Comparritive Essay

“True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness.” Native spirituality and Hinduism have many things in common but also have many differences. They both share the same kindness and respect for the world and for the people who inhabit the land. People who worship the religion of Hinduism try to seek God’s wisdom on a deep personal level where as Natives also do the same. Hindus and Natives are different in many ways but are also the same in plenty ways.

Some differences between Hinduism and Native Spirituality are that Hindu practices and rituals generally involve seeking awareness of God. In contrary to Native practices and rituals which involve such things as, healing circles, sweat-lodge ceremonies, and sweet grass ceremonies. Hindus also believe that they were born into a caste system. They believe that if they live their life, as God would want then to, and then they are reborn, and will be born into a higher caste system. Until they reach Brahman, the eternal essence of reality. The Aboriginals do not believe in the caste system. In Native Spirituality the rite of passage is completely different than that of Hinduism. In Native Spirituality the rites of passage test your ability to survive alone, some are even inhuman.   For example, a tribe in northern Africa’s rite of passage starts when the boy turns twelve years of age, his rite of passage ceremony is to go out into the river, catch a crocodile and kill it. After the boy has killed the crocodile he is to bring it back to the tribe in order to prove he has successfully completed the first part of his rite of passage. He does this to show that he has control over the top predator. In respect to the crocodile the boy is given cuts on his back with a blade in specific pattern. This is because when it heals his back will have markings on it just like that of a crocodile.

The similarities between Native Spirituality and Hinduism are; they both believe in...