1. Brahminism, Hinduism, Jainism, & Buddhism

2. Brahminism The Aryan religion was called Brahminism because their priests were called Brahmins. The Vedas were their religious books and writings –There were 4 Vedas…two of them were the Rigveda & the Upanishads

3. Hinduism Hinduism was a blend of Brahminism and other ideas from other parts of Asia Hinduism is the largest religion in India today Hindus believe in many gods, BUT they believe that all of these gods are part of one single god called Brahman 3 main gods that the Hindus believed in: –Brahma-the “creator” aspect of Brahman –Siva-the “destroyer” aspect of Brahman –Vishnu-the “preserver” aspect of Brahman This is kind of like the Holy Trinity for Christians

4. Hindu Beliefs The ultimate goal of Hindus is to reunite their soul with Brahman –They believed this may take several lifetimes before a person could finally reunite with Brahman, that’s why they believed in something called reincarnation Reincarnation is the process of rebirth into a different body

5. Reincarnation Hindus believed that when a person died, their soul would be reborn into a new body The body they came back in depended on their actions during their former life…this is called karma-the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul –This is the idea that if you do good, good will happen to you and vice versa –If you do evil, you will build bad karma

6. Reincarnation A person with bad karma would be reborn into a lower caste or as a lower creature (like a pig or roach, if they were really evil) A person with good karma would be reborn into a higher caste in their next life Over time, good karma would lead to salvation, when a person’s soul could be reunited with Brahman and would be free from the cycle of reincarnation

7. Hindu Beliefs Hindus believed that each person had to accept their position in life without complaining… –That’s why they didn’t complain about what caste they were in Accepting your position would build good karma, which could allow you to be reborn into a higher caste in your next life –Even the Untouchables could be reborn into a higher caste if they had good karma

8. Jainism Jains did not agree with Hinduism Jainism was based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira. –Mahavira was a member of Kshatriya caste who though the Brahmins had too much control over religion –He became a monk and started the religion called Jainism

9. Beliefs of Jainism Jains live by four basic principles (rules): –Injure no life (not even animals, bugs, or plants) They are vegetarians, they don’t eat any food that comes from animals –Tell the truth –Do not steal –Own no property Jains lived by the rule of nonviolence- avoiding any violent actions

10. Buddhism: How did it start? A Hindu named Siddhartha Guatama disagreed with Hindu beliefs He left home to search for “the true meaning of life” and why there was so much pain and suffering in the world Siddhartha wanted to clear his mind from daily concerns so he fasted (went without food) and meditated (focused his mind on spiritual ideas) He wandered around India searching for the answers he was looking for…. –What’s the meaning of life? –Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

11. Buddhism: How did it start? He wandered around India for about SIX years and finally stopped under a tree near the Ganges River He meditated under the tree for SEVEN weeks and suddenly had all of the answers he had been looking for He realized that human suffering comes from three things: –Wanting what we like but do not have –Wanting to keep what we like and already have –Not wanting what we dislike but have

12. Buddha After meditating under that tree for SEVEN more weeks, Siddhartha finally had all of the answers he had been looking for about life After that point, he was called “Buddha”, which means “The Enlightened One”, by the people who followed his ideas Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching his ideas to people across India Buddha’s teachings became known as Buddhism

13. What did the Buddhists believe? The Four Noble Truths (the four main beliefs of Buddhism): 1.Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life. No one can escape sorrow. 2.Suffering comes from our desires for pleasure and stuff. People cause their own unhappiness because they want things they can not have. 3.People can overcome desire and reach nirvana, perfect peace. If you reach nirvana, you are freeing your soul from suffering and don’t have to be reincarnated again. 4.People can overcome desire by following an eight fold path that leads to wisdom, enlightenment, and salvation.

14. What did the Buddhists believe? The Eightfold Path 1.Right Thought-Believe in the Four Noble Truths 2.Right Intent-Always try to do what is good and kind 3.Right Speech-Avoid lies and gossip 4.Right Action-Don’t steal from or harm others 5.Right Livelihood-Don’t do anything that will hurt others 6.Right Effort-Prevent evil and do good 7.Right Mindfulness-Control your feelings and thoughts 8.Right Concentration-Practice proper meditation

15. What did the Buddha believe? Buddha believed that priests were not needed for salvation. He taught that each person was in charge of their own salvation, and they didn’t need to have a priest to be in charge of religion. Buddha did not agree with the caste system. He said it shouldn’t matter what class you were in, as long as you lived a good life. –Who do you think started to follow Buddha???

16. How did Buddhism spread? After Buddha’s death, 500 of his followers had a meeting to make sure that his teaching were remembered and shared with others Buddha’s ideas spread through India quickly because they were popular and easy to understand One of the India kings, Asoka, was Buddhist. He built Buddhist temples and schools throughout India Missionaries were sent to other parts of Asia to spread Buddhism