Download 6.8 Religions of Ancient India

Religions of Ancient India
I.
Hinduism
A. Hinduism developed during the Vedic Age (1500-1000 BCE) = a period of cultural regression
after the Aryan invasion
1. No cities, no writing
2. Harappans were enslaved by the Aryans
3. Historians know about this period from the Vedas
a. Vedas = hymns memorized and passed down by the Brahmins (priests)
1) Tell the story of the Aryan invasion and life, and the basic principles of Hinduism
2) Vedas had to be memorized perfectly or the gods would be offended
4. Because we get most of our info about this period from the Vedas, it is often referred to as
the “Vedic Age.”
B. Established idea of dharma
1. Dharma = obligations and duty
2. To follow one’s dharma = to perform one’s duties and live as one should
3. The idea of dharma supported the caste system
a. According to the Vedas, each caste had its own duties
b. So part of following dharma was performing your caste’s duties well, and not trying to
move to another caste
C. Main god = Brahman (a universal force)
1. Hindus believe every living thing contained a piece of Brahman; this piece was their
soul/life force
2. Hindus believe in many gods, which are actually different physical representations of
Brahman
a. Each god represents different qualities or characteristics of Brahman
b. The three most important gods are
1) Brahma – the creator of the universe
2) Vishnu – the preserver of the universe
3) Shiva – the destroyer of the universe
D. Reincarnation
1. Reincarnation = a cycle of death and rebirth in
which a person’s soul (atman) is reborn as another life form
after death
2. Karma determines what form a person will return in
a. Karma = balance of good and bad deeds, which determines one’s form in the next life
b. More good than bad (= good karma)  you come back in a higher state (a higher
caste)
c. More bad than good (= bad karma)  you come back in a lower state (a lower caste or
even an animal)
d. The idea of karma supported the caste system because the caste you were is was
determined be your past actions (your karma)
3. Ultimate goal: to end the cycle of reincarnation by being so good that you rise above a
human state and join with Brahman
E. Nonviolence
1. Hindus believe all life is connected, since all life contains a soul (atman), which is a piece
of Brahman
2. Therefore, part of dharma is to avoid causing harm to other living beings
a. This is why many Hindus are vegetarians
b. This reverence for life is symbolized by the cow, which Hindus consider especially
sacred
F. Characteristics of civilization began to reappear between 1000 and 700 BCE
1. Cities arose once again c. 1000 BCE
2. Literature was composed and passed down orally at first and the later written down as a
system of writing Sanskrit was developed
a. Two famous Hindu epic stories/poems
1) The Mahabharata: the longest poem in existence—over 1000 verses
a) 5 good (Pandava) brothers fight their 100 evil (Kaurava) cousins for control of
India [Pandavas probably represent the Aryans and Kauravas probably
represent the Harappans]
2) The Ramayana:
a) The god Vishnu comes to earth in the human form of a prince named Rama to
fight an evil demon named Ravanna.
II. Buddhism began c. 500 BCE
A. Started by Siddhartha Gautama (known as the Buddha)
1. He was an Aryan prince
a. He was protected as a young man and never witnessed suffering
b. Then one day he went out with his driver and saw a poor man, a sick man, and a dead
man and he was overwhelmed by the human suffering
2. He became a Hindu monk, but that didn’t satisfy him either
3. He meditated for 7 weeks and suddenly he achieved enlightenment
4. From that point on he is known as the Buddha (the “Enlightened One”)
B. Teachings of Buddha
1. The path to contentment is moderation: follow the
“Middle Way”
2. The Four Noble Truths
a. Human life is suffering
b. Suffering is caused by desire
c. To end suffering, you must end desire
d. To end desire, you must follow the Eightfold Path
3. The Eightfold Path
a. Right understanding (Understand the Four Noble
Truths).
b. Right purpose (Be loving, not hateful).
c. Right speech (Tell the truth, don’t gossip or say
mean things about people).
d. Right action (Do good deeds, not evil acts).
e. Right work (Do something useful, and avoid jobs that harm others).
f. Right effort (Work for good and oppose evil).
g. Right mindfulness (Be aware of what you feel, think and do).
h. Right meditation (Practice meditation, which leads to Nirvana).
4. Ultimate goal: reach Nirvana (state of pure contentment and peace, with no desire)