Buddhism & Hinduism (A Comparative Study)

By Dharam Vir Mangla

This book is an which helps us to understand better the religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Hinduism. Most of us absurdly think that all the religions are alike and have different paths to follow. Many of us wrongly believe that all religions and their founders believe in God, soul, Scriptures and Moksha. Many think that all the Shrines, Stupas and Temples are the place of worship of God. This book reveals that the truth is opposite to our common belief. It is important to know that most of the religions are propagating their contradictory doctrines, which are logically untenable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dharam Vir Mangla
• Release date: Sep 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005515256

Dharam Vir Mangla

About the AuthorSri Dharam Vir Mangla, M.Sc. M.Ed. PGDCA got his master’s degrees from university of Delhi. Since his birth he had scientific bent of mind. He joined his Ph.D. in Mathematics at Delhi University in 1969. Since his childhood he used to study the religious books. He used to discuss about God, Scripture and the science with saints and learned people. In 1969 a divine miracle of Sri Sathya Sai Baba transformed his soul, life, philosophy and thinking. He became a perfect theist with a firm faith and conviction in God. He totally surrendered himself to God. After that he was fully interested in knowing and seeking God. He devoted all his energies in the pursuit of God, spiritual studies and yoga practices. During 1976-78 he served as lecturer in Mathematics at University of Aden. Since 1996 he worked as the Principal in Delhi.The Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) initiated him in ‘Kriya Yoga’. He is a scholar of Science, Mathematics, Education and Philosophy and has the ability to correlate Sciences, Scriptures, and God. This book is based upon his vast yogic experience and studies He learnt meditation from various saints in Himalayas and YSS. This book is useful to all categories of men: believers, non-believers and the wavering minds about God. By his spiritual discourse at various places including USA, he is bringing a transformation in people.This book will help “Seekers of the Ultimate Truth”. It is a laborious and commendable research work. The scientists will do further research work as suggested by the author throughout the book and add further to it – as it is a continuous process in the development of knowledge.

Book preview

About the Author

Sh. D.V. Mangla, M.Sc. M.Ed. PGDCA, retired Principal got his master’s degrees from University of Delhi. He is religious and extraordinary combination of spiritual and scientific bent of mind. He is practicing ‘Kriya Yoga’ since 1969 & has opportunity of the company and blessings of great saints. He has devoted his life in the pursuit of God, spiritual studies and yoga. He served as lecturer in Mathematics at University of Aden and worked as Principal in Delhi.

He is a scholar of Scriptures, Science, Mathematics, Education and Philosophy. He has the ability to correlate Sciences, Shastras, Spiritual Science and God. His books are rare masterpieces based upon his spiritual inner experiences and vast studies, which are useful for both believers and non-believers. Besides his scientific-cum-spiritual discourses he conducts seminars on yoga & stress management.

He is founder of the ‘God Realization Foundation’ (GRF), and gives spiritual guidance to the members on the basis of various e-Spiritual Tests. His writings are commendable research work and a reservoir for further spiritual researches.

He is a renowned author of various advanced level spiritual books, which have been appreciated by thousands of reputed readers throughout the world.

***

Dedicated to:-

All the Avataras of God,

Saints of all Religions,

Devoted Scientists, Educationists,

Doctors, Yogis

and

the Seekers of God & Truth

Lord Krishna and Arjuna

Nearly 5250 years ago, just before the Mahabharata War at Kurukshetra in India, the Lord Krishna bestowed His divine discourse of Bhagwad Gita to motivate and uplift the depressed Arjuna. This discourse is the best Scripture, which is outcome of the various spiritual questions asked by Arjuna and answered by the God Himself for the benefit of the whole humanity. The supreme writer Ved-Vyas wrote Srimad Bhagwad Gita and most of the other Hindu Scriptures after the Mahabharata war. The existence of the prehistoric Scriptures is an undisputed proof of the Avataras of God in human form.

Adi-Shankaracharya

(Possibly 788 – 820 CE)

He was a great miraculous revered saint and a partial Avatara of God. He peacefully reconverted most of the Buddhists back to Hinduism without any violence, coercion & temptation during his very short span of life as he died at an early age. He translated most of the Hindu Scriptures from Sanskrit to regional languages. He had the ability to transmigrate his soul to other body at his will.

Mahavir (possibly 549 – 477 BCE)

He is the last Tirthankar of Jainism

Both Mahavir and Buddha were contemporary and successful in converting lower caste Hindus to Jainism and Buddhism against the atrocities of Hindu Brahmans. Their life-histories and philosophies are similar. Mahavir did not believe in God & Hindu Scriptures. Many call him Lord also. His Idols are in Jain shrines for remembrance. It is said he got victory over the worldly temptations and discarded to wear any clothes. His followers are known as Digambers.

Revered Saint Sri Mahavatar Babaji

It is the photo of his idol at Mahavatar Babaji Meditation Centre, Palampur, Himachal Predesh, India founded by Sri Amar Jyoti Babaji. Sri Mahavatar Babaji is the Guru of Sri Lahari Mahasyia. He is said to many thousand years old. He doesn’t need to eat, drink & excrete. Appear and disappear at any place. He is known to spread Kriya Yoga technique to his followers.

BUDDHA (possibly 566 – 486 BCE)

He is also known as Siddhartha Gautama. He is the founder of Buddhism and was most successful in converting the lower caste Hindus to Buddhism by discarding God, soul & Hindu Scriptures. Although he discarded God and Scriptures even then Hindus call him Lord Buddha and Buddhism as a Dharma.

Great Manifestation (Virat-Swaroopa) of Lord Krishna

It is an artist imagination of the great manifestation of God, shown by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna about 5350 years ago in the battle field before Mahabharata war. This Manifestation has never been shown to anybody else before by the Lord.

Comments-A

Dr. R.K. Gupta

Deputy Director General

National Informatics Centre, G.O.I

CGO Complex, New Delhi.

Dr. Archana Gupta

Director & Scientist ‘E’

Council of Sc. & Ind. Research

Govt. of India, PUSA, New Delhi.

This book is a rare attempt and a masterpiece, which helps us to understand better the religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Hinduism. Most of us absurdly think that all the religions are same and have different paths to follow. Many of us wrongly believe that all religions and their founders believe in God, soul, Scriptures and Moksha. Many think that all the Shrines, Stupas and Temples are the place of worship of God. This book reveals that the truth is opposite to our common belief.

Due to lack of the knowledge of spiritual terms, most of the authors are confusing the readers by misusing the spiritual terms. This book reveals the correct meaning and the differences between the terms like Dharma—Religion—Non-religion; Avatara—Saint; Self-realization—Enlightenment—Awakening; Scriptures—Ordinary Books; Logic—Illogic; Mindfulness—Mindlessness; Spiritual—Atheist; Moksha—Nirvana—Liberation etc. All these terms appear alike and are confusing to a layman, but this book clarifies the difference between them.

Most of the religions are propagating their contradictory doctrines, which are logically untenable. At least one of the doctrines must be incorrect. Some of the religions and their heads are tempering their Holy-Books by deleting, editing and adding something; and propagating their founders as God or Lord, while their founders have clearly declared that they are ordinary man or a saint or a ‘son of God’ or an atheist or a non-believer of God. Many religions are busy in constructing unnecessarily their huge Shrines with an enormous expenditure in the memory of their founders, where God is not worshipped. But a common man generally misunderstood these as a place of worship of God. It is an extraordinary unique spiritual book to throw light on such attempts.

It is strange that some non-religions, which do not believe in God, Spirit and soul, are declaring their founders and heads as most spiritual in the world. Can anybody, who does not believe in Spirit or God or does not seek to know the Spirit be called spiritual? This is a book, which clarifies the most of our inner confusions.

Dr. R.K. Gupta

Dr. Archana Gupta

Comment–B

Dr. R.B.L. Singhal

B.Sc. M.B.B.S. PMS, Gold Medalist

P.G: Hospital Administration, Health & FP.

Retd. Sr. Medical Supdt. ESI Hospital, Aligarh U.P., India

Many yoga organizations in the world are busy in teaching yoga as simply a therapy without any concern of God. They have transformed yoga as only simple postures and exercises for the therapeutic cure of some diseases. But they have excluded God from their teachings of yoga, thinking it is useless. Are they really teaching yoga or misleading the world? This book is a useful exposer to those, who wants to understand the difference between various religions, which is the cause of various troubles. If the basic differences are removed, then only we can think of uniting the religions.

