Learn: Hinduism and Buddhism: Key Concepts, Figures, and Practices

Hinduism — Problem

Samsara/cycle of rebirth

Hinduism — Solution

Moksha

Hinduism — Technique

Yoga/margas

Hinduism — Exemplar

Krishna

Buddhism — Problem

Suffering caused by craving/attachment

Buddhism — Solution

Nirvana/liberation

Buddhism — Technique

Noble Eightfold Path

Buddhism — Exemplars

Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Lamas

Theravada

Mostly Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia; Arhat ideal

Mahayana

Mostly East Asia; Bodhisattva ideal

Vajrayana

Mostly Tibet/Himalayan regions; tantric/esoteric practices

Religious Timeline

Vedic Religion → Classical Hinduism → Buddhism

Hindu Soul

Atman; rebirth continues through samsara

Buddhist Soul

Anatman; no permanent soul/self; rebirth continues through karma

Religious Studies

Academic study of religion

New Religious Movement (NRM)

A newer religious movement with beliefs/practices that differ from established traditions

"cult"

A pejorative term; NRM is the preferred term

Vedic Religion

Vedas, sacrifice, priests, gods, cosmic order

Classical Hinduism

Karma, samsara, moksha, atman, yoga, devotion

Vedic and Classical Hinduism Similarity

Classical Hinduism developed from the Vedic tradition

Buddha's First Sermon

Middle Way, Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path

Agni

Vedic god of fire

Anatman

No permanent self/soul

Arhat

Person who attains liberation

Asramas

Four stages of Hindu life

Atman

Hindu self/soul

Avatar

Manifestation/incarnation of a deity

Axis Mundi

Connection between different cosmic realms

Bhakti Marga

Path of devotion

Bodh Gaya

Place Buddha became enlightened

Bodhisattva

Being who seeks enlightenment while helping others

Brahman

Ultimate reality

Brahmin

Priest/social class

Brahma

Hindu creator deity

Buddha

Enlightened One; Siddhartha Gautama

Cosmogony

Explanation of the origin of the universe

Dalit

Historically marginalized group outside the traditional varna system

Deva/Devi

God/goddess

Dharma — Hindu

Duty, moral order, proper way of living

Dharma — Buddhist

Buddha's teachings

Dualism

Belief in two fundamentally different principles

Dukkha

Suffering/unsatisfactoriness

Experiential-Expressive Definition

Religion based on religious experience and expression

Family Resemblances

Religions share overlapping similarities rather than one defining trait

Four Noble Truths

Suffering, cause, end of suffering, path

Four Sights

Old man, sick man, corpse, wandering ascetic

Functional Definition

Religion defined by what it does

Guru

Spiritual teacher

Henotheism

Worship of one god without denying other gods

Hierophany

Manifestation of the sacred

Indra

Major Vedic god; becomes Sakka in Buddhism

Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient civilization in the Indian subcontinent

Intellectual Definition

Religion defined by beliefs and ideas

Jataka Tales

Stories of Buddha's past lives

Jnana Marga

Path of knowledge

Karma

Actions and their consequences

Karma Marga

Path of action/duty

Kirtan

Devotional singing/chanting

Krishna

Major Hindu deity and figure in the Bhagavad Gita

Kushinagar

Place Buddha died and entered Parinirvana

Lumbini

Place Buddha was born

Mahadevi

The Great Goddess

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Teacher associated with Transcendental Meditation

Mahayana Buddhism

Buddhism emphasizing the Bodhisattva ideal

Mantra

Sacred word, phrase, or sound

Middle Way

Avoiding extreme luxury and extreme asceticism

Moksha

Hindu liberation from samsara

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Myth

Sacred/traditional story explaining meaning or reality

Nirvana

Liberation from suffering and craving

Noble Eightfold Path

Path that ends suffering and leads to Nirvana

1st Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

The Right View

2nd Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Intention

3rd Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Speech

4th Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Action

5th Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Livelihood

6th Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Effort

7th Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Mindfulness

8th Step of the Noble Eightfold Path

Right Concentration

Panentheism

Everything exists within God, but God is greater than everything

Pantheism

God and the universe are the same

Parinirvana

Final liberation from samsara after death

Polytheism

Belief in multiple gods

Puja

Hindu worship/ritual offering

Ritual

Repeated formal religious action

Rta

Vedic cosmic order

Samsara

Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

Sannyasin

Person who renounces worldly life for spiritual liberation

Sanskrit

Ancient/classical Indian religious language

Sarnath

Place of Buddha's first sermon

Shiva

Hindu deity associated with destruction/transformation

Sign

Something that points to or communicates something else

Soma

Vedic ritual substance/drink and deity

Soteriology

Study of salvation/liberation

Sunyata

Emptiness; lack of inherent existence

Symbol

Something representing deeper meaning

Theology

Study of God/the divine

Theravada Buddhism

Buddhism emphasizing the Arhat ideal

Transcendental Meditation

Meditation technique associated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Tridevi

Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati