Introduction to World

Religions and Belief

Systems

Quarter 2 – Week 2 :

Comparative Analysis of
Hinduism, Theravada
Buddhism, and Mahayana
Buddhism

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Explain the uniqueness and similarities of

Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism

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In Hinduism and Buddhism (Mahayana and Theravada), dharma is an integral
concept. In Hinduism, dharma refers to the religious and moral law
governing a person’s conduct. It is also one of the four Hindu goals of
life. For the two Buddhist schools, it may pertain to the cosmic law and
order or to Buddha’s teachings. Apart from the Buddha and the sangha,
the dharma is one of the “Three Jewels” to which Buddhist followers go
for refuge.

Hinduism and Buddhism both originated in India. Hindu followers comprise

80% of India’s population of more than a billion or about 14% of the
world’s population. Meanwhile, there are more than 370 million Buddhists
around the world that represent about 6% of the entire population. Quite
interestingly, while Buddhism began in India, it almost died out as a
living religion in its place of origin (Coogan 2005). Majority of its
followers can be found in China Japan, Korea, and Indochina Peninsula.
The major sects of Buddhism include Theravada and Mahayana schools of
thought.
CONCEPT MAP

DHARMIC RELIGIONS: HINDUISM, MAHAYANA

BUDDHISM, THERAVADA BUDDHISM

Destiny View on
Origin Morality Purpose
Women

ORIGIN

Both Hinduism and Buddhism, two of the world’s great religions, trace
their origin in India. Believed to be the oldest living religion in the
world, the early beginnings of Hinduism with its forms and themes may
have begun around the third millennium B.C.E. (Hopfe 1983). As the
precise time of its founding is very much difficult to determine,
Hinduism evolved and developed during the ancient Indus Valley
civilization. It is widely regarded that both pre-Aryan and Aryan
elements are found in Hinduism (Brown 1975). A timeless religion as it
is and a way of life for its adherents, Hinduism has no precise moment
of origin and no one specific founder or prophet unlike most other world
religions. Throughout its long history, Hinduism became the source of
three other religions, namely, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Buddhism also traces its origins in northern India around the sixth
century B.C.E. as another interpretation of the Hindu belief. This
religion is closely linked to its founder Siddhartha Gautama who is also
referred to as the Buddha or the “Enlightened One.” A son of a Kshatriya
chief, the once affluent Siddhartha abandoned the comfort of his palace
and family as he set to discover the remedy to universal suffering he
observed in this world. After long periods of abstinence and meditation,
he finally reached enlightenment (nirvana) and became known as the
“Buddha” or the “enlightened one.” He preached mainly in the eastern

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part of the Indian subcontinent such as in Magadha and Kosala. About 500
years after Buddha’s enlightenment, a schism within the Buddhist religion
resulted in the emergence of two major branches around the first century
C.E, namely, the Theravada and Mayahana schools of tradition. Both
schools owe their fundamental teachings to the Buddha whose life has
become an inspiration to millions of followers all over the world.

MORALITY

Hinduism is said to be the most tolerant of all religions as there are

numerous ways to manifest one’s set of Hindu beliefs (Hopfe 1983). In
short, the Hindus themselves differ in the manner of practicing their
religion. However, while Hinduism may seemingly lack a cohesive system
of beliefs and practices, most of its adherents hold several key moral
values such as karma and dharma. The concept of karma involves the
accumulation of one’s past deeds that have a direct effect on one’s
present condition. Karma is closely linked to the Hindu belief of
reincarnation (samsara) or the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Bad
deeds, including actions and thoughts, may result in one being born into
an unpleasant circumstance in the next life. On the other hand, good
deeds generate an enjoyable disposition in one’s next life. In short,
karma is the universal law of causality.

The notion of balance and order in this universe is integral to the Hindu
belief. People are born in this world with specific duties to perform
in accordance to their status in society, such as those elements related
to gender and caste. This is the concept of dharma wherein people must
accomplish their tasks so that society can prosper as a whole. Evidently,
dharma is a complex term that could mean law, duty, order, justice, or
norm within Hinduism. To disregard one’s dharma is tantamount to reaping
bad karma that could have an adverse effect in the next life. By
performing one’s dharma correctly, one gains good karma. Essentially,
dharma brings morality and ethics in the Hindu belief system.

While the Buddha embraced the general framework of Indian ideas, he

radically altered many of them (Bowker 1997). Similarly, the cycle of
rebirth persists in Buddhism and succeeding lives may be affected by the
moral laws of cause and effect or karma. Until one has achieved
enlightenment, one’s deed in the present lifetime will affect the course
of future rebirths.

