Download Ancient India

Ancient India
Geography
• The highest mountains in
the world, the Himalayas,
are in the north.
• Two rivers:
– Ganges
– Indus
• The rest of India is the
Deccan Plateau.
– Hilly and Dry interior
– Lush coastal plains
Climate
• India’s climate is dominated
by the monsoon cycle.
– Seasonal winds that bring
heavy rains.
• Farmers depend on the
monsoons.
– If they come too early or late,
or bring too much or too
little rain, crops are
destroyed and thousands
starve.
Indus Valley Civilization
• There were thousands of settlements in the Indus Valley.
– Two major cities:
• Harrapa
• Mohenjo Daro
• Between 3000BC and 1500BC
– Sumer?
– Egypt?
– China?
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
• Populations:
– Harappa – 35,000
– Mohenjo Daro – 40,000
• Cities were highly organized:
– Built in a grid pattern
– Public wells supplied water
for all
– Wastewater and garbage
systems took water and
garbage out to the streets.
Public Well in Harappa
Sewer System in Harappa
Mohenjo Daro
Rendition of Mohenjo Daro
Government
• Theocracy - A government ruled
by or subject to religious
authority.
– Royal palace and holy temple
were combined in the same
fortress
• Economy was based on farming
and trade.
– Traded with Sumer
Citadel in Mohenjo Daro
Disappearance and Immigration
• Indus Valley cities began to
gradually decay around
1800 B.C.
– Floods
– An earthquake
– Course of the Indus River
changes.
• Final blow was an influx of
new people called Aryans.
– Bring major changes to
India’s culture
A New Way of Life
• Indus Valley had no written
language.
– Aryans develop Sanskrit in
around 1000BC.
• Record all oral legends and
traditions in the Vedas.
– Holy text of Hinduism
• Indus Valley and Aryan
religions blended together.
Aryan Government and Life
• India was broken into many
small kingdoms.
– Led by rajas (maharajas).
• Society was centered around
the family.
– Extended family all under the
same roof.
• Patriarchal
- Arranged marriage
Social Structure in India
• The Social Structure reflected
the Aryan ideas of an ideal
society.
– Caste System
• Every Indian is born into a
caste.
– Determines…
• What job people could have.
• Whom they could marry.
• What groups they could
socialize with.
Social Structure in India
• A person’s caste is based on beliefs
about religious purity.
– Greater religious purity = higher caste.
– Bottom castes = impure
– Connects to beliefs about reincarnation
• Lowest level – “untouchables”
– So impure, they are outside the caste
system completely.
– Were given degrading tasks like
collecting trash and handling dead
bodies.
Social Structure in India
Hinduism
Introduction to Hinduism
• Origins
– Hinduism was a blend
of Aryan and
Dravidian (Indus
Valley Civ.) religions.
• The Basics
– Vedas (“knowledge” in
Sanskrit)
• Religious text
– Brahma
• God, all-knowing
universal force of
the universe.
• Monotheistic
– Yet, Brahman takes
many forms…
Vishnu
• Preserver of the
universe.
Shiva
• Destroyer of the
universe.
Durga
• Mother, Warrior.
Ganesh
• Wise and all
knowing.
Principles of Hinduism
• Samsara (Sansar)
– Cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
– Karma
• The force generated by a person’s actions
determines how the person will be reborn into
the next life.
• Moksha
– The ultimate goal of samsara.
– “Breaking the cycle,” uniting with Brahman
How does one achieve good
Karma?
• Dharma = Divine law,
or “virtuous path.”
– Make morally sound
judgments.
– Do your social duty.
• (Castes?)
• Yoga (“union”)
– Meditation to become
closer to Brahma.
Comparing Religions…
• The outward differences between
Hinduism and the religions of the West
are obvious. In groups, contemplate
the following question…
– How are the belief system and practices of
Hinduism similar to that of Judeo-Christian
(“Western”) religions?
• In groups, come up with at least 3 similarities.
Cultural Traditions of
Hinduism
Why do women wear dots on their
foreheads?
