00:00Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the oldest and most influential religions that originated in India.
00:05They have shaped the culture and spirituality of much of Asia.
00:09And they have also left traces in Western philosophical thought.
00:15Hinduism has its roots in the Vedas, sacred texts composed between 1500 and 500 BC.
00:23At the center we find Brahman, the divine principle that manifests itself in many forms.
00:27Creator, preserver, destroyer and female deities.
00:32Brahma is part of a triad together with Vishnu, preserver of the world, and Shiva, destroyer.
00:41For centuries, Hinduism has also influenced Indian society with the caste system.
00:47Priests, warriors, merchants and servants.
00:50Outside the untouchables, excluded from social life.
00:53Even today, despite its official abolition, this system leaves deep scars.
00:59It is a religion rich in rites.
01:03Purifications in the Ganges, offerings in temples, pilgrimages.
01:10Respect for life in all its forms is fundamental, along with meditation and self-control.
01:18Buddhism was born with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived between the sixth and fifth centuries BC.
01:28After years of meditation, he discovered the four noble truths.
01:32Life is marked by pain.
01:34Pain arises from desire.
01:36It can be eliminated and there is a path to overcome it.
01:38This path is the threefold path, which proposes an ethical and spiritual life, made up of right actions, right words, concentration and meditation.
01:50According to Buddhism, all beings are trapped in samsara, the cycle of rebirth, governed by karma.
02:02Liberation comes with nirvana, absolute peace and the end of suffering.
02:07Over time, Buddhism has split into two main streams.
02:10But these philosophies have not only influenced Asia.
02:25The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer found in Buddhism and Hinduism a confirmation of his pessimistic view of life.
02:32In his most important work, The World as Will and Representation,
02:37Schopenhauer describes pain as a universal condition, caused by desire and the will to live.
02:45According to him, existence itself is marked by this suffering.
02:50Just like the Buddha, Schopenhauer also saw the renunciation of desires as the path to liberation.
02:58Today, Hinduism is the most widespread religion in India.
03:02Buddhism, on the other hand, is the fourth religion in the world by number of followers,
03:06present in Asia, Europe and America.
03:09Two ancient spiritual paths, which continue to inspire millions of people.
03:13And which also spoke to Western philosophy.
