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The authenticity, truth, and beauty of the world's religions depends on your cultural bias. Specifically, what you may consider holy and sacred may not have the same relevance in another culture.

HINDUISM
"Hinduism, the world's oldest religion, has no beginning-it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one. Hinduism has four main denominations-Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism." (http://www.himalayanacademy.c om/basics/nineb/)

Hinduism introduced the concept of reincarnation to the world. In another words, you need to work you way through many lifetimes before you finally "get it" and are set free from the cycle of reincarnation and karma, which is a cause and effect principle.

Lastly, Hinduism proclaims the holiness of one Supreme Being named Brahman. Interestingly, Brahman has created many other helper gods which are also worshipped by Hindus. And why not? These Gods help and nurture their devotees throughout there lives.

There is no one absolute way to get to heaven in Hinduism. Hindus don't look at things as necessarily good or evil. Subsequently, they aren't into killing the "evil barbarians" like so many other cultures tend to do. When the Hindus do get into an aggressive mode, they can't go to their holy books and justify it.

Hindus, who are one-sixth of the human race today, believe in the existence of God everywhere, as an all-pervasive force. This belief creates the attitude of tolerance and acceptance toward others. One would not want to hurt something which one revered.

BUDDHISM

Many ideas and concepts found in Hinduism are also in Buddhism. The concepts of Reincarnation and Karma are two familiar ideas. And, rightfully so. Because the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gauthama, was an Indian Prince and a Hindu who came from a very wealthy family. As time progressed, this spiritual leader became known as the Buddha.

The Sikddhartha Gauthama's primary motivating factors for leaving his life of luxury and privilege, was his strong dissatisfaction with the pain and suffering he witnessed by his fellowman. As a matter of fact, his desire to confront this problem, human suffering, became one of the major concerns of Buddhism as evidenced by the Buddha's Teaching in the following reference.
Buddha's Teaching: (http://www.religious tolerance.org/buddhism6.htm)
Th e four noble truths are:
There

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