Transcript Religions of Ancient India

Religions of Ancient India
Chapter 6.2
Origins of Hinduism
• One of the world’s oldest
• 3rd largest religion after Chrisitianity and
Islam
• Developed by the Aryans
• Started off as Brahmanism
– Sacred writings called the Vedas
Vedas
• Had to be memorized by Brahmin priests
• Spoken out loud
• After Aryans developed writing, the Vedas
were written down in Sanskrit
What is Hinduism?
• Universal spirit called Brahman
Hinduism
• Ancient texts known as Upanishads
– Describe the search for Braham
– Says every living thing has a soul and is part
of Braham
– At death, the soul leaves the body and joins
with Braham
Brahma
• The Creator
Vishnu
• The Preserver
Shiva
• The Destroyer
Reincarnation
• Rebirth of the Soul
• Soul passes through many lives
• Before reaching Brahman
Karma
• People’s status
• Based on past lives
• What a person does in previous life will
decide how they are reborn
– If a person has bad karma, they are reborn in
a lower form
– When good people die, they are reborn in a
higher form of life
Dharma
• Personal duty to earn a better existence in
the next life
How beliefs shape society
• All life is sacred
• Animals as well as people were treated
with kindness and respect
• Made Indians more accepting of varna
system
• A person who leads a good life is reborn
into a higher jati
Rise of Buddhism
• Some Indians were not happy with
Hinduism
• Some left their homes and looked for
peace
Buddhism
• Buddhism is one of the world’s major
religions
• Most Buddhist live in SE Asia and E Asia
• Only a few live in India
– Buddha’s birthplace
Siddhartha Gautama
• Became known as the Buddha
• Founded a new religion call Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
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Born c.563 B.C. in Nepal
Was a rich prince
Left is wife and newborn son to explore life
Shocked at the misery of people
For the first time he realized the world was filled
with suffering
• Became a monk
• Stopped to meditate
• Gained followers
What did Buddha teach?
• Believed the world of the spirit was more
important than the everyday world
• People suffer because they care too much
about the wrong things
• Fame, money, and personal possessions
lead to greed or anger
• Taught the 4 Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths
• 1. Life is full of suffering
• 2. people suffer because they desire
worldly things and want to satisfy
themselves
• 3. The way to end suffering is to stop
desiring things.
4. The only way to stop desiring things is
following the Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path to Enlightment
• 1. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths
• 2. Give up worldly things and do not harm others
• 3. Tell the truth, do not gossip, and do not speak badly
of others
• 4. Do not commit evil acts, such as killing, stealing, or
living an unclean life.
• 5. Do rewarding work
• 6. Work for good and oppose evil
• 7. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under
control
• 8. practice meditation to see the world in a new way
Buddhism
• When people are free from earthly
concerns, they reach nirvana-state of
perfect peace
• Welcomed all people
• Placed little importance on varna system
• Believed in reincarnation
– People would reach the end of cycle of rebirth
by following 8 Fold Path
Buddhism
• Many Untouchables and Indians in lower
jati accepted Buddhism
• For the first time they had hope of
reaching enlightenment
Buddhist divide
• Theravada-believe Buddha is a great
teacher
• Mahayana-teaches Buddha is a god
Jainism
• Developed by Mahavira
• Became known as Jina-or conqueror
• Practice nonviolence toward ALL living
things
Gandhi
• Led a nonviolent struggle against British
rule
• Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance influenced
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.