India has over a billion people(2nd largest country in terms of population)
The capital is New Delhi
There is no single founder of
Hinduism
Hindus believe in Brahman which is
the belief that everything is a part
of unchanging, all powerful spiritual
force
They also believe in Moksha which is
ultimately, the goal of life. It is the
union with Brahman
Hindus also believe in reincarnation,
the rebirth of the soul into another
bodily form
You can be reborn as another human,
or an animal
Moksha may take many lifetimes
Karma is the belief that all the
actions of a persons life affects his
or her fate in the next life
Dharma is the religious and moral duties of an individual
These duties vary according to class, occupation, gender, or merit
for the next life
Ahimsa is the principle of nonviolence
Jainism is a branch of Hinduism that takes Ahimsa to an extreme.
They practice meditation and try to avoid killing anything.
Some Jainists even carry around brooms so they won’t step on bugs
in front of them.
The Maurya Empire 321 B.C. – 185 B.C.
The Maurya Empire was built by Chandragupta
It started in the Ganges Valley and grew into the rest of India
The capital was Pataliputra
It was the largest and most prosperous city at the time
This empire consisted of schools, libraries, palaces, and temples
There was a huge wall surrounding the entire city
This empire was 500 years after the Maurya empire
The Gupta dynasty united much of India
A.D. 320 – 550 was the golden age of India
Most of the people were vegetarian Buddhists
Trading & Farming flourished
Wheat, Rice, Sugar Cain
Artisans used materials such as cotton cloth, pottery, and metal ware
Mathematicians of India created the “Arabic Numerals” we use today
Concept of Zero
Decimal system based on 10
Physicians used herbs and other remedies for various things
To treat illness
Setting bones
Simple plastic surgery
Buddhists built Stupas, large dome shaped shrines
Buddhists and Hindu temples were covered in carvings of Gods & Goddesses
The Guptas were eventually weakened by Civil war
Weak rulers
Foreign invaders
The Huns overran the Gupta, & destroyed it’s cities & trade
Again India split into many kingdoms
Asoka is the emperor grandson of Chandragupta
Asoka’s reign started from 268 B.C.
He eventually converted to Buddhism
He rejected violence & resolved to rule by moral example
Asoka’s rule brought peace & prosperity
He built roads, houses, & hospitals
India was divided into the Deccan (south) and the Aryan (north)
After Asoka died, India divided again & different princes regained rule
The Deccan was divided into many kingdoms
Each kingdom had their own capital with temples & workshops
Many outside people wanted to trade with India
Rome was their main trading partner
Complex system of rules
Governed every aspect of a person’s life
Where people lived
What they ate
How they dressed
How they earned a living
To Hindus people from different castes were like
different species of being
Rules forbade marrying out of caste or eating
with someone out of your caste
If you were an “Untouchable", a member of the
lowest caste, life was rough and restricted
They include:
Grave diggers
Street cleaners
Turning animal skin to leather
Other castes feared even the shadow of
an untouchable
They had to live apart and wear a wooden
clapper to warn of their approach
Life was full of inequalities
Most Indians lived in small villages
Villages included homes in clusters
made of earth or stone
Beyond the home were farms
which grew wheat, rice, cotton, &
sugar cane
Farming usually depended on the
monsoons
Too much or too little rain meant
famine
A village headman & council made
decisions & dealt with outside
authorities
He was respected by people in the
village
Basic Indian families were joint families
Joint Families were families in which the parents, children, grandchildren, and
their offspring shared a common dwelling
The family was patriarchal which mean that the father or eldest male headed
the household
He was thought to have wisdom and experience
Usually he consulted the wife and other family members before they make a
decision
Brahma is the first God
represented in the Hindu triad, or
Hindu trinity
He is the creator of the universe
All living beings are said to have
evolved from him
The four Vedas (texts) are said to
have originated from his head
The four castes are also believed
to have originated from Brahma
Although Brahma is considered
equal to Vishnu and Shiva, he is
currently not widely worshipped
There are several reasons for this
One is that he is the creator, so
his work is done
Vishnu is the second God of the
Hindu triad
Vishnu is regarded as a major
god in Hinduism and Indian
mythology
He is thought as the preserver
of the universe
He represents mercy and
goodness
Vishnu is a very popular deity
and is widely worshipped
He has over 1,000 names
The third deity of the Hindu trinity
Shiva is known as the Destroyer
However, even though He represents
destruction, He is viewed as a positive
force
He is viewed as the Destroyer of Evil
Shiva literally means “auspicious,
welfare”
He has 1,008 names
Shiva is believed to have many forms
According to the Shiva Purana, Shiva is
said to have 5 heads corresponding to
his 5 tasks
His tasks are
Creation
Establishment
Destruction
Oblivion
Grace
At an early age they had
children & family duties

