History Unit 1: Hinduism and Confucianism

5 Cardinal Relationships

Are a list of the five most important relationships in Confucianism. These relationships have compulsory guidelines. These include the relationships between father and son, elder brother to younger brother, husband and wife, elder and junior, and rulers and their subjects. The son must show kindness and respect toward his parents. This act is called filial piety. The elder brother to younger brother relationship requires the younger brother to show respect to the elder one because the elder brother holds more wisdom and knowledge. Between a husband and his wife, the husband must take control and must respect his wife. In return, she must obey him. The relationship between an elder to junior, much like the relationship between an elder brother and younger brother demands respect for the elder, and more wiser person. The final Cardinal relationship is between rulers and their subjects. Rulers must provide protection and basic rights to the subjects. Meanwhile, the subjects must obey and serve their ruler. The society was bettered by these guidelines because they maintained healthy relationships and form a more peaceful society.

Stages of Life

Are a part of the Law of Manu. They make up the stages of life for a Hindu man. This is believed to have been formed in the 5th century BCE in Hindu society. The point of this is to show what the "proper" life of a man should be. The stages of life is a small portion of the law of Manu, which is the rules and ideals for a Hindu man. Stage one: You are a student studying the Vedas Stage two: Householder, has family, enjoying life Stage three: Hermit, living in a forest, meditating

Brahmins

Are the highest level of the Caste System. It includes priests and scholars. They are also identified by names such as Pandit, Purohit, Pujari and Shastri. The term Brahmin meant originally "one possessed of Brahman", or the universal spirit. The people that belonged to the Brahmin caste worked the best occupations. The name Brahmin was originally used for priests only, however at the end of the Rig-Vedic period, it was used for the whole class. People in today's world care about the Brahmins because the Caste System still exists in the world. Though it is not as emphasized as the past, it still exists.

Buddhism

Buddhism is a nontheistic religion/philosophy. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development. Buddhist practice meditation and are means of changing yourself in order to develop good qualities. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion.He realized temporary liberation from suffering and difficulties is not enough. His goal was to help living beings find lasting peace or nirvana.Buddhism have a connection to the earth and are one with it. The Impact that Buddhist teachings on India was significant because it opened the eyes to people all around India to make them realize being attached to people will not allow them to live life happily

Analects of Confucius

Confucius Sayings were recorded after his death by his followers in a book called the Analects.

Confucius

Confucius was a government official, and during his lifetime (he lived from 551 to 479 B.C. ) he saw growing disorder and chaos in the system. Perhaps due to the turmoil and injustices he saw, he set himself to develop a new moral code based on respect, honesty, education, kindness and strong family bonds. His teachings later became the basis for religious and moral life throughout China.

Dharma

In Hindiusm, dharma is one's duty that they must follow depending on what level of society one is in. It's part of living Samsara, the cycle of rebirth, you continue you live the best you can and following your duty. It applies to men because women generally have the same duty. It is important because without dharma, there is no way of getting out of your caste level. Therefore, you can move to Moksha, when you escape the cycle. When you escape, you merge with the energy of the cosmos, which is called Brahman.

Jainism

Is an ancient religion from India that teaches the way of liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness. Believed in reincarnation and seeking liberation. No gods existed in this religion because the people believe that only you can help yourself and you don't need gods to help you. Like the Vedas in the Hindu religion, Jainism uses the Agamas to write the religion. Jainism does not have a single founder but the truths of Jainism have been shown by tirthankara, or the teacher of Jainism. A small percentage of the people in India are still Jains and carry out the duties of Jainism.

Indo-European

Is something relating to the family of languages spoken over the greater part of Europe and Asia as far as northern India. The Aryans, a group of people who migrated into India during the second millennium B.C.E, spoke an Indo-European language. The Aryans and the native Indians were the ones who developed early Hinduism. Without a way to communicate with them, Hinduism would not have been developed until later.