• Its symbolizes the “third eye,” the one focused inwards
towards your atma or soul.
I’ve heard that Hindus don’t eat
beef. Is that true?
• Yes. Hindus revere cows for their gentle nature and their
life sustaining abilities. Also, cows commonly roam free in
India. Much like it would be socially unacceptable to eat a
horse or a dog in the United States, so to is it unacceptable
to eat a cow in India.
Reviewing Hinduism
1. What is the goal of life for Hindus?
2. How do you achieve that goal?
3. How does Hinduism reinforce the Caste
System? How does it reinforce the
Ritual of Suttee?
Buddhism
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
• A prince with every “everything”,
discovers a great deal of human
suffering outside “his world.”
• Gives up “everything” to seek the
cure for human suffering.
• Goal: To seek Nirvana
Means end of the self and a reunion
in life with the Great Soul
Four Noble Truths
1. Ordinary life is suffering
2. This suffering is caused by our
desire to satisfy ourselves
3. The way to end suffering is to end
desire for selfish goals and to see
others as extensions of ourselves
4. The way to end desire is to follow
the middle path
“The Middle Path”
Next Page
1. Stupas and temples
were built to honor the
death of Gautama.
Stupas are stone
towers that house
relics of the Buddha
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The Middle Path
Right View:
We need to know the Four Noble Truths
Right Intention:
We need to decide what we really want
Right Speech:
We must seek to speak truth and to speak well of others
Right Action:
The Buddha gave five precepts: “Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do
not be unchaste. Do not take drugs or alcohol.”
Right livelihood:
We must do work that uplifts our being.
Right effort:
The Buddha said, “Those who follow the Way might well follow the
example of an ox that arches through the deep mud carrying a heavy
load. He is tired, but his steady, forward-looking gaze will not relax until
he is out of the mud.”
Right mindfulness:
We must keep our minds in control of our senses: “All we are is the result
of what we have thought.”
Right concentration:
We must meditate to see the world in a new way.
Two Religions
Why Fat Buddha Statues?
• The "Fat Buddha" is not THE Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama
• The statue is not an idol.
• Rubbing the belly of a fat Buddha Statue is not a prayer of any sort… it's just
a more or less superstitious habit
• Buddha means "one who has achieved a state of perfect
enlightenment" and there are several people who have been given
the title.
• Siddhartha lived from around B.C. 560 to B.C. 480, it
was not until around 127 BC that statues actually depicting him
became prevalent.
• Nobody knew what he really looked like, he was from a noble family
and had been described as tall, slender, and of "manly build", but that
may have been just because that is what people expected "Nobles"
to look like.
• The image of a fat overfed Buddha didn't fit with his teachings, and
an "enlightened one" might be so enlightened as to disregard
material needs like eating…
• Buddhism reached China around 100AD, and was wide spread there
by 600AD.
• We get three theories on Fat Buddha.
• First the physical image of a Noble was not athletic or a
warrior, but a well fed person of leisure. People tried to rub a
fat man's belly in hopes of luck and ample meals.
• Then there is the story of a Chinese Buddhist monk in the
6th century, who just happened to have a belly that shook
like jelly, he was a kind fellow who dedicated himself to
helping others, and was regarded as the incarnation of the
Boddhisatva Metteya, who had reached nirvana but stayed
around just to help people.
• And finally the theory held by most Buddhist scholars. A sagely Zen
monk appeared in China around 850 A.D. and died in 916A.D. He
said his name was "Knowing This" (ChiChe). No one knew where he
came from, he carried a big fat bag and was famous for his fat belly.
When asked how to obtain nirvana he would lay down the bag and
not said a word. When asked about what happened after reaching
nirvana he would pick up the bag and walk away, still not a word. It is
pretty much accepted that such a monk existed. He is probably the
inspiration for Fat Buddha, as the statues began appearing in the late
800's, 1200 years after the Gautama's death. If you'll look at an
authentic Fat buddha, you'll see he has a sack on his back.