Transcript Tuesday, January 26th - Eastern Belief Systems2

Tuesday, January 26th
Bell Work: Please pick up the handout on
the back table and find your assigned seat.
While I take attendance, read the passage
and answer the accompanying questions
on the back of the paper in complete
sentences.
Daily Agenda:
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Bell Work: Document
Analysis
WOD  analogy
Activator: Pyramid
Review
Lecture: Eastern
Belief Systems
Summarizer
Essential Question:
How did belief systems
help strengthen
political, economic, and
cultural ties within
societies?
Homework: Read and
take notes on Ch. 5
(quiz tomorrow)
analogy – a comparison of two things that are alike in some way
(ana “according to” + log “speech, reason”)
[pronunciation]
The 1999 critically-acclaimed film The Green Mile told the story of a simple,
hulking black man, John Coffey, who is wrongfully convicted of raping and
killing two girls in 1930s Louisiana. He is sentenced to death. While waiting on
Death Row, it becomes obvious to his guards that he is no killer, and he soon
begins to display extraordinary healing powers. But did this really happen? Or
was the author using the story as an analogy for the story of Jesus of
Nazareth?
Consider the analogous evidence: John Coffey is a saintly, gentle man with
the ability to cure through touch (in one scene he cures a woman of cancer; in
another he resurrects a dead mouse) who is wrongfully convicted of a crime
and sentenced to death. Need any more evidence? Check out his initials. As
Stephen King, the author of the novel on which the film is based, once wrote,
"What is this, rocket science? I mean, come on, guys."
Click on the image to see if you can find any analogous
characteristics in the movie.
(Read Aloud)
Tuesday, January 26th, Block 1
Pyramid Review
Pyramid Review
Pyramid Review
Classical Age China
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Later Zhou Dynasty
Period of weak central government
C. 600 BCE, only eight or nine large states
remained
Warring States Period
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Large population (There is no point in
history in which China has not been the
most heavily populated region.)
Large, conscripted armies led by
professional soldiers
Professional governing class developed
“The Period of the One Hundred
Schools” 551-233 BCE
The most creative period in Chinese
philosophy
All the major schools of Chinese philosophy
began
Confucianism
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Kung fu tzu 551-479
BCE
“Master Kung”
Born in province of Lu
Early successful
political career
Dismissed from
government service
Became itinerant
teacher
The Analects
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Confucius’ teachings,
recorded by his
students
What is the chief goal of
Confucianism?
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An orderly society
Hierarchy
Patriarchy
The Emperor is the father of his people
The past is the model for the present
The Shi
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An educated gentleman
Kindly to those beneath him
Obedient and respectful to those above
him
Criticism of those above is acceptable if
done politely
Shi-Bureaucrats
Jen (Wren)
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Humaneness
Humanity, benevolence, goodness, virtue
Always follow the highest concepts of
behavior, even if impractical or foolish.
The Second Sage
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Mencius (Mong Ka)
372-289 BCE
The foremost student
of Confucius
Righteousness
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The humaneness (jen) you show to others is
influenced by the type of personal relationship
you have to that person.
Jen is displayed according to your positions and
to the obligations you owe to the other.
Relationships: Ruler to Subject, Father to Son,
Older Brother to Younger Brother, Husband to
Wife, Elders to Juniors (Friends)
Xunzi (298-238 BCE)
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The third great
Confucian scholar
Xunzi’s teachings are
called “Legalism”
People are
fundamentally
depraved, selfish,
greedy, and lustful
How can people be “made” to be
good?
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people could be made
good through
acculturation and
education
Xunzi’s pupil Han Fei Tzu
believed people are made
good by state laws
Laws should punish all
actions that harm others
or the state and reward
actions that benefit
others or the state.
Confucianism and Legalism
Compared
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To Confucius, power is to be wielded for
the benefit of the people.
To the Legalists, power was to control
individual selfishness
Legalism’s Influence
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Utilitarianism: people should have
occupations that materially benefit others.
“Rule of Law”: Law is supreme over every
individual, including rulers
Law must be uniformly applied, regardless
of social standings (equality before the
law)
Daoism
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Laozi 606-530 BCE
“The Teachings of the
Yellow Emperor and
Laozi”
Tao te ching
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The teachings of
Laozi
Behind all material
things and all change
in the world lies one
fundamental,
universal principle:
The Dao (The Way)
Characteristics of Daoism
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Passivity
Calm
Non-striving
(wu wei)
Humility
Lack of
Planning
A Daoist Government Would:
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Not wage war
Not be complex
Not interfere in people’s lives
Serve as a guide, not a governor
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Later Daoists
enocouraged
mysticism and magic
Many Chinese doctors
were Daoists
Feng Shui is a version
of Daoism popular
today.
Classical Age India
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Culturally, linguistically, and ethnically
diverse
14 major languages (most Indo-European)
Indian culture synthesis of Harappan,
Aryan, and other influences
We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count,
without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could
have been made.
Albert Einstein.
