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Will Durant
E. Napp
"It is true that even
across the Himalayan
barrier India has sent to
the west, such gifts as
grammar and logic,
philosophy and fables,
hypnotism and chess,
and above all numerals
and the decimal system.”
HINDUISM
Has no historical founder
 Developed over many centuries along with Indian
civilization
 Later spread into Southeast Asia but not a
missionary religion
 Associated with a particular people and place
 Never was a single tradition
 Rather the term “Hinduism” derived from
outsiders – Greeks, Muslims, British

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Vedas
-Earliest of Hindu texts
-Collection of poems, hymns, prayers and rituals
-Compiled by priests called Brahmins,
transmitted orally for centuries (written in
Sanskrit around 600 BCE)
-Brahmins gained power and wealth through the
performing of sacrifices and rituals
 Dissatisfaction with Brahmins led to another
body of sacred texts
 Upanishads (composed by anonymous thinkers
between 800 and 400 BCE)
-Sought to understand the inner meaning of the
sacrifices

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HINDU BELIEFS
Brahman or the World Soul is the ultimate
reality
 Beyond all separate identities, persons, and
forms lay this divine reality
 According to philosophical Hinduism, the
individual human soul (atman) was part of this
ultimate reality
 Therefore, the perceived separateness of people
and forms is an illusion
 Everything is Brahman
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Beyond the quest for wealth and power, lay the
effort to achieve union with Brahman
-An end to the illusory perception of a separate
existence
-Moksha (liberation)
 But until moksha is achieved, there is samsara or
rebirth (reincarnation)
 Rebirth is determined by the individual’s actions
(Karma) and performance of duty (Dharma)
 Therefore, the caste system is a register of every
person’s spiritual progress

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BUDDHISM
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Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 556 – ca. 486 BCE)
-Founder of Buddhism
-Indian prince from a small north Indian state
-Led a sheltered and privileged existence
-Shocked by the existence of old age, sickness,
and death
-Left family and wealth
-Began search for the causation and cessation of
suffering
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Upon becoming the Enlightened One (the
Buddha), formulated the Four Noble Truths
-Life has suffering.
-Selfish desire is the cause of suffering.
-Suffering can end.
-Follow the Noble Eightfold Path (eight actions
to help eliminate suffering)
 Nirvana is the elimination of suffering
-The identity is extinguished as greed, hatred,
and delusion are extinguished too
-Loving-kindness or compassion for all living
things develops
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Many similarities to Hinduism
-Karma, reincarnation, overcoming the incessant
demands of the ego, meditation, release from
samsara
 Differences too
-Rejected religious authority of Brahmins,
ridiculed rituals and sacrifices, not much
interested in the creation of world or existence of
God
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Reluctantly allowed women to become Buddhist
nuns
 But Buddhist nuns had inferior status than
Buddhist monks
 Nonetheless, in opposition to “The Laws of Manu”
-Classic Hindu text on the position of women
- “In childhood, a female must be subject to her
father; in youth to her husband; when her lord is
dead to her sons; a woman must never be
independent.”
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Buddhism’s popularity was increased by
teachings in Pali, local and accessible language
 During the reign of Ashoka (268 -232 BCE),
Buddhism had state support
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Over time, two primary schools of Buddhism
developed
-Theravada (Teaching of the Elders) portrayed
Buddha as a wise teacher and model but not
divine
-Mahayana (Great Vehicle) developed in the early
centuries CE and claimed that help was available
for the strenuous journey through bodhisattvas
or spiritually developed individuals who had
postponed entry into nirvana to help others still
suffering (even Buddha became something of a
god)
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But Buddhism died out in the land of its birth
-A revived Hinduism made Buddhism less
attractive (the Mahabharata and Ramayana
were epic poems that encouraged action in the
world and a detached performance of caste duties
leading to liberation)
-Bhakti or the way of devotion to a deity also
developed
-But perhaps most importantly of all, Buddhism
was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon
Krishna encourages the Arjuna to perform his duty
in the Bhagavad-Gita (part of the Mahabharata).
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According to Hindus, Buddha is the ninth
incarnation of Vishnu. Buddha is a part of the
Hindu pantheon.
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By 1000 CE, Buddhism disappeared as a separate
religious tradition within India. However,
Buddhism became a universal belief system by
spreading to new lands.
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STRAYER QUESTIONS
In what ways did the religious traditions of South
Asia change over the centuries?
 In what ways did the religious traditions of South
Asia change over the centuries?
 What is the difference between the Theravada
and Mahayana expressions of Buddhism?
 What new emphases characterized Hinduism as
it responded to the challenges of Buddhism?
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