Book of Mencius

It is a collection of anecdotes and conversations from followers of Confucius. Mencius believed that humans were born with four moral characters -- humanity, justice, courtesy, and wisdom.The text was not written by Mencius himself but by his disciples, probably during the late 4th century BC. Mencius argues that human nature is inherently good

Legalism

It is a religion or way of life that is based on Confucianism. It is solely based on laws, not strictly a philosophy. Legalists believe that humans are selfish, cruel, and harsh at their core. The founder was Hsun Tzu.

Taoism/Daoism

It is a religion that has bigger metaphysical questions than Confucianism; it is a positive outtake on Confucianism. Daoism originated from the basic teachings of Confucianism.

Jen

Jen is described man's good relationship with others, or good heartedness. It is pure intention of goodness.

Karma

Karma is when you do something bad, something bad happens to you. It is important because the Hindus believe that if you do not do your duty (dharma), then you will be accumulate karma. Karma is only negative. You cannot have good karma, good karma is no karma. The karma that you collect during your lifetime impacts who you will be when you are reincarnated, and whether you will move up the social status ladder.

Laws of Manu

Law of Manu is a ancient writing that includes religious teachings and explains what Indian life was like during that time period. It is a guide for living and it is part of the Vedas. Teaches ethical and social standards held in Hinduism.

Li

Li is a classical Chinese word which finds its most extensive use in Confucian and Post- Confucian Chinese Philosophy. It is best described as rituals or morals. Li is part of Confucianism. Li has to do with social order and harmony. It encourages people to respect others. The impact is that it helps people find inner peace and connect with the people around them. This is very important for what Confucius taught. Confucius taught that respect elders, respect everyone because in life you need to respect others because you treat people the way you want to be treated. Since Li teaches respect, it is very important to most of his teachings and has a strong influence on Chinese society.

Mencius

Mencius was the founder of Mohism. Mencius was born in 372 B.C.E. in China, 100 years after the death of Confucius. Mencius was many times compared to Confucius, because he was thought also to have a poor childhood. Mencius was able to spread the ideas of Confucius further. However, his beliefs were slightly different from Confucian beliefs. He stressed the aspect of all humans being naturally good, he advocated for an end to wars, and how the common people should be able to revolt against their rulers if they are being treated unfairly. He also searched for objective moral standards and to give step-by-step, tightly reasoned arguments for his views. He and his followers formulated China's first explicit ethical and political theories. These modifications of Confucius' beliefs became the religion, Mohism.

Moksha

Moksha is Nirvana, escaping the the cycle of rebirth, samsara. After samsara, where your spirit reunites with Brahma, you go to moksha. You merge with Brahman, energy of the universe, inMoksha. This is a Hindu belief and moksha is the goal of the caste system.

Samsara

Samsara is the repeating cycle of reincarnation, which is a large part of Hinduism. Everytime you die, you are reincarnated as another person, born into another family. The ultimate goal of Hinduism is to escape this and achieve moksha, or liberation. Samsara is a key belief in Hinduism, and everyone is very careful about their karma so that they can escape Samsara.

Asceticism

Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons. This mainly see in Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. One can choose to live and ascetic life like a monk and or priest. This makes a huge impact on everyday life because this is a goal and duty that you want to accomplish. This could be a way to escape the cycle of rebirth.

Aryan

The Aryans were migrants that moved into Indus Valley. They were a group of nomads that were from eastern Europe and made their way to central Asia. They would eventually land in India where they settled. The significance of Aryan is that they were the start of what we now know as Hinduism. They inspired people to keep their religious texts such as the Vedas, which is now the Religious text of Hinduism. The Aryans were skilled at sacrifices and performing rituals.

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is part of the poem and is about a Warrior who doesn't want to fight but must do his duty. This is important to the people because it has to do with dharma, which is performing your duty. This performing of one's duty is important because it gets you closer to maksha. If you want to escape the cycle of rebirth, you are endeavoring towards maksha.

