1. Belief Systems of CLASSICAL INDIA

2. HINDUISM Comes from the blending of Aryan and Dravidian (IRV) beliefs
Vedas (hymns), Rig Veda, Upanishads (written down)
Brahman=universal soul
Samsara=reincarnation
Karma=sum of good and bad in this life
will determine next life Moksha=salvation of the soul

3. Caste system, created by Purusha

4. POPULAR HINDUISM The epics The Bhagavad Gita Mahabharata
A secular poem revised by brahmin scholars
Honored the god Vishnu, the preserver of the world
Ramayana
Secular story of Rama and Sita was changed into a Hindu story
The Bhagavad Gita
A short poetic work within the Mahabharata
A dialogue between the god Vishnu and Prince Arjuna
Illustrated expectations of Hinduism and promise of salvation

5. EARLY BUDDHISM Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)
Born in 563 B.C.E. to the Kshatriya caste
Witnessed miseries of the human condition
Gave up his comfortable life and began searching for enlightenment
Intense meditation and extreme asceticism
Received enlightenment under the bo tree and became Buddha
The Buddha and his followers
"Turning of the Wheel of the Law," 528 B.C.E.
Organized followers into a community of monks (“the sangha”)
Traveled throughout north India, bringing enlightenment to others

6. EARLY BUDDHISM Buddhist doctrine: The dharma The Four Noble Truths
All life involves suffering
Desire is the cause of suffering
Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering
The Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire
The Noble Eightfold Path (“Setting the wheel in motion”)
Right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior, right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation
Religious goal: Nirvana, a state of perfect spiritual independence

8. APPEAL OF BUDDHISM
Appealed strongly to members of lower castes and women
Less demanding than Jainism, more popular
Used vernacular tongues, not Sanskrit
Holy sites and pilgrimages
The monastic organizations
Emperor Ashoka's support
Spread the Buddhist message, won converts
Could be endowed by others to support the religion
Centers of learning, good works, contemplation
Emperor Ashoka became a devout Buddhist, 206 B.C.E.
Banned animal sacrifices in honor of ahimsa
Granted lands to monasteries
Sent missionaries to Bactria and Ceylon

9. VARIANTS OF BUDDHISM The Schism of Buddhism: Was he a god or man?
Mahayana - "the greater vehicle"
Spread to Central, East Asia
Blended in India with Hinduism, which co-opted Buddha as a god
Co-opted Chinese traditions and Daoist gods in China
Hinayana or Theravada
Continued to view Buddha as human
Practiced in Sri Lanka, parts of India, SE Asia
Buddhism died out in India as it merged with Hinduism

10. JAINISM Vardhamana Mahavira Jainist doctrine and ethics
Born in north India, 540 B.C.E.
Left family, searching for salvation from cycle of incarnation
Gained enlightenment, taught an ascetic doctrine
His disciples began to lead a monastic life
Mahavira became Jina, the "conqueror," and followers, Jains
Jainist doctrine and ethics
Inspired by the Upanishads
Everything in the universe possessed a soul
Striving to purify one's selfish behavior to attain a state of bliss
The principle of ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living things
Believed that almost all occupations entailed violence of some kind
Too demanding, not a practical alternative to the cult of the brahmins
Appeal of Jainism
Social implication: Individual souls equally participated in ultimate reality
The Jains did not recognize social hierarchies of caste and jati
Became attractive to members of lower castes
The ascetic tradition continues to today