World History

1
World History

• Chapter Three
• Section Two

2
Hinduism and Buddhism

• Hinduism no single founder
• Came about from Aryans merging their religion
  with the Indus Civilization
• Other peoples added their gods and goddesses
• Hinduism became a complex mix of gods and
  goddesses

3
Beliefs

• Everything is part of the all encompassing force
  of Brahman supernatural force
• Worship many gods
• Most important Brahma creator, Vishnu the
  Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer
• Can take many forms, animals or humans
• Sacred texts Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita

4
Moksha

• Atman essential self could be a form of
  Brahman or the same as Brahman
• Goal of Hindus is to reach Moksha union with
  Brahman
• Must free themselves from selfish desires that
  separate them from Brahman
• Cannot achieve it in one life time must be
  reincarnated
• Reincarnation rebirth of the soul in another
  bodily form allows people to work towards
  moksha through several lives

5
Hinduism

• Can achieve moksha through obeying karma
• Karma all actions in a persons life that affect
  their fate in the next life
• Humans are the closest to Brahman, then animals,
  plants, rocks, waters
• Good and bad karma earned in life
• People are reborn in a higher or lower level

6

• Dharma religious and moral duties of a person
• Ahimsa nonviolence everything is an aspect of
  Brahman and deserve to be respected

7
Jainism

• Mahavira founded Jainism grew out of Hinduism
  and is still around today
• Emphasizes meditation, self denial, and extreme
  forms of ahimsa
• To avoid killing living things, even an insect
  they carry brooms to sweep the ground

8
Caste Systems

• Caste social system in which people are born
  into a group and rarely can move out
• Caste told people what they could do, where they
  could go, what they could eat, how to dress
• Could not marry or eat with anyone outside of
  your caste
• High-caste people had rules in place so they
  would not have to be around lower class people

9
Untouchables

• Today called dalits life was hard and
  restrictive, feared they could get polluted from
  them
• Had to use a wooden clapper to warn of their
  approach

10
Social Orders

• Caste system ensured social stability
• If they fulfill their duties in present caste,
  they will come back to a higher level
• Gave people identity and independence
• Each caste had its own leader
• Over time additional castes developed as new
  people came to the subcontinent
• Thousands of castes and subcastes

11
Buddhism

• Siddharta Guatama religious reformer
• Teachings spread across Asia and became beliefs
  for Buddhism
• He was a prince, mother had a dream, interpreted
  that he would become a wandering holy man
• To prevent this, he was kept in a palace and
  never let outside

12
Buddhism

• At age 29 his life changed
• Went beyond the palace walls and saw an old man,
  a sick man, and a dead body he became aware of
  human suffering
• Was deeply disturbed and left family
• Wandered for years seeking truth from Hindu holy
  men who could not satisfy him
• Sat next to tree and sat there until he
  understood the meaning of life
• Throughout the night he was tempted by evil
  spirits to give up meditating but he fended them
  off
• When he rose, he understood the cause and cure
  for suffering and sorrow became Buddha

13
Buddhism

• Four Noble Truths Heart of Buddhism
• 1 All life is full of suffering, pain, sorrow
• 2 The cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or
  negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred and
  desire
• 3 The only cure for suffering is to overcome
  nonvirtue
• 4 The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow the
  Eightfold Path

14
Buddhism

• Eightfold Path right views, right aspirations,
  right speech, right conduct, right livelihood,
  right effort, right mindfulness, right
  contemplation
• Final goal is Nirvana union with the universe
  and release from the cycle of rebirth

15
Comparing Buddhism and Hinduism

• Buddhism came from Hinduism
• Both stress non-violence and believed in Karma,
  dharma, and cycle of rebirth
• Differences
• Hinduism focused on priests, rituals and gods
• Buddhism focused on enlightenment through
  meditation
• Also rejected the caste system offering nirvana
  to all

16
Spread of Buddhism

• Buddha gained many followers across India while
  he preached
• Some who accepted Buddhas teachings set up
  monasteries and convents for meditation and study

17
Collecting Buddha Teachings

• At age 80 Buddha ate spoiled food and died
• Before he did he said Decay is inherent in all
  things
• Followers collected his teachings in the
  Tripitaka Three Baskets of Freedom
• Overcome anger not by becoming angry.
• Overcome evil with good.
• Overcome the liar by the truth.

18
Buddhism Spreads

• Missionaries and traders spread Buddhism
• Split into two sects (subgroups)
• 1 Theravada Buddhism followed Buddha's
  original teachings. Required life devoted to
  spiritual work. Only most dedicated, monks and
  nuns, could hope to reach nirvana
• 2 Mahayana Buddhism easier for ordinary people,
  picture Buddha as a god even though he said not
  to worship him. Believe in an afterlife with many
  heavens and hells spread to China, Korea, Tibet
  and Japan

19
Buddhism Declines in India

• Slowly declined in India
• Hinduism absorbed some Buddhism teachings
• Included Buddha as another Hindu god
• Some Buddhist centers in India survived until
  1100s A.D. until they fell to invading Muslim
  armies