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JAINISM
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Vardhamana Mahavira
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Jainist doctrine and ethics
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Born in north India, 540 B.C.E.
Left family, searching for salvation from cycle of incarnation
Gained enlightenment, taught an ascetic doctrine
His disciples began to lead a monastic life
Mahavira became Jina, the "conqueror," and followers, Jains
Inspired by the Upanishads
Everything in the universe possessed a soul
Striving to purify one's selfish behavior to attain a state of bliss
The principle of ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living things
Believed that almost all occupations entailed violence of some kind
Too demanding, not a practical alternative to the cult of the brahmins
Appeal of Jainism
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Social implication: Individual souls equally participated in ultimate reality
The Jains did not recognize social hierarchies of caste and jati
Became attractive to members of lower castes
The ascetic tradition continues to today
EARLY BUDDHISM
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Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)
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The Buddha and his followers
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Born in 563 B.C.E. to the Kshatriya caste
Witnessed miseries of the human condition
Gave up his comfortable life and began searching for enlightenment
Intense meditation and extreme asceticism
Received enlightenment under the bo tree and became Buddha
"Turning of the Wheel of the Law," 528 B.C.E.
Organized followers into a community of monks (“the sangha”)
Traveled throughout north India, bringing enlightenment to others
Buddhist doctrine: The dharma
 The Four Noble Truths
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The Noble Eightfold Path (“Setting the wheel in motion”)
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All life involves suffering
Desire is the cause of suffering
Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering
The Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire
Right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior
Right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation
Religious goal: Nirvana, a state of perfect spiritual independence
APPEAL OF BUDDHISM
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Appealed strongly to members of lower castes
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Appealed to women as all souls considered equal
Less demanding than Jainism, more popular
Used vernacular tongues, not Sanskrit
Holy sites and pilgrims
The monastic organizations
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Salvation without services of the brahmins
Did not recognize social hierarchies of castes and jati
Spread the Buddhist message, won converts
Could be endowed by others to support the religion
Centers of learning, good works, contemplation
Ashoka's support
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Emperor Ashoka became a devout Buddhist, 206 B.C.E.
Banned animal sacrifices in honor of ahimsa
Granted lands to monasteries
Sent missionaries to Bactria and Ceylon
VARIANTS OF BUDDHISM
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Early Buddhism made heavy demands on individuals
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Development of Buddhism
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Giving up personal property
Forsaking the search for social standing
Detaching oneself from worldly pleasures
Buddha gradually seen as a god by ex-Hindu’s, in China
The notion of bodhisatva - "an enlightened being"
Monasteries began to accept gifts from wealthy individuals
Buddhism became more attractive
The Schism of Buddhism: Was he a god or man?
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Mahayana - "the greater vehicle"
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Spread to Central, East Asia
Blended in India with Hinduism, which coopted Buddha as a god
Coopted Chinese traditions and Taoist gods in China
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Hinayana or Theravada
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Continued to view Buddha as human
 Practiced in Sri Lanka, parts of India, SE Asia
Buddhism died out in India as it merged with Hinduism
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POPULAR HINDUISM
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The epics
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Mahabharata
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Ramayana
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A short poetic work within the Mahabharata
A dialogue between the god Vishnu and Prince Arjuna
Illustrated expectations of Hinduism and promise of salvation
Hindu ethics
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Secular story of Rama and Sita was changed into a Hindu story
The Bhagavad Gita
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A secular poem revised by brahmin scholars
Honored the god Vishnu, the preserver of the world
Lower demands for achieving salvation
Individuals should meet their responsibilities in detached fashion
Balance of dharma, artha, karma to attain moksha, end samsara
Popularity of Hinduism
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Became more popular than Buddhism; Buddhism too aesthetic
The Guptas helped Hinduism become the dominant religion