Buddhism vs Confucianism

Diffen › Philosophy › Religion › Buddhism

There are several similarities between the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism and the religion of Buddhism. However, there are some important differences as well. This chart compares the two belief systems and their practices.

Comparison chart

Buddhism versus Confucianism comparison chart
	Buddhism	Confucianism

Use of statues and pictures	Common. Statues are used as meditation objects, and revered as they reflect the qualities of the Buddha.	Permitted.
Place of origin	Indian subcontinent	China
Life after death	Rebirth is one of the central beliefs of Buddhism. We are in an endless cycle of birth, death and re-birth, which can only be broken by attaining nirvana. Attaining nirvana is the only way to escape suffering permanently.	Ancestors and heritage is important, but not worshiped.
Founder	The Buddha (born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama).	Kong Qiu (Confucius)
Belief of God	The idea of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent creator is rejected by Buddhists. The Buddha himself refuted the theistic argument that the universe was created by a self-conscious, personal God.	Depending on the religion held, usually Buddhist. Confucianism is not strictly a religion but rather advises a schema of social order.
Practices	Meditation, the Eightfold Path; right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration	Visit to temples to pay homage to Ti'en (while it can refer to God or Heaven, it traditionally refers to social power), Confucius, and ancestors; To practice ('Jing zuo, ') or 'Quiet Sitting', a neo-Confucian seeking of self-cultivation.
Literal Meaning	Buddhists are those who follow the teachings of the Buddha.	Disciple of Confucius.
Clergy	The Buddhist Sangha, composed of bhikkhus (male monks) and bhikkhunis (female nuns). The sangha is supported by lay Buddhists.	Bureaucrats.
Human Nature	Ignorance, as all sentient beings. In the Buddhist texts, it is seen that when Gautama, after his awakening, was asked whether he was a normal human being, he replied, "No".	Humans should respect those who are superior to them.
View of the Buddha	The highest teacher and the founder of Buddhism, the all-transcending sage.	Buddha is followed by many Confucians.
Status of women	No distinctions between men and women. Women are equal to men, and men are equal to women in the Sangha. The Buddha gave Men and Women equal rights and a major part in the Sangha.	Socially inferior to men.
Scriptures	Tripitaka - a vast canon composed of 3 sections: the Discourses, the Discipline and the Commentaries, and some early scriptures, such as the Gandhara texts.	Analects of Confucius and Mencius; I Ching; Doctrine of Mean, etc.
Concept of Deity	According to some interpretations, there are beings in heaven's realms but they are also bound by "samsara". They may have less suffering but have not yet achieved salvation (nibbana)	Most believe in One God, but this is not necessary since Confucianism is not a religion but a belief system about social ordering.
Holy days/Official Holidays	Vesak day in which the birth, the awakening, and the parinirvana of the Buddha is celebrated.	Chinese New Year, Teacher Day, Ancestor Day.
View of other Dharmic religions	Since the word Dharma means doctrine, law, way, teaching, or discipline, other Dharmas are rejected.	Confucianists usually follow Buddhism, which is a Dharmic religion.
Followers	Buddhists	Confucianists
Geographical distribution and predominance	(Majority or strong influence) Mainly in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Japan, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Other small minorities exist in other countries.	Asia.
Original Language(s)	Pali(Theravada tradition) and Sanskrit(Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition)	Mandarin or Cantonese
Place of worship	Buddhist monasteries, temples, shrines.	Temples.
Views on Other Religions	Being a practical philosophy, Buddhism is neutral against other religions.	Confucianists see no contradiction in following more than one religion.
Goal of Philosophy	To eliminate mental suffering.	Social Harmony.
Goal of religion	To attain enlightenment and be released from the cycle of rebirth and death, thus attaining Nirvana.	To have a structured society.
Principle	This life is suffering, and the only way to escape from this suffering is to dispel one's cravings and ignorance by realizing the Four Noble Truths and practicing the Eightfold Path.	Confucianism is all about the brotherhood of humanity.
Time of origin	2,500 years ago, circa 563 B.C.E. (Before Common Era)	Approx. 550 B.C.E.(Before Common Era)
Can atheists partake in this religion's practices?	Yes.	Yes.
What They Believe	The principle of equality: that all living entities are equal	Confucianism is a system of thought based on the teachings of Kong Zi, Master Kong
Authority of Dalai Lama	Dalai Lamas are tulkus of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. They are cultural figures and are independent of the doctrinal basis of Buddhism.	N/A.