism and Buddhism is the vast difference in women's rights and gender roles between the two belief systems. While Buddhism allowed women to be almost equal to men, Confucianism gave a distinct disadvantage to women. In the five key relationships the third relationship shows that husbands were superior to their wives. Aside from wives, other women are not even mentioned in these five key relationships, further proving women’s non-superior social status. Just this belief alone promised the creation of a patriarchal society. Because of Siddhartha Gautama’s breaking up of the caste system, women were granted the gift of equality and social mobility. This was not the case in caste-centric Confucianism. While under no circumstances were Confucianist women to be granted real positions of power or bureaucracy, this was not the case at all in the more egalitarian Buddhist system. All across the Confucianist world, women are still feeling the effects of this age old discrimination in today’s times.
The belief systems of Confucianism and Buddhism share compelling commonalities such as the very factors upon which they were founded, as well as many of the obligations and requirements for followers of the philosophy of Confucianism and the Buddhist religion. Nonetheless, Confucianism and Buddhism diverge greatly when it comes to women’s rights and gender roles. Overall, the similar belief systems were driven together due to the fact that their similar founding factors were nearly identical.