7.8 Culture and Religion Agenda: Do Now & HW Check/Review Hinduism and Buddhism Notes Karma Video Compare and Contrast

Priests: Lived a good life- their job is to teach others about the Vedas Servants: People are born servants and must live a good life to be born into a new class Good deeds will move you up the caste system in your next life Bad deeds move you down the caste system when you are reborn.

Religion: HINDUISM One of the world’s oldest religions, which today has over 800 million followers -Hinduism is polytheistic, but there are some Gods who are worshiped more than others. Vishnu “the one that is all” is worshipped by millions of Hindus

What are the four goals in human life? (according to Hindus) 1.Moksha – Your soul achieves so much spiritual knowledge it doesn’t have to be reincarnated anymore, and instead unites with the main god-soul of the universe. 2. Dharma - the code for leading one's life. Respect for elders is considered important. 3. Artha - the pursuit of material gain by lawful means. 4. Karma- through pure acts, knowledge and devotion, you can reincarnate to a higher level. This is what causes you to be born in a certain caste, the Hindu’s believe.

Buddhism -Siddhartha Guatama was a young prince in 563 BC who would become the founder of Buddhism- a religion that still exists today with over 330 million followers

-One day Siddhartha left his palace and saw sickness, disease, old age, poverty, and death outside his castle -He also saw a Monk who was calm and at peace -Siddhartha decided to give up everything to become a Monk -He traveled throughout India seeking wisdom -One day he received tis wisdom while sitting under a fig tree. He became known as the Buddha, “the awakened one.”

-The Buddha used some ideas of Hinduism and changed others -Followed reincarnation -Like Hindus, believed in Karma- force caused by people’s good and bad acts and affects your future life. However… Buddha did not believe in a god. Buddhists believe science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea, and one often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god.

The Four Noble Truths are a plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering. The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the cause of suffering. Desire and ignorance are the main causes of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance. The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path.

The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration Buddha on the ‘Right Effort’: “If the strings on an instrument are too loose, they won't play a sound. If they are too tight, they will break. Practice should be nourishing, not draining.”

We have talked about 5 Asian Religions: Ancestor Veneration Confucianism Daoism Hinduism Buddhism