Gautama Buddha

The Buddha is the prince Gautama Buddha who founded buddhism. Gautama Buddha's real name was Siddhartha Gautama. Buddha was born to the king Suddhodana and his father told his mother to keep him shrouded from human suffering and religious teachings. When he was 29 he went to meet his subjects in the street and on this journey he supposedly saw and old man, a diseased man, a corpse, and ascetic/monk. This caused him to want to abandon being king and go into the world and become an ascetic himself. Through this path he went on other paths and discovered ways to enlightenment. After this he went throughout the land to teach followers of his discovery. Through all this Buddha created the religion Buddhism which is one of the largest religions in the world. Buddhism is a run off of Hinduism which is what Buddha reportedly was so his new ways to enlightenment where ways in which to reach enlightenment not found in Hinduism.

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata or Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. important source on the development of Hinduism

Rig-Veda

The Rigveda is a collection of ancient Sanskrit hymns and is the first part of the vedas. The Rigveda consists of Hymns that tell stories of the gods. These were passed down through songs because they did not have writing. Praising the gods was also an important aspect of the veda's because one had to be thankful to the gods for good fortune. The Rigveda shows the importance of passing down stories that have strong meaning to the people that read them. It is also important because it highlights the gods and people show their appreciation through these hymns.

Shudra

The Sudra are under the Vaishyas in the Caste system and they are the commoners, peasants, and servants.

Upanishads

The Upanishads are a collection of texts which contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism, some of which are shared with Buddhism and Jainism.

Varnas

The Varnas are the social classes of India: brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras, and untouchables. The Varnas came from the Law of Manu, which was a very important Hindu scripture created between 300 B.C.E and 300 C.E. These Varnas helped create order throughout India. Varnas would also determine the daily life of each citizen and what each person duty (dharma) would be.

Caste System

The caste system is the Indian system of social class. It originated 2000 years ago. The Gods are the highest in the level, the Brahman follow. They are priests and academics. Under that is the Kshatriya, known as the warriors and kings. Following them are the Vaishya, the Merchants and landowners. The Sudra are under them, and they are the commoners, peasants, and servants. The absolute bottom are the untouchables, or the outcasts. The goal is to move up in the caste system in each new life after reincarnation, so that you can reach nirvana and stop the process of reincarnation. You move down a class due to karma. Your parents and family play a part in the class you were born into, because you are also put into that family when you are born. The caste system was created to give people guidelines as to what duties they are supposed to fulfill during their lifetimes.

Vaishyas

Vaishyas is a class in the caste system, a belief in Hinduism. Vaishyas are the traders, merchants, and minor officials. Families can't move out of their cast but according to Hinduism if you do your duty you can move up anclass(es) in your next life. The caste system, five classes, is a Hindu belief originating in India. The caste system impacts the society because it is the structure of their society and controls who does what.

Mohism

Was a religious movement formed by the followers of Mozi that spread immensely during the "Warring States" era. Mohism claims his name from "Master Mo" or Mo Di (Mencius). Mencius and his followers caused philosophical debate in China. Like ancient Greece, Mohism searches for moral standards and gives exceptional arguments. However, their reasoning is dependent on uncertain assumptions and is sometimes very simple. Mohism was one of the four main philosophical schools in China. Unlike Confucianism, many aspects of Mohism have faded over time.

Brahman

a member of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood.

Confucianism

a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius.a religion of optimistic humanism, has had a monumental impact upon the life, social structure,

Vedas

basis of the Hindu religion. A work of literature

Superior Man

filial piety, for strong family values Kindness to the fellow man truthfulness, faithfulness and sincerity righteousness or honesty, generosity of soul ritual etiquette, manners, gravity

Hsun Tzu

founder of Legalism.Hsun Tzu is regarded as the most influential Confucian interpreter (he was the founder of Legalism). This is because Hsun Tzu had an actual effect on Chinese society in his time and because he added more trains of thought to this religion. The two things he improved and added to the religion is his belief in the worth of Li which was much stronger than Confucius himself and Hsun Tzu stressed following Li. The most famous ideal Hsun Tzu created is his denial of natural basic goodness in human. This is much more famous because he believe that humans were naturally bad and this is why he stressed the ideal of Li so much. Hsun Tzu's impact on Chinese society is still shown today in the modern followers of Confucius.

Kshatriyas

known as the warriors and kings of the Caste System

Han Dynasty

was regarded as the first unified and powerful empire in Chinese history.