Feburary 14 th

The essence of Buddhism  The “middle way of wisdom and compassion.”  The 3 jewels of Buddhism:  Buddha, the teacher.  Dharma, the teachings.  Sangha, the community.

Siddhartha Gautama ( BCE)  Born in NE India (Nepal).  Raised in great luxury to be a king.  At 29 he rejected his luxurious life to seek enlightenment and the source of suffering  For 6 years he lived a peasant life.

“ The Enlightened One”  Finding no answers in his new peasant life he changed his idea on how to find the reasoning for suffering.  He sat in meditation, and found nirvana.  At 35 he became “The Enlightened One”

Desire! What is the fundamental cause of all suffering?  Therefore, extinguish the self, don’t obsess about oneself.

Four Noble Truths 1. There is suffering in the world. To live is to suffer. (Dukkha) 2. The cause of suffering is self-centered desire and attachments. (Tanha) 3. The solution is to eliminate desire and attachments. 4. To reach nirvana, one must follow the Eightfold Path.

8 Fold Path

Nirvana Eightfold Path  Escape from the cycle of reincarnation A way of living that will lead one to Nirvana

Chandragupta: 321 BCE-298 BCE  Unified northern India.  Defeated the Persians  Divided his empire into provinces, then districts for tax assessments and law enforcement.  He feared assassination  food tasters, slept in different rooms, etc.

The Maurya Empire: 321 BCE – 185 BCE

Kautilya  Chandragupta’s advisor.  Brahmin caste.  Wrote The Treatise on Material Gain or the Arthashastra.  A guide for the king and his ministers:  Supports royal power.  The great evil in society is anarchy.  Therefore, a single authority is needed to employ force when necessary!

Military Ruler  Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, became king in 270 BCE.  He was the strongest of all the Mauryan rulers.  He extended Mauryan rule over most of India.

Asoka’s Empire

Asoka (304 – 232 BCE)   After the gruesome battle Asoka dedicated his life to Buddhism.  Conflict  how to balance Kautilya’s methods of keeping power and  Buddha’s demands to become a selfless person?

Asoka’s law code  Asoka wrote a new law code, Buddhist teachings dominated his laws.  Tried to make things more equal and help the people.  He wrote his laws in Sanskrit on 50 ft tall stone pillars.  Edicts scattered in more than 30 places in India, Nepal, Pakistan, & Afghanistan.

220 BCE – 320 CE  When Asoka died a period of chaos started, as their was no clear heir to the throne, three different empire arose.

Gupta Rulers  Under Gupta rule:  Profitable trade with the Mediterranean world!  Hindu revival.

Achievements  Medicine Printed Medical Guides Plastic Surgery Immunizations C-Sections  Mathematics Decimal System PI (3.14) Concept of Zero  Astronomy The Earth is Round Solar Calendar

The Decline of the Guptas  Invasion of the White Huns in the 4 th century signaled the end of the Gupta Golden Age, even though at first, the Guptas defeated them.  After the decline of the Gupta empire, north India broke into a number of separate Hindu kingdoms and was not really unified again until the coming of the Muslims in the 7 th century.

3 of 5 1. What is the root of all suffering? 2. How does a person escape the cycle of reincarnation, according to Buddha? 3. How Asoka change India? 4. How did Asoka spread his new laws to his people? 5. List 3 of the achievements of the Indian civilizations. (Be specific)