In the undergraduate degree paper Differences in understanding the Self in Hinduism and Buddhism, the author discusses the understanding of the concept of the “Self” within two Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. She begins by introducing the meaning of the Upanishads as one of the principal religious texts of Hinduism, which emphasises the qualities of ultimate reality, creation and man. She proceeds to define the Hindu concept of the Self as “Atman” and specify its defining qualities described in the Upanishads, while emphasising the connection between Atman and Brahman. The second section is dedicated to Buddhism, beginning with a concise description of the myth of Buddha and by means of the truth of suffering, which is summarised in the four noble truths, introduces the Buddhist worldview, characterised by impermanence, non-Self and unpleasantness. In the central section the author describes the Buddhist doctrine of Anatman, the dilemmas arising with understanding the concept and the transfer of theoretical knowledge to the practice of meditation. Concurrently, additional attention is given to the Vipassana meditation technique, the development of awareness as the technique’s essential aspect and the description of the effects of this style of meditation. The third section of this paper includes a comparison of the Buddhist and Hindu doctrine of the Self, in which the author focuses on the key differences and similarities between the two sets of teachings and describes the manner in which the individual concepts influence the understanding of reincarnation and enlightenment in both spiritual traditions. The conclusion indicates possible correlations between the Buddhist Vipassana meditation and the Hindu method of self-enquiry, as developed by Ramana Maharashi on the basis of Jnana yoga.
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