It is irony that both Buddhism and Jainism have come out of Hinduism even than very few Hindus know exactly what Buddhism and Jainism are? This book explains the difference between their meditations, aims & objectives. A meditation or religion without a firm belief & devotion to God is not only useless but may lead to various problems. Many of our diseases are due to the ignorance of God, absolute truth and the Scriptures.

This is the book, you will love and like to gift to your dear ones.

Dr. R.B.L. Singhal

Preface

Before start to read and understand this book, it will be better for you if you read first the Ist. Chapter. Important Basic Spiritual Terminology’ and then read the book in sequence chapter-wise.

The comments on some of the paragraphs in this book are my personal opinions based upon my inner spiritual experiences and learning. All the religions are equally respectable and honorable to me. The readers are free to accept or reject my views, as they like. I am not interested that readers to accept my views and opinions and make it unnecessary controversial. Basically, I have a perfect faith in God, soul and the Scriptures from God. I am concerned with religions only to the extent of differences in philosophies and not in their traditions, customs and religious practices etc. My aim to write this book will be fulfilled, if the Buddhists & Janis accept or clarify their stand in God, soul and the Scriptures, inspite of the fact that some of their founders discarded these.

There is a great misunderstanding about Buddhism, Jainism and Islam especially among the Hindus. Most of the people wrongly think that all the religions are the same, leads to same goal and all believe in God, soul, Scriptures and the founders of all the religions are the incarnations (Avatara) of God like Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. Most of the Hindus also wrongly think that the Buddhist and Jain shrines are the places of worshipping God, which outwardly look like the Hindu Temples. Hindus wrongly think that the idols of Buddha & Mahavir placed in their shrines are worshipped like God.

Choosing the next Dalai Lama is controversial. Is this traditional method should continue or abandon? How the moral views of the present Dalai Lama differ from early Buddhism? What was actually the ‘enlightenment’ of Buddha or Mahavir? Was it self-realization of Hindus or something else, since both were non-believer of God? What are the Scriptures? Does any of the religion other than Hindus have the Scriptures? Are the Scriptures myths or reality? Are the religions not lame without the Scriptures?

There is a misconception that all religions are alike with the same aim and lead to the same benefits. Many are busy in propagating yoga as a therapy to cure the diseases, without giving any importance to devotion for God. In fact there are severe differences, which everybody should know. As for a new teacher all his students look alike, but gradually he comes to know the individual differences in their personalities.

This book has been written with the aim to serve the humanity and to understand the various religions better, and not to criticize or downgrade anyone. The readers are the best judges to decide the truth themselves. I have tried my best not to twist any spiritual, philosophical, scientific or historical fact to please or displease the readers. Truth should never be twisted to please anybody and the readers should be free to think and decide. The basic facts about Buddhism, Jainism and Islam are the extracts taken from the various books mentioned in the bibliography in the last. I am not responsible for their validity and nothing has been mentioned from my own side.

I have the blessings of the great saints like Sri Amar Jyoti Babaji, Mahavatar Babaji and Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I have been brought up in a spiritual environment. The western authors are generally deprived of such opportunity.

I am thankful to Sri Amar Jyoti Babaji a most revered saint of India, who has inspired and blessed me to write such books. I can never forget the help of all the persons in publishing of this book.

Dharam Vir Mangla

Related Books by the Author

Holy Path of Science & Spirituality (Theory of Self-Realization)

Great Saints & Yogis

Buddhism & Hinduism (A Comparative Study)

Yoga & Herbs for Perfect Health

Search for God & Self

Know God thru Questioning

God & Self Realization (Scientific & Spiritual View)

Kundalini & Kriya Yoga

The Eternal Question Who Am I

Yoga for Heath & Bliss

Secrets of Soul, God & Universe

Miraculous Saints & Yogis

1

Ch-1: Important Spiritual Terminology

What are Holy Scriptures

What is Religion

What is Non-Religion

Who are the Messengers of God

Who is a Prophet

Why God Decides to Descend as an Avatara

Self-Realized Men are not Avatara of God

Avatara of God & how He differs from Saints

Who are Self-Realized Saints & Avataras

Who is Awakened or Enlightened One

Devotion & Love are Must for Seekers of God

Never Forget God

***

What is Dharma

Before dealing with the main subject it is better to clarify the prospective readers the meanings of the spiritual basic terms used in this book. Many readers may have different meanings in their minds of spiritual terms used in this book. It will be better to first understand the terms carefully, before starting to read this book. The words like Dharma, religion, Non-religion, Ism, Mat, Panth, Scriptures, Holy books, God, Avatara, saint, soul and ego ‘I’ should be understood clearly first to understand the subject deeply.

