An Analysis of the Religions of Ancient India

An Analysis of the Religions of Ancient India Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism n Basic facts n Combination of many ancient religions n n n Began as a Polytheistic Religion Aryan and Indus River Valley religions More beliefs/ideas slowly added on Belief in many gods All are part of an all-powerful spiritual force called Brahman

Hinduism n Basic Facts n n n Sacred texts- Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita Ultimate goal of life is to achieve moksha, or union with Brahman In order to do this, a soul must be reincarnated through different forms If you live according to dharma (moral duty) and ahimsa (nonviolence), you can move up each time you are reincarnated Karma refers to the actions you make in one life that determine your fate in the next life

The wheel is an important Hindu symbol because it demonstrates the cyclical nature of life or reincarnation

Hinduism n Caste System played an important role in Hinduism n n Each level was a different species of being The higher you were, the closer you were to moksha

Hinduism n n Caste system prohibited people from moving up or marrying up However, it did provide social order/stability n n n Provided identity and interdependence Kind of like freshman, sophomore, junior Before long, Hinduism spread throughout India and Asia

Buddhism n Based on teachings of mortal man n n Why is that important? Siddhartha Gautama n n born into royalty 563 BC chose to wander country looking for life without suffering found enlightenment through meditation spent his life teaching his ways

Buddhism n Beliefs n Four Noble Truths (heart of Buddhism) 1. all life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow 2. cause of suffering is nonvirtue, or negative deeds and mindsets such as hatred or jealousy 3. only cure is to overcome nonvirtue 4. to overcome nonvirtue one must follow the Eightfold Path

Buddhism n Eightfold Path n Right Views n Aspirations n Speech n Conduct n Livelihood n Effort n Mindfulness n Contemplation n

Buddhism n If you: n n Understand Four Noble Truths Follow Eightfold Path Follow the Middle Path/Middle Way- life of balance not too much pleasure and not too much pain And Meditate You can become Enlightened, or reach Nirvana, being one with the universe

Buddhism n Spread of Buddhism n n n Missionaries and traders spread Buddhism throughout Asia (see map) Declined in India however, many beliefs absorbed by Hinduism Over time Buddhism was split into 2 major sects Theravda- only most dedicated can reach enlightenment n Mahayana- ordinary people can reach enlightenment n

Assignment: n Compare and contrast Buddhism and Hinduism by n n n writing an essay Designing and completing a Venn Diagram Designing and completing another graphic organizer

Examples

Hinduism and Buddhism Similarities Differences n Same traditions/roots n Buddhism does not rely on priests- individuals n Both stress nonviolence can reach enlightenment and intense reflection n Buddhism rejects caste n Both believe in karma, system dharma, and reincarnation n Buddhism’s founder is a human n Both religion’s goal is to reach enlightenment n Hindus worship many (nirvana or moksha) gods