Children worked with other
relatives

A young girl would learn that
as a wife she would be
expected to serve and obey
her husband and his family

Parents are responsible to
arrange a good marriage
The parents also finance
costly wedding festivities
In northern India, a brides
family commonly provides a
dowry or payment to the
bridegroom
After marriage, the
daughter leaves her home
and joins her husbands
family
A Hindu holy book where the god
Krishna teaches the importance of
Selfishness
Performing religious duties
Devotion to God
It consists of 700 verses
arranged in 18 chapters
Tradition takes it back to 3000
BCE
Spoken by Lord Krishna
Contains the song of the Lord
Gautama Buddha was born in 566 BC
Grew up in a palace as a rich person
Became aware of human suffering and left his lifestyle
Wandered for years looking for the answers to life's secrets
Became sick so he sat down to meditate until he understood the
mystery of life
48 days went by until he finally figured out what is the cause and
cure of suffering and sorrow
When he rose he was no longer Gautama
He was Buddha
He spent the rest of his life teaching what he had learned
Key part of Buddhism
All life is full of suffering, pain , and
sorrow
The cause of suffering is desire for things
that are really illusions
The only cure for suffering is to overcome
desire
The way to overcome desire is to follow the
Eight Fold Path
Right views
Right aspirations
Right speech
Right conduct
Right livelihood
Right mindfulness
Right contemplations
Eventually Buddhism split up into
Theravada – complex - for monks
and nuns
Mahayana – simple and easy – for
the ordinary person
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism
Created
By
Confucius
Laozi
“Old Master”
Hanfeizi
When
500 BC
300 BC
221 BC
Teaching
Emphasized orderly
personal and public
conduct
Strict Laws &
Harsh
Punishment
Living in
harmony with
nature
Great philosopher of 500 BC who was an advisor to Chinese rulers
Believed rulers should set a good example
Never wrote down his ideas so after he died his students did
The book is called “The Analects”
Stressed 5 key relationships
Father to Son
Elder brother to Younger brother
Husband to Wife
Ruler to Subject
Friend to Friend
Older people were superior to younger people
Men were superior to women
Mothers of Sons should be respected
He taught Filial Piety which is the respect for your parents
“While a father or mother is alive, a son should not travel far”
“Do not do to others what you do not wish yourself”
“People are naturally good”
“The best ruler is a virtuous man who led by example”
After Confucius died, his ideas spread
Confucianism NEVER became a religion
Legalism was created by
Hanfeizi
He taught that
“The nature of man is evil”
“His good is acquired”.
Greed was the motive for most
actions and causes of most
conflicts
His philosophy consists of Strict
Laws and Harsh punishment
Because of the emphasis on Law,
Hanfeizi teachings were known
as Legalism
Daoism differed from Confucianism
and Legalism
Sought to live in harmony with
nature
Laozi was the founder “Old Master”
He is credited with writing The Way
Of Virtue
Daoism evolved into a popular
religion with Gods, and Goddesses
Taoist priests experimented with
Alchemy trying to transform
ordinary metal into gold
Taoists are thought to have invented
gunpowder which they first used in
firecrackers to scare away ghosts
By AD 100 missionaries and
merchants spread Buddhism
from India to China
Buddhism became popular
Offered personal salvation
unlike Daoism or Confucianism
The three beliefs mixed
By 400 AD Buddhism spread
throughout China