Download A Review of Hinduism and Buddhism

A Review of Hinduism and
Buddhism
Learning Targets
- I can describe how Monsoon Winds affect different
parts of India.
- I can relate the Ancient Harappan civilization, with the
Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations that we have
already studied.
- I can describe the importance of the Sanskrit
language in the understanding of Ancient Indian
Society.
- I can explain the differences in Hinduism and
Buddhism.
- I can describe the Caste System and explain its
importance within Indian Society.
A Review of What we have learned
• What were the two main cities of Ancient
Harappan civilization?
• Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
– After the fall of the Harappan Civilizations what group
came into India?
• Aryan’s
What Language did the Aryans speak?
-Sanskrit
What were the Religious Writings of the Aryan’s called?
-Vedas
Indian Society Divides
The Varnas
The Varnas
• According to the Vedas, there
were four main Varna's, or
social divisions, In Aryan
Society.
• Brahmins- Priests
• Kshatriyas- Rulers and
Warriors.
• Vaisyas- Farmers, craftspeople,
and Traders
• Sudras- Laborers and nonAryans
The Caste System
• As the Rules of interaction between Varnas
got stricter, the Aryan social order became
more complex.
• This Caste System- Divided Indian society into
groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or
occupation.
• The Caste to which a person belonged
determined his or her place in society.
The Caste System
• Even though the caste determined a persons
place within society it was by no means
permanent.
• On rare occasions, people could change caste.
• People in the lowest class the Sudra had hard
lives.
• There was a group of people though who did
not even belong to a caste, they were called
untouchables.
Caste System Rules
• To keep their classes distinct, the Aryans
developed sutras, or guides, which listed the
rules for the caste system.
• People could not marry someone else from a
different Caste.
• It was even forbidden for people from one
class to eat with people from another.
Hinduism Develops
• The blending of the Vedic texts along with
others from people from Persia and other
kingdoms in Central Asia brought their ideas
to India.
• This Blending of ideas created a religion called
Hinduism, Which is the largest religion in India
today.
Hindu Beliefs
• The Hindus believe in many gods.
• There are three major gods:
– Brahma- The Creator
– Siva- The Destroyer
– Vishnu- The Preserver
Life and Rebirth
• According to Hindu Traditions:
• Everyone has a soul.
• A persons ultimate goal should be to reunite
with Brahman, the Universal Sprit.
• Hindus believe that souls are born and reborn
many times.
• This process of rebirth is called Reincarnation.
Karma
• Karma- The effects that good or bad actions
have on a person’s soul.
• Evil actions during ones life will build bad
Karma.
• A person with bad Karma will be reborn into a
lower caste or as a lesser creature.
Buddhism
• In the late 500’s a man dissatisfied with the
teachings of Hinduism, began to ask his own
questions about life and religious matters.
• Siddhartha Gautama, was a prince who grew
up in luxury.
Finding Enlightenment
• Siddhartha wanted to free his mind from daily
concerns;
• So he started fasting, or going without food.
• He devoted much of his time to meditation,
the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas.
Human Suffering Comes from 3 things
• Wanting what we like but do not have,
• Wanting to keep what we like and already
have, and
• Not wanting what we dislike but have.
• From this point on Siddhartha would be
known as the Buddha or “The Enlightened
One”
Challenging Hindu Ideas
The Buddha rejected many ideas in the Vedas,
such as animal sacrifice.
He told people that they did not have to follow
these texts.
He was opposed to the Caste System
However the Buddha did not reject the idea of
reincarnation.
Buddhism Spreads
• In the years following Buddha's death his
ideas spread very quickly because they were
popular and easy to understand.
• Within 200 years of the Buddha’s death,
Buddhism had spread through most of India.