Hinduism, known to its followers as Sanatana Dharma (roughly translated as “Perennial Faith) is the oldest set of surviving belief systems in the world today. Its origins are lost in the time of the Indo-Aryan civilization mix on the Indian Subcontinent which gave rise to the Vedic culture – the prototype of what eventually developed into what is known today as Hinduism.
With approximately 376 million followers, Buddhism is one of the major world religions . Its philosophy is based on the teachings of the Buddha , Siddhartha Gautama , who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE . Originating in India , Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia , Sri Lanka , Tibet , Southeast Asia , as well as the East Asian countries of China , Mongolia , Korea , Japan , and Vietnam .
Buddhism teaches followers to perform good and wholesome actions, to avoid bad and harmful actions, and to purify and train the mind. The aim of these practices is to end the suffering of cyclic existence, samsara , by awakening the practitioner to therealization of true reality, the achievement of Nirvana and Buddhahood..