Roots of Hinduism and Buddhism ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why did different religions develop in India?

New religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism Aryan + non-Aryan cultures = culture with many gods People started questioning Place Brahmins New religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism  

Hinduism Develops Over Centuries Hinduism is a collection of religious beliefs that forms no one system. Unlike many religions, it was not founded by just a single person. It is a religion that allows great variety for its followers. All Hindus share a common worldview. They see religion as a way to free their souls from the illusions, disappointments and mistakes of everyday life.

Origins and Beliefs Between 750 BC and 550 BC Hindu teachers began to question the basic meaning of the Vedas. They wrote down their interpretations of the prayers in a series of documents called the Upanishads.

Moksha and Reincarnation Through the Upanishads, the teachers describe a state of perfect understanding called Moksha. The Moksha is a world soul (Brahman) that unites all individual souls. They believe that all life is interconnected. When a person understands the relationship between his own soul and the world soul he achieves Moksha and he is released from life in this world.

The Quest for Peace This understanding takes many lifetimes to understand. Therefore, the Hindus believe that a person in reincarnated many times in the quest for this understanding. The soul’s Karma (good or bad) follows the person through their multiple reincarnations. Karma affects the events in one’s life.

Hinduism and the Caste System The caste that a person is born into, health wealth or poverty is all a result of Karma. Hindu ideas about Karma and reincarnation strengthened the caste system.      If a person was born female, a laborer or an untouchable, it may be a result of Karma and bad deeds in the past.      

Hinduism and Society Usually, only men in the top three level of the caste system could hope to achieve Moksha in their present life. The laws of Karma worked for everyone equally. Good Karma brought good fortune, bad Karma brought bad fortune.

A New Religion Arises Jainism and Buddhism emerged between 75BC and 550 BC.   Mahavira, the founder of Jainism was born in 599 BC and died in 527 BC. He believed that everything in the universe had a soul and should not be harmed.

The Jains The Jains looked for occupations that would not involve harming anyone or anything. They became very wealthy because they found work in trade and commerce.   Some of the wealthiest people in India today are followers of Jainism.

Buddhism Buddhism emerged about 550 BC.   Siddhartha Guatama was born to a noble family that lived near the base of the Himalayan Mountains. From the time he was an infant, he exhibited the markings of a great man.

Buddha Seeks Enlightenment A prophecy has indicated that if he stayed at home he was destined to become a great ruler. In order to protect him and insure his destiny, his father isolated him in his palace. Even though he was isolated, he married a young woman and she bore him a son.

Siddhartha’s Quest Siddhartha had always wondered about the outside world that he was locked away from. When he was 29, he left his palace four times. What he saw disturbed him terribly.   He witnessed death, poverty, sickness and finally a wandering monk who appeared to be completely at peace.

He decided to devote his life in the pursuit of religious truth in order to put an end to suffering. After his son was born, he left his palace and wandered around India for 6 years.

He was on a journey seeking enlightenment He was on a journey seeking enlightenment. He tried several ways to reach an enlightened state including the following: 1. He debated with other religious seekers.  2. He fasted, eating only 6 grains of rice a day. 3. He sat in meditation for 49 days. Finally he achieved an understanding of suffering in the world. From that point on he became known as the “Enlightened One”.

Origins and Beliefs- 4 Noble Truths The Buddha (Siddhartha) laid out the four main ideas that he understood in his enlightenment in what he called the Four Noble Truths. 1st Noble Truth: Everything in life is suffering   2nd Noble Truth: The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desires for the temporary pleasures of the world.

3rd Noble Truth: The way to end all suffering is to end all desires.   4th Noble Truth: The way to overcome desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, which is the middle way between the desires and self- denial.

The Eightfold Path The Eightfold Path was like a staircase. You had to master one step at a time. This mastery would take several lifetimes. By following the Eightfold Path, one would achieve Nirvana. Nirvana was a release form selfishness and pain.

Buddhism and Hinduism Buddhism shared some ideas with Hinduism but differed in other ways. 1.  Both Buddhism and Hinduism shared a belief in reincarnation.   2.  Buddhism and Hinduism shared a belief in a cyclical world where the world went through a cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Buddhism Differs From Hinduism Both religions share a belief in the perfect state of understanding that would ultimately break the cycle of reincarnation. For the Hindus it is Moksha, for Buddhism it is Nirvana.   The Buddha rejected the polytheism and the caste system embraced by the Hindu religion. Instead, The Buddha believed that the only path to the perfect existence is through enlightenment.

The Religious Community The religious community of Buddhist monks and nuns, and laity (sangha) along with Buddha and the Buddhist doctrine of law (dharma) make up the “Three Jewels” of Buddhism.

Buddhism and Society Buddhists reject the caste system. Many of the followers include laborers and craftspeople.   The Buddha gained a large following in Northeastern India where the Aryans has less influence.

Buddhism in India Buddhism spread all throughout Asia but never gained a good footing in India. The Hindu faith and Aryan influence was too strong. Traders throughout Asia were mostly responsible for the spread of Buddhist ideas. It became the most widespread religion of East Asia.

Venn Diagram Hinduism vs. Buddhism At least 4 traits in each category Answer these questions (below or on the back): Why did different religions develop in India? Why didn’t Buddhism replace Hinduism?