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of
human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of
legend and the great grand mother of tradition.
Mark Twain.
If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams
of living men have found a home from the very earliest days
when man began the dream of existence, it is India .
French scholar Romain Rolland.
Religions of South Asia
Hinduism
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Early Aryan history
known as the
“Rig-Vedic” Period
(1700-1000 BCE)
Rig-Vedas are the
earliest religious texts
of Hinduism
Written in Sanskrit
Monotheism or Polytheism?
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Over 3000 gods and goddesses
All considered aspects of Brahma, the
overall
The Hindu Caste System
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Brahmin (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors
and rulers)
Vaisyas (merchants)
Sudras (peasants and
laborers)
Untouchables (people
without caste,
Chandala)
Class Systems
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The four varnas (castes) originated in the
sacrifice of the macrocosmic, primeval
man, according to the Rig Veda.
Brahmans: Head
Kshatriyas: Shoulders
Vaisyas: Thighs
Sudras: Feet
Traditional Functions of the Castes
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Brahman: priests, thinkers, intellectuals
Kshatriyas: rule, protect, maintain order
Vaisyas: commerce and agriculture
Sudras: more menial tasks
Untouchables: work with polluting
substances: leather, excrement, filth
Castes and Hierarchy
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Hierarchical rank according to purity and
pollution
Rituals and ceremonies in each caste
serve as caste identifiers
Ultimate punishment: excommunication
from your caste
Consequences of the Caste System
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Individuals are judged by their caste, not by
their abilities. Caste interaction discouraged
Benefits the top castes to the detriment of the
lower castes
Some caste mobility through Sanskritization:
groups within castes can gradually raise their
status by emulating higher castes over several
generations
Caste System Legacy
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The system has survived for centuries,
meaning Hindu society remains stable
Modern India has legal equality for all and
guarantees basic human rights, but
cultural discrimination against lower castes
and untouchables continues
Hindu Religious texts
Ramayana
 Mahabarata
 Upanishads
 Written in
Sanskrit
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Siddhartha Gautama ca 563-483
BCE
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Born the son of a
Kshatriya chief
At age 29 assumed an
ascetic lifestyle in
search of Nirvana
(Enlightenment)
Known as Buddha
“The Enlightened
One”
The Four Noble Truths
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1. All human life is suffering
2. All suffering is caused by
desire
3. End suffering by ending
desire
4. End desire by following the
Eightfold Noble Path: right
understanding, right thought,
right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right
concentration.
Buddhist Practices
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Selflessness
Disapproval of
violence, meat eating,
animal sacrifice, and
war
Four Cardinal Virtues:
friendliness,
compassion, joy, and
equanimity
Buddhism and Hinduism Compared
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Belief in reincarnation, the Brahma or
“Universal Soul”
Buddhism more egalitarian, no caste
system
Buddhism less patriarchal, women have
equal chance to achieve Nirvana (can
become monks as well)
Two Types of Buddhism
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Theravada Buddhism: philosophy rather
than religion. Buddha a man, not god,
practiced primarily in Sri Lanka
Mahayana Buddhism: salvation religion.
Buddha became a god, good and devout
people can become bhoddisatvas:
potential future Buddhas.
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Mahayana Buddhism
spread through India
to China, East Asia
Emphasis on
repetition of prayers
and devotions: prayer
flags, prayer wheels,
printing.
Ashoka 272-232 BCE
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Last of the great
Mauryan Emperors
Aggressive, cruel
conqueror in early life
After the bloody
conquest of Kalinga,
Ashoka converted to
Buddhism
Ashoka’s India
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Ashoka became a vegetarian and
renounced warfare
State would rule by right or law, not might
Religious toleration
Better treatment of women and lower
castes
Encouaged Buddhist expansion throughout
India and Asia
Asoka’s law code
 Edicts scattered in
more than 30 places
in India, Nepal,
Pakistan, & Afghanistan.
 Written mostly in
Sanskrit, but one was in
Greek and Aramaic.
 10 rock edicts.
 Each pillar [stupa] is 40’-50’ high.
 Buddhist principles dominate his laws.
One of
Asoka’s
Stupas
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During Ashoka’s reign Buddhism became
dominant in India and threatened to wipe
out Hinduism
After Ashoka’s death, Hinduism revived
and Buddhism declined
Reasons for India’s Religious Shift
After Ashoka
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Hindu syncretism: Brahmins accepted
Buddha as god, encouraged devotional
cults and small sacrifices (personal
worship and prayer), loosened caste
restrictions and enhanced the role of
women
Buddhist withdrawal to monasteries, less
active lives within India
Summarizer:
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Imagine you are the newly crowned king of a small
kingdom in Southeast Asia. You would like to unite the
people of your kingdom under your rule, but sense that
they are skeptical about your authority. An advisor
recommends using a belief system as a unifying force.
Your job now, is to select the best system. Write a short
speech to your people explaining which belief system
you would choose and explain your reasoning to the
people of your kingdom