Introduction
Hinduism and Buddhism are two philosophies that originated in India and have various similar conceptualizations. However, these notions differ in terms of definitions, goals, practices, and objectives. This paper will examine the differences in such concepts as samsara, nirvana, karma, and rebirth as perceived by Buddhists and Hinduists. It is inevitable that all the hypotheses mentioned prior persist in both teachings. Furthermore, both religious philosophies are highly reliant on every idea that will be discussed in the comparison study. However, several contrasting points suggest that they differ from one another based on the overall scope and method of achieving the ultimate philosophical goal. In order for the differences to be highlighted, relevant literature will be examined and used in the text for reliable reference. Samsara, karma, rebirth, and nirvana exist in both philosophies and are some of the main concepts in Hinduism and Buddhism. However, certain aspects of all of the mentioned teachings differ due to the overall belief system that does not correlate on all levels. This paper aims to find how they contrast, what the inevitable differences are, and what is the basis for the distinctions.
Samsara
Samsara is one of the concepts present in both Buddhist and Hinduism teachings. According to researchers, it refers to the change that happens every day and with every person (Molloy, 2021). The essential notion of samsara is the cyclical nature of the world and everything that it includes. However, it is vital to illustrate the importance of life and death cyclicity in order for the contract to be highlighted. Based on Buddhistic teachings, once a person’s life ends, rebirth allows for a continuation. Furthermore, this continuation is not the preservation of the soul but rather certain emotions, senses, and experiences that one goes through during a lifetime. Once the physical body dies, samsara does not include the migration or the periodicity of the sense of self since it is temporary. Thus, samsara is a more drastic change due to the complete change of consciousness, or rather, its transformation into something completely new and pure.
On the other hand, Hinduism is based on the continuation of the soul. The contrasting aspect of samsara in both cases differs due to the notion of a soul or its inexistence. While in the case of Hinduism, samsara is the cyclical rebirth of the soul that remains unchanged, Buddhism teaches that samsara is the transformation of a person into something else. The difference is illustrated in the Hindu belief in Atman (self) and the Buddhist Anatman (absence of self) (Astore, 2021). Since one theory refers to the cyclicity of the soul while the other one is based on the periodicity of general existence, this is the difference between the two. Thus, samsara illustrates the permanent sense of self in one case and does not in the other one.
Nirvana
Nirvana is the state of complete happiness that one can attain through different practices. Similar to samsara, nirvana is another idea present in both religions. Khan and Aigerim (2020) point out that the Buddhist nirvana and the Hindu moksha are identical in terms of definition but not when it comes to concepts. The term is used as an illustration of the ultimate goal of ending suffering in the case of Buddhism and enlightenment in the case of Hinduism. This is again highlighted by the presence or inexistence of the soul highlighted earlier.
In Buddhism, nirvana is closely tied to the realization that the soul does not exist and emptiness has to be accepted as the only way towards liberation and happiness. On the other hand, Hinduism teaches that in order for one to achieve a state of nirvana (moksha), one must accept the soul for the endless rebirth cycle to end and piece to be achieved as an ultimate goal within the entire philosophy. The main contrasting point is that Bubbhists view nirvana as a denial of all emotions and feelings, while Hindus view it as their acceptance. Furthermore, there are distinctions when it comes to nirvana as a goal which refers to the end of suffering or moksha as a way out of the eternal life and death cycle.
Karma
Karma is the notion that illustrates how each action has a consequence. However, there are differentiations when it comes to what influences karma or its purification. It is inevitable that due to the fact Buddhism is a philosophy based on the lack of a creator or God, karma is solely dependent on how one lives and the actions that lead to results based on prior behavior (Harvey, 2019). Thus, a person’s karma is the result of the physical actions that externalize the intrinsic intentions, and no supernatural being can either influence or mitigate the deeds. On the other hand, White et al. (2018) illustrate that Hinduism teaches karma and the belief in God are strongly related. Thus, the philosophy does not deny divine interventions when it comes to individual actions.
Hindu Karma is a concept that does not only depend on the person in question but can also be influenced through the interference of higher powers. In case a person aims to please the creator through actions and devotion, divine grace has the ability to purify and grant forgiveness. Thus, karma can be altered by two beings, by the person and by God. This contrasts with Buddhist beliefs that only the individual can influence karma with personal decisions, actions, and intentions. The argument highlights the intrinsic differences between the same term in both belief systems.
Rebirth
Rebirth, similarly to samsara, highlights the cyclicity of life. As mentioned prior, Buddhists do not believe in the existence of an eternal soul, which is not the case in Hinduism teachings (Astore, 2021). Rebirth and reincarnation are contrasting notions in the two philosophies. While Hinduism teaches that the soul migrates once a person dies and appears in another body without suffering alteration, this is not the case in Buddhism. Since nothing is permanent, the sense of self disappears once the individual dies, and only specific experiences and emotions remain present. Thus, rebirth is a more highlighted concept for Buddhists because the soul does not have a cyclical nature and death of the body does not correlate with the remaining of the self.
It is inevitable that rebirth illustrates the birth of something new that did not exist in its primary form prior to its new appearance. On the other hand, reincarnation is a term more essentially conceptualized in the Hinduism viewpoint since the sense of self does not disappear but instead migrates to another living organism (Kumar & Lethonen, 2020). Thus, reincarnation, on the one hand, is the eternal cyclical nature of the soul, and on the other hand, it is the rebirth that suggests the temporary substance that a person’s sense of sense represents.
Conclusion
It is certain that Buddhism and Hinduism have similar concepts that still contrast based on their definitions and ultimate goals. The four seemingly identical notions that are at the core of both philosophies are samsara, nirvana, karma, and rebirth. In regards to samsara, both definitions illustrate the cyclicity of life. However, a major difference is the existence of a periodical soul in the Hinduist overview and a lack of it in Buddhist teachings. Hinduism highlights that the soul migrates once a person dies, which Buddhism refers to as the ephemeral nature of self that does not persist throughout time and space.
Nirvana is another theoretical idea that exists in both Buddhism and Hinduism. In Buddhism, nirvana is achieved through the denial of the soul, emotions, and other human traits that lead to suffering. Nonetheless, moksha, which is synonymous with karma, is achieved through acceptance of self and enlightening. There are also differences in the notion of karma in the two viewpoints. While Buddhists believe that one’s karma is solely dependent on the person’s actions and intentions, Hinduism includes the influence of God alongside the individual’s personal decisions. Thus, the two contrasting factors are karma as personal responsibility or a two-sided influence of the individual and God. Moreover, rebirth or reincarnation also differs based on the philosophical overview. For Buddhists, a person is rebirthed due to the inexistence of a soul as a permanent substance. On the other hand, Hinduists view rebirth as reincarnation since the soul is permanent and it migrates once the physical body passes away. These are some of the differences between the two teachings that often use the same concepts and terminology for different philosophical ideas.
References
Astore, R. A. (2021). With or without the self? Arguments in favor of the Hindu concept of the Atman over the Buddhist understanding of the Anatman. Conatus, 6(1), 9. Web.
Harvey, P. (2019). Buddhism and monotheism. Elements in Religion and Monotheism. Web.
Khan, K. A., & Aigerim, D. (2020). A comparative study on Buddhism and Hinduism: A critical review. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(5), 2829–2834.
Kumar, K., & Lethonen, T. (2020). The self, karma and rebirth. Journal of Indian Philosophy and Religion, 25, 3–63. Web.
Molloy, M. (2021). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change. McGraw-Hill Education.
White, C. J., Norenzayan, A., & Schaller, M. (2018). The content and correlates of belief in karma across cultures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(8), 1184–1201. Web.