If God exist, He must have created His own Dharma in the beginning of human life on earth and must have revealed it to its various saints and sages during their Samadhi or Self-realization. Since there is only one God, there must be only one Dharma bestowed directly from Him to humanity. That Dharma must have divine Scriptures directly bestowed from Him through various Self-Realized writers. Such Scriptures must be beyond the ability to write by an ordinary human mind, although it might have written through the human beings as the via media. It is the prime duty of the human beings to search out such a Dharma in the world along with its Holy Scriptures.

God’s Dharma and its philosophy should be without any self-contradiction and doubts and should be universally applied and acceptable by everyone. But it may be beyond human mind. Through the Holy Scriptures, God should have revealed the secret of the origin, sustenance and destruction of the universe. Only Sanatan or Hindu Dharma is such as God Himself has taken so many reincarnations to protect and re-establish this Dharma in the past, whenever there was any degeneration or decline in this Dharma.

An incarnation of God (Avatara) is a rare event. His Lila is unbelievable, powerful and miraculous. The Holy Scriptures about its Lila always follow it. An Avatara of God is so powerful that it can never accept his defeat or shows any human weakness even if the whole world becomes against Him. An incarnation of God can never be mercilessly crucified or murdered even by the whole humanity put together against Him. The consequent creation of the Holy Scriptures like Puranas and Upanishads is evidence of God’s super-powerful incarnation.

A Dharma does not mean a ‘religion’ or ‘ism’ or ‘samaj’ or ‘mat’ or ‘panth’ or dhamma as commonly understood. Dharma is different from all these. Dharma has directly come out of God Himself for the benefit of the whole humanity irrespective of any caste, creed and human race. No human being can claim as the founder of the Dharma, not even the Avataras like Rama or Krishna. Dharma existed before the birth of all the Avataras. A Dharma is governed only by the Scriptures and not by the people elected as heads of religions. No group of elected or selected people or any society or any institution can change the God’s Dharma. This Dharma is timeless, ageless and does not change or tempered according to the sweet will of few elected religious heads for their narrow selfish interests. None has any right or an authority to deform or temper the Dharma or Scriptures.

Scriptures does not mean Holy Books & are not Myths.

A true Dharma should be able to explain the philosophical eternal questions like, ‘Who Am I’, ‘How and why the universe and all living beings came to existence’, ‘Who created the universe’, ‘What is God’, ‘How to know God’, ‘How to communicate with God’, ‘How to become one with God’, ‘What shall be the end of the universe’, ‘How can I know and predict everything about everybody from the beginning of the universe till the end of the universe’ and so on. A true Dharma should not be in contradiction to the new scientific discoveries, rather both should support each other.

The meaning of the word Dharma in Sanskrit is ‘Dharan’, which means adoption of some basic characteristics. Everything living or nonliving in the universe has been assigned some unique basic characteristics by the Almighty God. The Dharma of Sun and Fire is to give heat. The Dharma of Ice is to give coolness. The Dharma of trees is to give us fruits. The Dharma of sugar is to give sweetness. The Dharma of water is to quench our thrust. If all these stops doing their assigned work, we say that they are not following their Dharma. Similarly, God gave the pre-historical Scriptures for the benefit of mankind. The following the instructions as per Scriptures by the human beings is the God’s Dharma. Anything against or contradictory to Scriptures is called Adharma.

Dharma is a set of cosmic universal spiritual laws (like the cosmic scientific laws) that links and controls together all the living beings & non-living matter in the universe. Dharma binds and informs us to live in harmony with everything in the universe for the benefit of all. From the very beginning all the laws of Dharma already prevail or stored or encrypted in the ether throughout the universe as the physical laws of sciences. No human being or scientists or sages can create or modify or destroy these laws as per their whim or will. However the sages and Rishis can search these laws by communing with God, as the scientists search the physical laws of sciences. No scientist can create any law of sciences of his own, but can only discover already existing. Vedas and scriptures