Buddhism and Hinduism compared“Thank goodness for the oriental religion, now I go to yoga class and I have redone my room to improve my Zen, it really works…” for many in the Western world, this is the most we understand about Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism. Although many would be interested to know that yoga is not just an exercise class; there are many other important details about Buddhism and Hinduism that we are misinformed about, especially the differences between these two religions. Since Buddhism evolved from Hinduism, they are very similar, but they are two different faiths, with different sets of beliefs and interpretations about life and enlightenment (the ultimate goal of both). It may be in our best interest to start this discussion from the beginning. fine, with lighting. This is the goal of both Hinduism and Buddhism. To be precise, enlightenment, in its simplest definition, is the ultimate liberation from the cycle of samsara, or the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (Wagnu, 2001). In both faiths, every living spirit will achieve this goal sooner or later, even if it requires numerous reincarnations. In Hinduism, this goal is also called moksha, existence in the realm of the gods (Wagnu, 2001). However, in Buddhism enlightenment is called nirvana, and it is a complete liberation from the cycle, not an deployment into the realm of the gods. A sort of middle ground between these two extremes is a belief held by Mahayana Buddhists, who identify the Buddha in three bodies, one of which, the Ultimate Buddha, underlies the entire universe and is identified as nirvana itself (Wangu , 2002) (BUd).On this journey to moksha or nirvana, you create karma for yourself. Karma as it is understood in the modern world “what goes around comes around” is a valid way to simplify this belief of the Buddhist and Hindu religion. Both define it as “acts that determine one's position in rebirth, or samsara.” Evil deeds force one to pay a karmic price for one's actions. In Hinduism, those who follow the dharma or social order of their caste build good karma and those who do not, create bad karma. With each new life, one's karmic actions are paid for and they are reborn. While in Hinduism, those who reach the highest level in the caste system are said to have built good karma and are closest to enlightenment, Buddhism teaches that one's caste is irrelevant and that karma depends on obedience to religious law (the ultimate truth which will be discussed later).