Buddhism and Hinduism

“What are the major differences between Buddhism and Hinduism in ancient India?”

Discovering the major differences between Buddhism and Hinduism in ancient India is a difficult task because the former came out of the latter and as such both traditions share many structural similarities. In Hinduism there are literally millions of deities that can be worshiped. This is to reflect the idea that the divine has countless faces. On the other hand, in Buddhism there is no central deity for worship, it is more about attaining a higher self awareness and a dissolved ego through right action, right thinking and practices such as meditation.
Another major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is reflected in their views of reincarnation and release from the life and death cycle. In Hinduism there was a caste system that separated the people into different levels which reflected their ability to achieve moksha, release from the cycle, depending on their status in practical and spiritual life. The ascension or decent of status from one life to the next was dependent on an individual’s karma. In the book, Experiencing the World’s Religions, written by Michael Molloy, he says,
“What determines the direction of one’s rebirth is karma…Good karma brings “higher” rebirth; bad karma brings rebirth in “lower,” more painful forms. In a certain way, this belief allows for upward mobility, since human beings, by their actions, have influenced over their future births. Ultimate freedom comes when karma ceases to operate; rebirth, whether upward or downward on the scale, has entirely ended (Molly, p.85).”
Whereas in Buddhism, there was no caste system that separated the people; release could be attained by anyone who followed the eight-fold path to its fullest. In the book, Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher says that,
“The Buddha set forth a systematic approach by which dedicated humans could pull themselves out of suffering and achieve the final foal of liberation. The eight-fold Path offers ways to burn up all past demerits, avoid accumulating new demerits, and build up merit for a favorable rebirth. Perfection of the Path means final escape from the cycle of death and rebirth, into the peace of nirvana (Fisher, p.137).”
The Buddha also rejected the Vedas, which where a body of compiled texts, as being necessary tools for reaching salvation. For the Buddhist practitioner, salvation could be found by attaining a release from desires and material possessions. This differs from the Hindu traditions where the Vedas were regarded as sacred texts that provided guidelines for life and existence. Some Hindus even believed that the more a person read the texts, the closer they could become to reaching liberation. Also in Hindu practice, material possessions and personal desires do not prevent an individual from being released from the life cycle. As a result of this there would be more iconic representations of deities in a Hindu temple than there would be in a Buddhist temple.