Chapter 3: Ancient Indian Civilizations

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Chapter 3 Ancient Indian Civilizations

• Section 3 Hinduism and Buddhism

Hindu Aum - represents the Supreme Being,
Brahma
Buddhist Wheel of Life
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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• By the end of the Vedic Age, the social structure
  of India had formed and many works of religious
  literature were written

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• Two of the worlds great religions, Hinduism and
  Buddhism, developed during this time

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• In about 700 B.C. religious thinkers began to
  question the authority of the Brahmins

Brahmin priest on his way to worship
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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• Teachings were collected in the Upanishads, which
  were written explanations of the Vedic religion

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• Ordinary people could not read the Upanishads, so
  they listened to heroic tales designed to explain
  the religion

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• Over time these stories were combined into two
  epics - the Mahabharata and the Ramayana

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• The Mahabharata tells of a great battle in
  Northern India

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• The last 18 chapters of the Mahabharata, called
  the Bhagavad Gita, are the most famous of Hindu
  scriptures

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• The Ramayana tells the story of Rama, a prince
  and incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his wife
  Sita

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I. The Upanishads and the Epics

• Rama and Sita became role models for men and
  women in Indian society

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II. The Caste System

• Between 1500 BC and 500 AD, Indian society
  developed a social structure known as the caste
  system

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II. The Caste System

• There were four Varnas, or social classes

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II. The Caste System

• At the top of the caste system were rulers and
  warriors

Kshatriya ruler, warrior, landowner
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II. The Caste System

• Next were the Brahmins, who moved to the top
  Varna as the centuries passed

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II. The Caste System

• The third class included merchants, traders, and
  farmers

Vaishya Merchants, farmers
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II. The Caste System

• Peasants and laborers made up the fourth Varna

A ghulam or bath attendant of the Shudra caste.
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II. The Caste System

• The Pariahs, or untouchables, performed jobs
  that were ritually polluting for the caste Hindus

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II. The Caste System

• Untouchables, now called Dalits, are still forced
  to perform jobs that are dirty and demeaning

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II. The Caste System

• A persons caste determined marriage, employment,
  and socialization

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II. The Caste System

• The caste system was abolished by Indias
  constitution but still influences Indian society

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III. Hinduism

• Hinduism became Indias major religion and was
  deeply interwoven with the caste system

The Supreme Triad consists of three great gods
Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva. This Triad represents
all aspects of the Supreme Being Creation
Preservation Destruction
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III. Hinduism

• Hinduism teaches that a divine essence called
  Brahman fills all things in the universe

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III. Hinduism

• People have an essence called Self or Atman,
  which is one and the same as Brahman

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III. Hinduism

• This reflects the belief that all things in the
  universe are of the same essence as God

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III. Hinduism

• The unity of God and creation is called monism

monism "Doctrine of oneness." 1) The
philosophical view that there is only one
ultimate substance or principle. 2) The view that
reality is a unified whole without independent
parts.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Hinduism teaches that the material world we see
  is an illusion, called maya

This is an image of maya - a Hindu concept which
ties together Cause (creative power) and Effect
(the cosmic flux - chaos). It is the energy field
we create with our own consciousness.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• People can only gain salvation by recognizing and
  rejecting maya, which may take many lifetimes

Maya is the power that deludes. It is caused
through the senses. The Bhagavad Gita explains
the process " By constantly thinking of the
sense objects, a mortal being becomes attached to
them. Attached thus he develops various desires,
from which in turn ensues anger. From anger comes
delusion, and from delusion arises confusion of
memory. From confusion of memory arises loss of
intelligence and when intelligence is lost the
breath of life is also lost.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Hindus believe in reincarnation - a soul does not
  die but is reborn in another human or animal

According to Hinduism a soul reincarnates again
and again on earth till it becomes perfect and
reunites with its Source (Moksha.) During this
process the soul enters into many bodies, assumes
many forms and passes through many births and
deaths. This concept is summarily described in
the following verse of the Bhagavad Gita "Just
as a man discards worn out clothes and puts on
new clothes, the soul discards worn out bodies
and wears new ones." (2.22)
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Souls advance in the next life through dharma, or
  doing ones moral duty in this life

Hinduism describes dharma as the natural
universal laws whose observance enables humans to
be contented and happy, and to save themselves
from degradation and suffering. Dharma is the
moral law combined with spiritual discipline that
guides one's life. Hindus consider dharma the
very foundation of life.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Karma is the good or bad created by ones actions
  that affect ones rebirth

Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done
and is currently doing. The effects of those
deeds actively create present and future
experiences, thus making one responsible for
one's own life.   With good karma, a person can
be reborn into a higher caste, or even to
godhood.  Bad karma can relegate one to a lower
caste, or even to life as an animal in their next
life.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Souls who grow spiritually can reach nirvana, a
  perfect spiritual peace and unification with
  Brahman

The goal of Hinduism is to escape the cycle of
rebirth by reaching Nirvana. Nirvana is a
Sanskrit word that means ending. Hindus and
Buddhists believe Nirvana is a state of happiness
without change or pain.
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• The Hindu god Brahma can be represented as Brahma
  the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Siva the
  destroyer

Brahma
Vishnu
Siva (Shiva)
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A. Hindu Beliefs

• Other gods that are each a part of Brahman are
  represented as trees, animals, or people

Lord Krishna
Ganesh
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B. Hindu Religious Practices

• Many Hindus practice yoga, mental and physical
  exercises designed to bring the body and soul
  together

Sri Tat Wale Baba, about 75 years old.
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B. Hindu Religious Practices

• Hindu festivals represent the seasonal course of
  nature and combine religious ceremonies and
  rituals with celebration

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B. Hindu Religious Practices

• To Hindus, some animals are sacred

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III. Buddhism

• A. The Buddha

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A. The Buddha

• Buddhism is another of the worlds great
  religions that arose in India

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A. The Buddha

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who
  became known as the Buddha, or the Enlightened
  One

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A. The Buddha

• Born about 563 BC as the son of a prince,
  Siddhartha ("wish fulfilled") Gautama was raised
  in luxury and shielded from the realities of life

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A. The Buddha

• At age 29 he left his palace and was shocked to
  see disease, poverty, and death

In his outings through the four gates of the
city, prince Siddhartha realizes the true circle
of life birth, old age, illness and death.
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A. The Buddha

• He gave up the luxurious life and left his wife
  and loved ones - The Great Renunciation

Prince Siddhartha looks at his wife and son
before leaving the palace.
Prince Siddhartha leaves the city and starts a
homeless life
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A. The Buddha

• He spent years wandering, meditating and fasting,
  searching to understand human suffering

Siddhartha underwent hardships for six years by
the banks of the Nairanjana River.  So great were
his austerities that the ribs of his back could
be seen.  He drank one drop of water a day.  He
ate only one grain of rice a day and in this way
achieved the highest meditative state
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A. The Buddha

• While meditating, he suddenly understood the
  truth that forms the basis of life and became the
  Buddha, or the Enlightened One

Prince Siddahartha attains Enlightenment on the
eighth of December under the Bodhi tree after
defeating the three daughters of Mara the Evil
One - Craving, Discontent, and Lust
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A. The Buddha

• He devoted the rest of his life to teaching his
  followers the way to Enlightenment, the Way of
  Life

In the Bamboo at Rajagriha, the Buddha gave a
sermon to 1250 disciples.
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B. The Buddhas Teachings

• Buddha taught that salvation comes from knowing
  the Four Noble Truths and following the
  Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths There is suffering. There
is a cause of suffering, which is attachment and
desire There is a way out of suffering, which is
to eliminate attachment and desire. The path that
leads out of suffering is called the Noble
Eightfold Path
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B. The Buddhas Teachings

• The Buddha stressed ethics more than ceremony
  Dharma

Dharmachakra -- Wheel of Truth The  Dharma Wheel
represents the truth about our situation and the
many ways of understanding it more clearly.
Buddha encouraged people to rely on their own
experience, rather than depending upon or
worshiping authority figures or gods. His
teaching is often called "turning the wheel of
the dharma."
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B. The Buddhas Teachings

• A person of any caste could reach nirvana if they
  practiced virtuous conduct, nonviolence, and
  poverty

Nirvana is an eternal state of being. It is the
state in which the law of karma and the rebirth
cycle come to an end. It is the end of suffering,
a state where there are no desires and individual
consciousness comes to an end.
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C. The Spread of Buddhism

• Between 200 BC and 200 AD Buddhism split into two
  branches Theravada and Mahayana

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C. The Spread of Buddhism

• Theravada Buddhism follows traditional teachings
  and the belief that the Buddha is a great teacher
  and spiritual leader

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C. The Spread of Buddhism

• Followers of Mahayana Buddhism regard the Buddha
  as a god and savior

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C. The Spread of Buddhism

• Buddhism spread from India and reached its
  greatest strength in other parts of Asia