Hinduism is a very popular religion in India, being that it could possibly be the oldest religion of all time and originated in India, the Hindu population in India is 80%. With Hinduism being such a popular religion, it competes with Christianity and Islam at 900 million followers of Hinduism worldwide (Miksic, 10). As for the popularity of Buddhism, it is not nearly as prevalent as Hinduism is, even in India. A very important attribute to Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system is comprised of five levels that each Hindu is born into and cannot switch out of or marry into another. These levels include the Brahmans, who are the highest caste and include priests, scholars and other professionals, Kshatriyas, who are typically known as the warriors and take authoritarian jobs such as police officers and other law enforcement positions, then are the Vaishyas, who are the merchants and agricultural laborers, Shudras, who are artisans and other providers of service, then we get to the lowest caste, which are the Periahs, also known as the untouchables who cannot look other in the eye and take janitorial jobs and other jobs dealing with filth and death (Miksic, pg 6).
Buddhism was adopted and adapted to in Southeast Asia in various different methods, starting with those of the Tibetans, who developed their own form of Buddhism, after being introduced to it in the centuries before. This new form of Buddhism which will be a widely practiced form of Buddhism in later periods known as Mahayana Buddhism. From Tibet, Mahayana spread throughout the Himalayas and the difference between Mahayana and other forms of Buddhism is that it encompassed India's full history of the Mahayana's development.
In Gandhara, modern-day Pakistan, the i...
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As the people became involved in long-distance trade and settled down, they started to convert to Buddhism. Various forms of it spread to Southeast Asia due to their native beliefs (Haywood 27). Rulers liked the idea of themselves being gods and elites liked the idea of karma where they were rewarded based on their morality from a past life. Religion could not spread in Central Asia because of its dependence on a written language (Strayer
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
“Early Chinese tradesman started to hear of the wonderful teachings coming out of India and curiosity in Buddhism was aroused in China.” Buddhism developed into two major forms of theology after the spread of the teachings and practices. Theravada Buddhism was considered the form that was developed in India and Mahayana was considered the form that developed in China. “Theravada’s adherent followed more literally the teachings of the historic Buddha, while the followers of Mahayana more freely adapted the Buddha’s
Hinduism and Buddhism There are many religions that are practiced around the world, especially in Asia where there are eight different religions being practiced. In the country of India, Buddhism and Hinduism are the main religions that are practiced today. Buddhism and Hinduism were both founded in Asia, but they were founded by two different people and practiced in two different ways and languages. Buddhism is a living tradition that is passed down from teacher to student as a set of instruction and techniques for sanity and brilliance in the inner self and the world. Hinduism is more based on the thoughts and attitude about one’s everyday life, and reflects in his actions.
...m were started from nothing but grew into two of the largest religions in the world. The reasons why Buddhism succeeded in spreading to other countries and people are different from the reasons Christianity spread. Buddhism spread because it adapted to what the people wanted and needed. When the numbers began to dwindle, a new form of Buddhism was there, adapted into what would attract new people, and succeeding at it.
Today both religions are still greatly worshiped and have millions of followers. Buddhism and Hinduism are connected in many ways and still continue to flourish after many, many centuries.
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities and many differences. Both believe in Samsara and Karma. They both acknowledge that desire is the root cause of suffering, and also detachment helps human being to better themselves, and meditation allows us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. More importantly both religions begin in Indian. Buddhism does not believe Hindu’s gods are as powerful as Buddha. Hinduism is not founded by man; however, Buddhism is established by Buddha. This two religions are popular in many Southeast Asia counties; such as, India, Japan, Nepal, and China. This religions also exists among significant populations outside of those counties. Hinduism has over nine hundred follower worldwide; on the other hand,
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
Many of the influences of Tibetan Buddhism came from India thousands of years ago. There were four phases leading up to the Tantric practice that is known today. 560 B.C.E. to 480 B.C.E. marked the first stage, the life of Siddharta Gautama, who Tibetans believe to be the original Buddha. The legend of the Buddha is that he was conceived in ...
Most of Southern Asia is centered upon one religion, it’s Hinduism. With 900,000,000 followers, there are 780,000,000 in India. That’s an insane amount of people, and they all believe and practice this religion. There are many aspects and guidelines that you must follow in order to receive the fullest achievement and not be a disgrace to the people. The following will be what Hinduism is, the rules and elements, and their way of life.
Huge population, pollution, peace, snakes, saris, dance, curry, and religion are probably the most popular words that come up when we think about India. India is a well-known country. Although it is a relatively poor country, it has a rich and diverse culture. India is populated by approximately 953 million people. It has been a home for many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity. The first four mentioned above originated in India (Finegan 151). Seventy percent of the populations are Hindus. In fact, Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion in the world. Hinduism has deeply influenced Indian society, for several reasons: it has a long history in this place, it is related to the social status of Indians, and it is integrated with the cultural aspects in India.
Hinduism is the 3rd most popular religion in the world followed by Buddhism, together they are followed by 22 percent of the world’s population. These two religions are alike in many ways, and are tied together by Asia, where they have deep roots in its culture and history. Although Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways, very important and large differences separate the two. No one and nothing can ever truly prove either religion is better than the other because that is up to personal beliefs and opinions, but many more people around the world prefer Buddhism over Hinduism because of its beliefs and practices.
Hinduism was originated in India, it then spread to many different places including Southeast Asia. It gave rise to famous political and religious centers at Angkor and many other places. There are ruins of Wat Angkor and Prebanan temple in Central Java and many of those countries were ruled by Hindu empires. The decline of Hinduism was mostly because other religions were growing rapidly and Hinduism was based off of the caste system. Right now it is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world and can be traced as far back as to the second millennium BC. Today, there are very few Hindu’s left in Southeast Asia apart from the island of Bali, Indonesia. Even though India was the birthplace of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, the main religion is Hinduism. Since it is the leading religion, most Indian people vote for Hindu Sheik, so if you’re not Hindu, most likely you will lose the election because Indian people most of the time only votes for Hindu leaders.
History proves that as Buddhism spread throughout the Asian world in the early 1st century, it was occasionally altered to fit the specific needs and beliefs of people it touched. Mahayana Buddhism is one such example of this gradual evolution. It was primarily a movement started and kept alive by monks that slowly gained popularity amongst lay people but was in no way a unified movement. Mahayana Buddhism still adheres to the basic fundamental beliefs presented in the Pali Canons, however, it Sutras often expand upon these basic ideas and traditions in order to answer the questions of a later generation. After closer study of the Mahayana texts the “A Sutra for Long Life” and “The World Universe as a Sutra”, it seems evident that, although Mahayana Buddhism is based on the teachings of the traditional Pali Canon, it places a larger emphasis on philosophical inquires; and ultimately creates a more accessible version of enlightenment, and the Buddhist faith in general, for all.