Early Civilization and Religion in South Asia 3: Ancient India and China Buddhism Hinduism

One Force Unites Everything 1

"God is one, but wise people know it by many names." This ancient proverb reflects the Hindu belief that everything in the universe is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force called Brahman. In Hinduism, Brahman is too complex an idea for most people to understand. So Hindus worship a variety of gods who give concrete form to Brahman.

Jainism Develops

About 500 B.C., the teacher Mahavira (mah hah VEE ruh) founded the Jain community, Jainism (JY niz um), a religion that began in eastern India, is still practiced today. Mahavira rejected the idea that Brahmin priests alone could perform certain sacred rites. Jain teachings emphasize meditation, self-denial, and an extreme form of ahimsa. To avoid accidentally killing a living thing, even an insect, Jain monks carry brooms to sweep the ground in front of their feet. Jains often put the value of ahimsa into practice in different ways, including through vegetarianism—as many Hindus do.

What is the main difference between Buddhism and Hinduism?

Buddhism relies on meditation to attain enlightenment rather than ritual and worship.

Karma and Dharma 1

In each existence, Hindus believe, a person can come closer to achieving moksha by obeying the law of karma. Karma refers to both action and result. Thus, someone's good and moral actions leads to good results either in this lifetime or the next. A life filled with misdeeds will lead to hardship and suffering in either this life or the next. Hindus believe that all existence is within Brahman. Thus animals, plants, and objects like rocks or water are treated with great respect and even venerated.

The Buddha's Key Teachings

More than 2,500 years ago, warring princes battled across the northern plain of India. During this troubled time, Brahmin priests acquired great power by insisting they alone could perform the sacred rites to bring victory in battle or ensure adequate rainfall. Reformers rejected Brahmin domination and offered other paths to truth. In the foothills of the Himalayas, a reformer named Siddhartha Gautama (sih DAHR tuh gow TUH muh) founded a new religion, Buddhism. His teachings eventually spread across Asia to become the core beliefs of one of the world's most influential religions.

Sacred Texts Show Hindu Beliefs

Over many hundreds of years, Hindu teachings were recorded in the sacred texts of the Vedas. The Upanishads (oo PAN ih shadz) are a section of the Vedas that address mystical questions related to Hinduism. These sacred texts use vivid images to examine complex ideas about the human soul and the connectedness of all life. In addition, literary works such as the Bhagavad-Gita were also revered for their representations of Hindu beliefs.

Karma and Dharma 3

People who live virtuously earn good karma and are reborn with a higher level of consciousness. Those who do evil acquire bad karma and are reborn into a lower level of consciousness and a life of suffering. In Indian art, this cycle of death and rebirth is symbolized by the image of the wheel. To escape the cycle of birth and rebirth, Hinduism stresses the importance of dharma (DAHR muh), the religious and moral duties of an individual. These duties include concepts such as truthfulness, and living in moderation. Dharma may also vary according to one's role in society, gender, and age.

The Caste System Shapes India

The Aryans divided society into four groups. Non-Aryans held the lowest jobs. During the Vedic Period, class divisions moved more toward reflecting social and economic roles. As these changes occurred, they eventually led to a more complex system of castes, or social groups into which people are born and which can rarely be changed.

From Boy to Buddha

The facts of Gautama's early life are known mostly through traditional stories. He was born into a high ranking family about 563 B.C.

One Force Unites Everything 2

The most widely worshipped Hindu gods are Vishnu, the Preserver; Shiva, the Destroyer; and Shakti, the female divine, who is believed to be ruthless against evil. Each can take many forms, human or animal, to represent the various aspects of Brahman with which he or she is associated.

What three things did Gautama see outside the palace that troubled him and set him on his journey?

an old men, a sick person, and a dead body.

What does Buddha mean?

enlightened one or awakened one

What two key teachings did the Buddha pass on that explained the causes of suffering and the cure for suffering?

the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

What did the Buddha come to understand that made him enlightened?

the cause of and the cure for suffering

Karma and Dharma 4

Another key moral principle of Hinduism is ahimsa (uh HIM sah), or nonviolence. To Hindus, all people and things are aspects of Brahman and therefore deserve to be respected. Many Hindus try to follow the path of ahimsa.

Complex Rules of the Caste System 1

Caste, over time, became closely linked to Hindu notions of a proper society. Each caste had different functions and were set off from one another by specific rules of behavior, such as where people lived, how they earned a living, and who they could marry. These rules became more rigid as Hindu society moved into the medieval and modern periods. High-caste people had the strictest rules to separate them from the lower castes. Because they had jobs such as digging graves, cleaning streets, or turning animal hides into leather, some people were considered so impure that they were called "untouchables."

Complex Rules of the Caste System 2

For the untouchables, now referred to as Dalits, life was harsh and restricted. Other castes feared that contact with an untouchable could spread pollution. Untouchables had to live apart and sound a wooden clapper to warn of their approach. Today, untouchability is outlawed and the Indian government has urged its citizens to reject any form of discrimination based on caste.

Karma and Dharma 2

Hindus believe that all existence is within Brahman. Thus animals, plants, and objects like rocks or water are treated with great respect and even venerated. To Hindus, all of existence is ranked by levels of consciousness—the higher one's consciousness, the greater the chance of understanding one's relationship to Brahman and the ultimate goal in life, moksha.

Achieving Moksha Is the Goal of Life for Hindu 1

To Hindus, every person has an essential self, or atman (AHT mah). Some view it as being the same as Brahman, and others as being of the same nature as Brahman, but still different from Brahman. The ultimate goal of existence, Hindus believe, is achieving moksha (MOHK shuh), or union with Brahman.

Achieving Moksha Is the Goal of Life for Hindus 2

To do that, many Hindus believe they must love and serve God unconditionally while others believe they must free themselves from selfish desires that separate them from Brahman. Most people cannot achieve moksha in one lifetime, but Hindus believe in reincarnation, or the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form. Reincarnation allows people to continue working toward moksha through several lifetimes.

Hindu Beliefs Develop

Unlike most major religions, Hinduism has no single founder and no single sacred text. It evolved over 3,500 years and grew out of the overlapping beliefs of the diverse groups who settled India. Later people who migrated into South Asia brought other gods, beliefs, and practices. As a result, Hinduism became one of the world's most complex religions, with countless gods and goddesses and many forms of worship existing side by side. Despite this diversity, all Hindus share certain basic beliefs.