Roots of Hinduism and Buddhism

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Roots of Hinduism and Buddhism

• KEY IDEA Religious beliefs arose in India during
  the age of Aryan settlement. Later these ideas
  developed into the religions of Hinduism and
  Buddhism.

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• In the beginning the Aryans and non-Aryans
  followed their own religion but over time the
  cultures of the two groups intermingled. The
  blending of their religions resulted in the
  worship of thousands of gods.
• People began to question their place in the
  universe. They even questioned the why the
  Brahmins could gain so much wealth and power over
  all of the others. Out of this turmoil, new
  religions were born Hinduism, Buddhism and
  Jainism.
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Hinduism Develops Over Centuries

• Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs
  that forms no one system.
• Unlike many religions, it was not founded by
  just a single person. It is a religion that
  allows great variety for its followers.
• All Hindus share a common worldview. They see
  religion as a way to free their souls from the
  illusions, disappointments and mistakes of
  everyday life.

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Origins and Beliefs

• Between 750 BC and 550 BC Hindu teachers began
  to question the basic meaning of the Vedas. They
  wrote down their interpretations of the prayers
  in a series of documents called the Upanishads.

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Moksha and Reincarnation

• Through the Upanishads, the teachers describe a
  state of perfect understanding called Moksha.
  The Moksha is a world soul (Brahman) that unites
  all individual souls. They believe that all life
  is interconnected.
• When a person understands the relationship
  between his own soul and the world soul he
  achieves Moksha and he is released from life in
  this world.

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The Quest for Peace

• This understanding takes many lifetimes to
  understand. Therefore, the Hindus believe that a
  person in reincarnated many times in the quest
  for this understanding.
• The souls Karma (good or bad) follows the
  person through their multiple reincarnations.
  Karma affects the events in ones life.

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Hinduism and the Caste System

• The caste that a person is born into, health
  wealth or poverty is all a result of Karma.
• Hindu ideas about Karma and reincarnation
  strengthened the caste system.     
• If a person was born female, a laborer or an
  untouchable, it may be a result of Karma and bad
  deeds in the past.
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Hinduism and Society

• Usually, only men in the top three level of the
  caste system could hope to achieve Moksha in
  their present life.
• The laws of Karma worked for everyone equally.
  Good Karma brought good fortune, bad Karma
  brought bad fortune.

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A New Religion Arises

• Jainism and Buddhism emerged between 75BC and
  550 BC.
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• Mahavira, the founder of Jainism was born in 599
  BC and died in 527 BC. He believed that
  everything in the universe had a soul and should
  not be harmed.

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The Jains

• The Jains looked for occupations that would not
  involve harming anyone or anything. They became
  very wealthy because they found work in trade and
  commerce.
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• Some of the wealthiest people in India today are
  followers of Jainism.

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Buddhism

• Buddhism emerged about 550 BC.
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• Siddhartha Guatama was born to a noble family
  that lived near the base of the Himalayan
  Mountains. From the time he was an infant, he
  exhibited the markings of a great man.

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Buddha Seeks Enlightenment

• A prophecy has indicated that if he stayed at
  home he was destined to become a great ruler. In
  order to protect him and insure his destiny, his
  father isolated him in his palace. Even though
  he was isolated, he married a young woman and she
  bore him a son.

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Siddharthas Quest

• Siddhartha had always wondered about the outside
  world that he was locked away from. When he was
  29, he left his palace four times. What he saw
  disturbed him terribly.
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• He witnessed death, poverty, sickness and
  finally a wandering monk who appeared to be
  completely at peace.

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• He decided to devote his life in the pursuit of
  religious truth in order to put an end to
  suffering.
• After his son was born, he left his palace and
  wandered around India for 6 years.

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• He was on a journey seeking enlightenment. He
  tried several ways to reach an enlightened state
  including the following
• 1. He debated with other religious seekers. 
• 2. He fasted, eating only 6 grains of rice a
• day.
• 3. He sat in meditation for 49 days. Finally
• he achieved an understanding of
  suffering in
• the world. From that point on he
  became
• known as the Enlightened One.

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Origins and Beliefs- 4 Noble Truths

• The Buddha (Siddhartha) laid out the four main
  ideas that he understood in his enlightenment in
  what he called the Four Noble Truths.
• 1st Noble Truth Everything in life is
  suffering
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• 2nd Noble Truth The cause of all suffering is
  peoples selfish desires for the temporary
  pleasures of the world.

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• 3rd Noble Truth The way to end all suffering
  is to end all desires.
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• 4th Noble Truth The way to overcome desires
  and attain enlightenment is to follow the
  Eightfold Path, which is the middle way between
  the desires and self- denial.

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The Eightfold Path

• The Eightfold Path was like a staircase. You
  had to master one step at a time. This mastery
  would take several lifetimes.
• By following the Eightfold Path, one would
  achieve Nirvana. Nirvana was a release form
  selfishness and pain.

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Buddhism and Hinduism

• Buddhism shared some ideas with Hinduism but
  differed in other ways.
• 1.  Both Buddhism and Hinduism shared a
• belief in reincarnation.
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• 2.  Buddhism and Hinduism shared a belief
• in a cyclical world where the
  world went
• through a cycle of birth, death
  and rebirth.

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Buddhism Differs From Hinduism

• Both religions share a belief in the perfect
  state of understanding that would ultimately
  break the cycle of reincarnation. For the Hindus
  it is Moksha, for Buddhism it is Nirvana.
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• The Buddha rejected the polytheism and the caste
  system embraced by the Hindu religion. Instead,
  The Buddha believed that the only path to the
  perfect existence is through enlightenment.

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The Religious Community

• The religious community of Buddhist monks and
  nuns, and laity (sangha) along with Buddha and
  the Buddhist doctrine of law (dharma) make up the
  Three Jewels of Buddhism.

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Buddhism and Society

• Buddhists reject the caste system. Many of the
  followers include laborers and craftspeople.
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• The Buddha gained a large following in
  Northeastern India where the Aryans has less
  influence.

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Buddhism in India

• Buddhism spread all throughout Asia but never
  gained a good footing in India. The Hindu faith
  and Aryan influence was too strong.
• Traders throughout Asia were mostly responsible
  for the spread of Buddhist ideas. It became the
  most widespread religion of East Asia.

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The End