Buddhist moral thoughts and actions are principally guided by the “Four
Noble Truths” formulated by the Buddha, along with the basic guide called
the “Eightfold Paths” that are divided into three categories, namely,
right view, right conduct, and right practice. Unhappiness of life
(dukkha) is principally caused by people’s unending desires. People are
advised to scrutinize their motivations and ponder upon the outcome of
their actions keeping in mind Buddha’s teachings. Anything harmful to
others, in deed and in thought, must always be avoided. The two major
schools of Buddhism, the Theravada and Mahayana sects, follow the “Four
Noble Truths” and the “Noble Eightfold Path.”

PURPOSE

In Hinduism, there are four desirable goals of life (purushartha). All

Hindus aim to achieve the four-fold purpose of life that includes dharma,
artha, kama, and moksha. Dharma means to behave appropriately and act
righteously. In essence, dharma is a path toward a pleasant rebirth

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through fulfillment of one’s destiny that is often defined by class,
family, social status, age, and gender. It also involves paying debts
to gods, fellow humans, and other living beings during their lifetime.
Artha pertains to the pursuit of legitimate worldly prosperity or
material well-being. Wealth must be gained by way of lawful measures.
As one pursues success, dharma must always be kept in mind. Kama refers
to the pursuit of legitimate pleasure as one obtains enjoyment in life,
such as those related to arts, music, and dance. This could also include
satisfaction of one’s desire or sexuality. Moksha is the final meaning
of life that involves enlightenment, self-realization, or union with
god. For the Hindus, this is the most difficult goal of life to
accomplish. While some can accomplish moksha in just one lifetime, others
may take several reincarnations in another physical form just to be
liberated from the cycle of rebirth. While ignorance and illusion hinder
the enlightenment of sentient beings, they can still escape these
bondages. In essence, the main purpose of their life is to obtain release
from the cycle of reincarnation or at least a better rebirth.

In addition to the four goals of life, traditional Hindus often pass the
four stages of life (ashramas). The first stage of Hindu life is that
of being a student (brahmacarya). As a bachelor, he lives in the house
of a guru and studies sacred scriptures under his guidance. The second
stage is that of being a householder (grihastha) wherein he takes in a
wife, raises children, and contributes to the well-being of society
(Brown 1975). During the third stage (vanaprastha), he withdraws to the
forest with his wife as he undergoes meditation to understand the meaning
of life. Finally, the fourth stage (samnyasin) involves renouncing the
world and all its attachments as he now becomes a holy sage. The first
three stages are obligatory in nature while the fourth is only optional
and not all men attain it.

In Buddhism, the principal purpose of one’s life is to terminate all

forms of suffering caused by attachment to impermanent entities, such
as material things, friends, and health. All these do not offer enduring
happiness but sorrow. When one recognizes the impermanence of all these
things, an individual begins to free one’s self from attachment thereby
reducing suffering and ending the cycle of rebirth. Buddha’s teachings
on the “Four Noble Truths” and the “Noble Eightfold Path” form the basic
tenets of all Buddhist sects.

In Theravada Buddhism, the monastic way of life ensures the path toward
enlightenment. For the Buddhist laity, they must first be reborn as monks
for them to be eligible for enlightenment. As members of the laity
perform good deeds, positive karma may bring forth a pleasant condition
in the next life.

In contrast, Mahayana Buddhism offers enlightenment to anyone, not only

for the members of the monastic order, but also for those with families
and secular careers. Moreover, the Mahayana branch of Buddhism attracts
followers because it offers a faster route to enlightenment than the
Theravada sect.

DESTINY

Simply put, the destiny of all Hindus involves reincarnation until such
time they gain ultimate enlightenment. Hinduism believes that within the
human is an eternal soul (atman) that is being reborn millions of times
and in many forms subject to the moral law of karma (Bowker 1997). While

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the soul is immortal and naturally blissful, it could plunge into
darkness because of ignorance and delusion concerning reality. Moral law
enables souls to create their own destiny leading to a pleasurable or
repulsive state of existence. Hindu practices to achieve enlightenment
involves yoga, meditation, proper worship, rituals, devotion to gods and
goddesses, pilgrimage to sacred shrines, and performing one’s duties.
For the Hindus, the idea of an eternal heaven or hell is unfounded as
it does not uphold genuine moral behavior. In fact, the concept of heaven
and hell can be exploited by religious groups just wanting to lure or
scare people.

Meanwhile, Buddhism holds that no soul is being reborn because there is

no permanence in anything (Bowker 1997). The Buddha preached to his
followers to achieve their own salvation conscientiously because
external forces have no control over their life and circumstances. They
control their own fate as they are bound to the law of causality. Buddhist
destiny, therefore, is the direct result of natural law or dharma and
one’s accumulated deeds or karma. Here lies the glaring difference of
Buddhism as a dharmic religion when compared to other world religions
that teach the concept of fate or predestiny. For Buddhist followers,
life and events are not controlled by an all-powerful creator or
universal force.

In contrast to Hinduism and other religions, the Buddhist goal is neither

absorption into Brahman nor union with God. Instead, Buddhists aspire
to reach nirvana or the extinguishing of fires of longing and suffering
(Bowker 1997). When one has achieved nirvana, one has attained the state
of perfect peace wherein attachment, aversion, and ignorance have ceased
once and for all.

