How is hinduism different than buddhism?

Answer 1

Characteristic:
buddhism vs hinduism
Religious practice: Meditation vs Sacrifice (to the gods)
Main practitioner : Ascetic vs Priest
Purpose of life: Liberation vs This life, then heaven
Focus in life: Renunciation vs Rebirth as householder
Morals based on: Karma vs Social values
Social position: Equality vs Caste (Brahmanic)
Origin of Wisdom: Own (meditation) experience vs Scriptures like Vedas

Answer 2

Buddhism sprang from Hinduism sort of like how Christianity sprang from Judaism. It really helps to understand each religion in the context of the other.

Hindu culture in the Buddha's time was ordered along a strict caste system without much mobility between the different castes. If you were born into a low caste, you were low caste for life. A Hindu at that time would try to lead a good life and hope to be reborn into a higher caste and eventually to liberation. The Buddha came along and realized that anyone can liberate themselves at any time, there was no need for priestly intermediaries or even gods.

Buddhism could be looked at as a streamlined form of Hinduism. Each religion is a finger pointing in the same direction, one finger is covered in trinkets and complex pictograms while the other seems less cluttered.

Keep in mind that within Buddhism itself there is quite a range of belief and practice. For instance, Mahayana buddhists maintain a complex set of traditions and scriptures including god-like representations and solemn rituals. Zen buddhists practice the art of spontaneity and dipsense with most dogma entirely.

The pages on Wikipedia for each religion are a good place to really start learning about them.

Answer 3

Philosophically speaking, the two are pretty similar. The one key difference is the existence of a pantheon of Hindu deities, and no discernible God in Buddhism.

Answer 4

The only difference that I am sure of is that I'm not a hindu. (You can extrapolate the rest)