Transcript Asian Religions

Belief Systems
Buddhism
• Buddhism was
founded by
Siddhartha Gautama
in northern India
around 560 BCE.
• Gautama was born
into a wealthy Hindu
family, but renounced
his wealth to seek
spiritual
enlightenment.
~Buddhism spread
through cultural
diffusion to
eastern Asia,
including China,
Thailand, Korea
and Japan.
~In other areas,
Buddhism was
adapted and took
on new forms.
Buddhism is based on the Four Noble Truths.
1. All life is
suffering.
2. Suffering is
caused by desire
for things that are
illusions.
3. The way to
eliminate
suffering is to
eliminate desire.
4. Following the
Eightfold path will
help people to
overcome desire.
Hinduism
Hinduism has no single
founder, but originated
from the mixing of
Harappan and Aryan
cultures in ancient India
around 1500 BCE.
Hindus believe in one
unifying spirit,
Brahman. Brahman
can manifest in many,
polytheistic, forms or
in one, monotheistic.
Hinduism is based on
the concept of
reincarnation (Spirits
return to earth many
times in different forms
trying to become one
with Brahman). The
soul moves up or down
a hierarchy depending
on their behavior in life.
A person moves closer
to Brahman by obeying
the law of karma. Karma
is the sum of all your
deeds, good and bad.
Good deeds involve
following your dharma,
or duties dependent on
your position, gender
and occupation.
The caste system (outlawed since 1948) was an
important part of Hinduism. Castes are social
classes into which a person is born and lives
their entire life. If a person has a good karma
they may be reincarnated into a higher caste.
This life
Next life
Good Karma
Higher caste
Bad Karma
Lower caste
Born into
A caste
The caste system separated Indian society into
distinct social classes in which everyone knew
their place and believed that if they followed the
dharma of their caste, they would be
reincarnated into a better caste.
Brahmin
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Sudra
Untouchables
Over the centuries Hindu
beliefs were recorded
into a number of sacred
texts including the Vedas
and the Upanishads.
The Ramayana is a
Hindu creation story.
Buddhism has much in common with
Hinduism, but there are important
differences.
Buddhism like
Hinduism:
Reincarnation
Karma
Dharma
But not
Caste system
Hindu gods
Hindu
priesthood
Buddha did not record his teachings, but after
he died, his followers collected them into the
Tripitaka.
Today’s Tibetan
Buddhists are
led by the Dalai
Lama, who
advocates for
freedom from
China.
Islam
Islam originated in
the Middle East
around 622 CE with
the Prophet,
Muhammad.
Muhammad was
born in Mecca and
traveled to Medina
in a journey called
the hijra, that
became the
founding of Islam.
Muslim
worshippers
follow scriptures
called the Quran,
or Koran. The
collection of
Islamic laws is
also known as
the Sharia.
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Faith in one God, Allah—monotheism
2. Five times daily prayer toward Mecca
3. Help for the poor
4. Fasting during the holy month of
Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to holy city of Mecca
Spread of Islam--In the 150 years following the death
of Muhammad, Islam spread through trade, missionaries
and conquest into Asia and Africa.
Questions:
1. Which two belief systems originated
in India?
2. Which religion gave rise to the caste
system?
3. How do religions spread?
4. What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
5. How are Hinduism and Buddhism
alike and different?
Confucius
• Confucius is China’s best known
philosopher.
• He was born in about 551B.C.
• The disorder and suffering caused by
constant warfare disturbed Confucius.
• He developed ideas about how to restore
peace and ensure harmony.
Confucius Traveled
• Confucius visited the courts of various
princes, hoping to convince them to put his
ideas into practice.
• Disappointed by the princes refusals, he
returned home, where he taught a small
but loyal group of followers.
• After his death, his followers collected his
teachings in the Analects.
Confucius’s Five Relationships
• To restore order, Confucius taught that
five relationships must govern human
society. They are:
1.) the relationship between ruler & ruled
2.) the relationship between father & son
3.) the relationship between older brother &
younger brother
4.) the relationship between husband & wife
5.) the relationship between friend & friend
• In all but the last relationship (friend & friend),
one person has authority over another.
• In each, said Confucius, the superior person
should set an example for the inferior one.
“If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without
orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he
gives orders, they will not be obeyed.”
• According to Confucius, the superior person is
also responsible for the well-being of the inferior
person.
Confucius and the Mandate of
Heaven
• Mandate of Heaven- The Chinese believed that
heaven granted a ruler the mandate, or right, to
rule. The people, in turn, owed the ruler
complete loyalty and obedience.
• Confucius supported the Mandate of Heaven.
He said that the ruler must provide good
government for his subjects. The rulers
subjects, in turn, owed the ruler loyalty and
obedience.
Confucius and Family
• To Confucius, relationships involving the family are the
key to an orderly society. One of those relationships-the
relationship between father and son-is very much like
that between the ruler and the ruled.
• Like the ruler, the father must set an example for his son
and look after his family.
• The father takes the credit, or the blame, for his
children’s actions.
• The son, in turn, is expected to honor and obey his
father.
• Confucius stressed the idea of filial piety, the duty and
respect that children owe their parents.
The Influence of Confucius
• Confucius created a guide to proper behavior
based on ethical, or moral, principles.
• In his teachings, he placed the family and the
good of society above the interests of the
individual.
• He also stressed loyalty, courtesy, hard work,
and service.
• He placed great emphasis on education. He
said:
“By nature, men are pretty much alike. It is learning and
practice that set them apart.”
• The importance of education, as well as
other Confucian ideas, helped shape
Chinese government.
• In time, Confucian ideas came to dominate
Chinese society.
• As China expanded across Asia,
Confucianism influenced the cultures of
Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as well.
Pop Quiz on Confucius
Confucius believed that a superior
person, like the ruler or a father, had
the responsibility to set a good
example for the inferior person, like
the ruled or a son, because the
superior person was responsible for
the well-being of the inferior person.
TRUE
FALSE
Confucius on Education
Confucius believed that all men were
pretty much equal despite the
amount of education they had
because of this he believed that
education was a waste of time and
did not set a good example for
society.
TRUE
FALSE