In the Theravada school of Buddhism, the trainings on the development

of ethical conduct, meditation, and insight assist in eradicating all
forms of evil in order to acquire goodness and purify the mind. All
worldly things are momentary and impermanent. By following the “Middle
Path” and practicing the basic doctrines of Buddhism, there is a
realization that desire can be terminated and suffering reduced. In the
end, a perfected state of insight can be accomplished. A person who has
attained this position is called an arhat or a “worthy person” who must
be emulated by Theravada Buddhists. Adherents can reach an enlightened
status through their own ways without any assistance from any divine
beings, such as gods or goddesses. With the help of Buddha’s teachings,
the journey toward nirvana becomes possible.

Meanwhile, the Mahayana sect devotes much attention to the bodhisattvas

or “enlightened beings” who delay their own enlightenment for them to
benevolently aid other beings to reach their ultimate end. All beings
can follow the path of the bodhisattvas which is the ideal way for all
Buddhists to live. Well-known in the Mahayana sect are Avalokitesvara,
Manjusri, Ksitigarbha, and Samantabhadra. The Theravada sect only
accepts Maitreya as boddhisatva.

The vow of a bodhisattva is as follows:

“However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them. However

inexhaustible the defilements are, I vow to extinguish them. However
immeasurable the dharmas are, I vow to master them. However incomparable
enlightenment is, I vow to attain it.”

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VIEWS ON WOMEN

The status of women in ancient India leaves much to be desired as they

are always seen as inferior to men in all aspects of life. Restrictions
abound with regard to their daily activities; tending household chores
would be their primary role. Women are to be cared for by their parents
in their childhood days, by their husbands when they marry, and by their
sons when they reach old age. Religious and educational liberties for
women are severely lacking.

Honoring women in Hindu society as a fundamental teaching has been laid

down in one of the supplementary arms of the Vedas, the Manusmriti or
the “Laws of Manu.” Based on this standard book in the Hindu canon, women
must attend ritualistic practices despite the fact that they had no roles
to play in these activities. According to this basic text, the three-
stage pattern for a woman include that a woman child be protected by her
father, a wife must be protected by her husband, and an old woman be
protected by her sons. As a married woman, she must become a good wife
and treat her husband as a god. She must serve and follow him, and pray
for him. She often eats when her husband has finished eating. In return,
a husband must also revere his wife as a goddess. The sacred text adds
that the happiness of the wife is crucial in the stability of the family.

Cases of having several wives also exist in Indian society that naturally
breed hatred and jealousies among the wives. More so, women are not
allowed to remarry after the death of their husbands. Shaving their head
is a requirement to make them unappealing to other interested men. The
most difficult chores are given to widows and they are forbidden to eat
alongside family members. Widows are personification of all the negative
characteristics of a woman, ill-fated and wretched. Widows are brought
to the Indian city of Vrindavan by their families who eventually abandon
them there.

A widow can opt to commit sati or the act of killing herself by jumping
into the funeral pyre of her husband. It is believed that immolating
one’s self assures immense rewards for the family and gives a chance to
the wife to be with her husband in the next life. The practice of sati
has now been banned in India especially with the passage of Sati
(Prevention) Act of 1988 that criminalized any type of involvement in
sati.

On the other hand, women have enjoyed considerable freedom in their

religious life in Buddhism as compared to Hinduism. The Buddha himself
allowed the full participation of women in all major Buddhist rites and
practices. For so long a time when women’s duties were confined to
household and kitchen duties, Buddha radically changed this when he
allowed women to join the monastic order and attain enlightenment in
equal footing with men. In the past, learned women members of sangha
include Dhammadinna, Khema, and Uppalavanna. Fully-ordained Buddhist
female monastic members are bhikkunis.

For the Buddha, men are not always wise and women can also be wise. In
Buddhism, women should not be treated as inferior to men because both
are equally valuable in society. Women as wives and mothers have roles
to fulfill in the family and society. Husbands and wives must equally
share responsibilities in the family with the same zeal. Wives must also
familiarize themselves in trade and business dealings so that they can

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also handle these affairs. Men and women have equal status in Buddhist
societies.

Critical Thinking

1. Why do you think Buddhism gradually died down in India even though
it originated there?
2. How does the concept of reincarnation differ from the concept of
heaven and hell in other religions?
3. How does karma affect one’s destiny in both dharmic religions?
Explain.

ASSESSMENT

B. Compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism using the table provided
below.

HINDUISM BUDDHISM

Origin

Morality

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Purpose

Destiny

Views on women

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REFERENCES

BOOK
Jose, Mary Dorothy dL. and Jerome Ong. Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems
Textbook. Quezon City: Vibal Group Inc.

TEACHERS GUIDE

Most Essential Learning Competencies

SLM from School Division of Negros Oriental Region VII