Download Ancient India 5.2

Ancient India
5.2 – Origins of Hinduism Essential Question: How do India’s rich history and culture affect the world today? Big Idea: Hinduism, the largest religion in India today, developed out of ancient Indian beliefs and practices. Key Word
Definition
varnas Aryan/Indian social divisions similar to other social hierarchies Brahmins -­‐ priests Kshatriyas – rulers/warriors Vaisyas – farmers, traders, craftspeople Sudras – laborers, non-­‐Aryans When the varnas became further divided, the result was more groups, or castes. The caste system divided Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation. A group within Indian society that did not belong to any caste. They could only hold certain, often unpleasant jobs. The guides that listed the rules for the caste system Aryan religion was based on the four Vedas, which are religious writings containing sacred hymns & poems. The oldest is the Rigveda, which includes hymns of praise to many gods. The largest religion in India today, based on the blending of the Vedas, Vedic texts, and other religious ideas from different cultures Some important Hindu beliefs include polytheism, reincarnation, and karma. This is the Hindu word for soul. It should be reunited with Brahman, the universal spirit. caste system untouchables sutras Vedas Hinduism atman Memory Clue
Key Word
The process of rebirth where a soul is born and reborn into different physical forms until it can see through the illusion of life and reach salvation The effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul -­‐ Evil actions cause bad karma, which results in being karma reborn into a lower caste in a person’s next life. -­‐ Good actions build up good karma and result in being born into a higher caste, eventually leading to salvation. Hinduism’s salvation, or freedom from life’s worries moksha and the cycle of rebirth A set of spiritual duties that each person has to fulfill, dharma according to Hinduism A religion based on four principles: -­‐ injure no life (nonviolence) Jainism -­‐ tell the truth -­‐ do not steal -­‐ own no property nonviolence/ The avoidance of violent actions ahimsa Hindus and Jains practice this. A monotheistic religion based on achieving Sikhism enlightenment through meditation. Sanskrit word for ‘teacher’ guru monotheism Belief in only one God Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. reincarnation Definition
Memory Clue
5.1 – Origins of Hinduism Essential Question: How do India’s rich history and culture affect the world today? Big Idea: Hinduism, the largest religion in India today, developed out of ancient Indian beliefs and practices. A. Indian Society Divides As Aryan society became more complex, their society became divided into groups, mostly organized by people’s ______________________. Strict rules developed about how people of different groups could interact. According to the _______________, there were four main varnas, or _________________ ______________________. They were: Brahmins -­‐ ___________________ Kshatriyas -­‐ _______________ and __________________ Vaisyas -­‐ ____________________, ____________________________, and ____________________ Sudras -­‐ _____________________ and _________________________ Brahmins were the highest rank because they performed __________________ for the _____________. Rules became stricter, and each varna was divided into even more castes, or _________________. This caste system divided Indian society into groups based on a person’s ________________, ________________, or _______________________. A person’s ______________ determined where they belonged/ranked in society, but a caste’s value could change depending on wealth or power. On rare occasions, people could _______________ their caste. Over time, _________________ rights were limited. Later, a group that did not belong to any caste developed. They were called ________________________, and they could only hold certain, often unpleasant, jobs. To keep the groups separate, the Aryans developed _____________, or guides, which listed all the rules for the caste system. People who broke the rules could be banned from their homes and _____________, which would make them _________________________. Because of these rules, people spent almost all of their time with others in their ______________ caste. B. Brahmanism Because Aryan priests were called Brahmins, their religion is often called ___________________________. Aryan religion was based on the _________________. There are four Vedas, each containing sacred hymns and poems. The oldest of the Vedas, the _____________________, includes hymns of praise to many gods. Over the centuries, Aryan Brahmins wrote down their thoughts about the Vedas, creating writings called the _____________ ______________. One collection of Vedic texts describes Aryan religious ________________. A second collection describes ______________ _______________ that only certain people could perform. The final collection of Vedic texts, the _____________________, are reflections on the Vedas by religious __________________ and ____________________. C. Hinduism Develops The ______________, the Upanishads, and other Vedic texts began to blend with ideas from other cultures, creating a religion called _____________________, the largest religion in India today. Hindus believe in many gods, but they believe that all gods are aspects of a single universal spirit called __________________. Three aspects of Brahman are particularly important to Hinduism -­‐ __________________, the Creator, _______________, the Destroyer, and ______________, the Preserver. Hindus believe that each person has a soul, or _____________, that holds their personality. Hindus also believe a person’s ultimate goal should be to reunite that soul with _________________, the universal spirit, by seeing through the ________________ of the world. In order to do this successfully, Hindus believe that souls are born and ________________ many times, each time in a new body. This process of rebirth is called ______________________. The type of form a person is reborn into depends on his/her _________________, the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s ____________. Evil actions built bad karma, and good actions built good karma. Depending on your karma, you were either reborn into a higher or lower ______________. In time, good karma brings _____________________, or freedom from life’s worries and the cycle of rebirth. This salvation is called _____________________. Hinduism taught that each person had a __________________, or set of spiritual duties, to fulfill. Fulfilling one’s dharma required ___________________ one’s position in life. By teaching people to accept their positions, Hinduism helped preserve the __________________ __________________. D. Groups React to Hinduism Although it was widely followed, not everyone in India agreed with the beliefs of Hinduism. One religion that developed from Hinduism is known as _________________, which is based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira. Mahavira thought Hindus put too much emphasis on _________________. Instead, he came up with four principles to live life by: -­‐
Injure ______ ___________ -­‐
Tell _________ _____________ -­‐
Do ________ _____________ -­‐
Own _______ __________________ Jains believe that everything is alive and part of the cycle of ________________. Because of this, Jains practice _______________________, (ahimsa) the avoidance of violent actions. Hindus also practice nonviolence, or _____________. Since they don’t want to hurt living things, Jains do not make __________________ sacrifices, nor do they eat any food that comes from animals. Centuries later, a religion called _________________ was founded by the Guru Nanak. This man and teacher was raised a Hindu, but was not satisfied with the religion’s teachings. He blended Hinduism with ideas from other religions to create __________________, a monotheistic religion. Being monotheistic, Sikhs only believe in ________ God, who has no physical form, but can be sensed in the creation. Their ultimate goal is to reunite with _________ after death by meditating and trying to achieve _______________________ over many lifetimes. Therefore, Sikhs also believe in reincarnation. Sikhism teaches that people should live truthfully, treating all people _________________, regardless of ________________, ________________ ______________, or any other factor. Sikhs pray several times a day. They’re expected to wear five items at all times as signs of their religion: -­‐
_______________ ______________ -­‐
a _______________ ________________ -­‐
a _______________ ______________________ -­‐
a ________________ -­‐
a special ____________________________ Main Idea #1: Indian society divided into distinct groups under the Aryans. Q: What were the four varnas? A: Q: What were some rules described in the sutras? A: Q: What could happen to someone who broke caste rules? A: Main Idea #2: The Aryans practiced a religion called Brahmanism. Q: What is the Rigveda? A: Q: When was Rigveda probably written? A: Q: How did the Upanishads differ from other Vedic texts? A: Q: Why did priests place sacrifices into a fire? A: Main Idea #3: Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures. Q: According to Hindu belief, what are the three major forms of Brahman? A: Q: What led to the development of Hinduism? A: Q: How may believing that this world is merely an illusion affect one’s behavior? A: Q: What is karma? A: Q: How may the role of women in traditional Hinduism be connected to the history of Aryan varnas? A: Q: Do you think a wealthy Brahmin would want his or her servants to believe in dharma? Why or why not? A: Main Idea #4: The Jains and Sikhs reacted to Hinduism by breaking away to form their own religions. Q: On whose teachings were Jainism and Sikhism based? A: Q: How did Jainism differ from Hinduism? A: Q: Why do Sikhs carry special objects with them at all times? A: Reading Checks Q #1: How did a person become a member of a caste? A: Q #2: What are the Vedic texts? A: Q #3: What determined how a person would be reborn? A: Q #4: Why do Jains avoid eating meat? A: