Transcript Ancient India - Barrington 220

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
• 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.
Climate
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.
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?
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.