While often deemed highly similar, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism differ greatly in many of their core values and practices. The most significant differences lie in their stances on whether or not an all-powerful god is in existence. While the Hindu faith consists of millions of gods, most Hindus focus their worship on one all-encompassing god or objective Oneness, therefore making the religion henotheistic. However, because Hinduism is so internally diverse, some groups are atheistic in their views, similarly to Jains and most Buddhists. Some Buddhists, however, do consider the Buddha as the ultimate divine being and worship buddhas and other various divinities in methods similar to those found in Hindu worship. Furthermore, the religions
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Reincarnation plays a huge part in the belief systems of each religion. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism all believe in rebirth after death, and place responsibility on the individual in order to achieve liberation from this endless cycle. However, Buddhism teaches that there is no permanent soul and doesn’t put emphasis on the “self.” Its primary focus is on attaining spiritual enlightenment (nirvana) and eliminating all mental suffering, thus dispelling the illusion of existence. Contrastively, the main objective of Hinduism is to suppress desire and therefore be liberated from reincarnation. The primary goal of Jainism is to avoid all violence and - like Hinduism - to reach moksha. All three religions - to some extent - practice non-violence and extreme self-denial, especially monks and nuns. But there are some disagreements about their belief …show more content…
Hindus live by the caste system, and it is of profound significance to the Hindu faith. Contrastively, the Jains view the caste system as more of a social institution rather than a religious one. Unlike their Hindu counterparts, Jain castes receive equal treatment, and one level is not more socially prestigious than the other. Jains also do not believe that an individual is assigned to his caste based on his past life and make no religious connections with the caste system. Buddhists reject the system altogether based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha who openly spoke against the caste system and social supremacy of the
Reincarnation plays a huge part in the belief systems of each religion. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism all believe in rebirth after death, and place responsibility on the individual in order to achieve liberation from this endless cycle. However, Buddhism teaches that there is no permanent soul and doesn’t put emphasis on the “self.” Its primary focus is on attaining spiritual enlightenment (nirvana) and eliminating all mental suffering, thus dispelling the illusion of existence. Contrastively, the main objective of Hinduism is to suppress desire and therefore be liberated from reincarnation. The primary goal of Jainism is to avoid all violence and - like Hinduism - to reach moksha. All three religions - to some extent - practice non-violence and extreme self-denial, especially monks and nuns. But there are some disagreements about their belief …show more content…
Hindus live by the caste system, and it is of profound significance to the Hindu faith. Contrastively, the Jains view the caste system as more of a social institution rather than a religious one. Unlike their Hindu counterparts, Jain castes receive equal treatment, and one level is not more socially prestigious than the other. Jains also do not believe that an individual is assigned to his caste based on his past life and make no religious connections with the caste system. Buddhists reject the system altogether based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha who openly spoke against the caste system and social supremacy of the