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Chapter 3.2 Reading Quiz
1. Summarize the Origin and Key Beliefs of
Hinduism
 No single founder, emerged from the Aryans
 Key holy books: Vedas and Upanishads
 Karma
 Dharma
 Samsara
 Moksha
2. Summarize the Origin and Key Beliefs of
Buddhism
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
 Four Noble Truths: 1. World is full of
suffering…2. Suffering is caused by desire…3.
To end suffering, eliminate desire…4. Follow
the Eightfold Path
 Dharma…goal of enlightenment- Nirvana
3. List 2 similarities and 2 differences between
Hinduism and Buddhism
 Similarities: both have reincarnation, goal of
perfect understanding, karma and dharma
 Differences: Buddha rejected multiple gods and
the caste system, though both Hinduism and
Buddhism began in India, Buddhism became
more popular in SE Asia, while Hinduism
remained popular in India
Chapter 3.2: Roots of Hinduism and Buddhism
I. Hinduism Develops Over Centuries
 Hinduism developed over a long period of time
 Important texts: Vedas
 Krishna: non-Aryan god from Vedic times
(Mahabharata) continues to be worshipped
 Hinduism: cannot be traced back to one
founder with a single set of ideas.
A.
Origins and Beliefs
 Religion as a way of liberating the soul from the
mistakes of everyday existence
 What is the nature of morality? Eternal life?
What is the soul? Hindu teacher’s meditations
on these ideas compiled into the Upanishads
 Upanishads: dialogues between a student and
teacher
 MOKSHA: liberation from reincarnation/perfect
understanding of all things
 ATMAN: individual soul of a living being
 BRAHMAN: world soul that contains and unites
all atmans
 REINCARNATION: rebirth…SAMSARA- cycle of
birth, death, and rebirth
 KARMA: soul’s good and bad actions brought
from one life to another…influences caste,
health, wealth, etc…concept of cosmic
retribution
B.Hinduism Changes and Develops
 BRAHMA: World Soul…personality three gods:
Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the protector;
Shiva, the destroyer.
 Vishnu also took on many forms or
personalities: Krishna- divine cowherder
(Mahabharata), and Rama, the perfect king
(Ramayana)
 Hindus today can choose the deity they
worship…also different paths to moksha: right
thinking, right action, religious devotion
C. Hinduism and Society
 Ideas about karma and reincarnation
strengthened the caste system
 Usually believed only men in top 3 castes could
hope to reach moksha in their present life
(“twice-born castes- Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaisyas)
 Good karma brought good fortune and bad
karma resulted in bad fortune
 Beliefs of Hinduism and its caste structure
dominated every aspect of a person’s life.
(dharma)
D.
New Religions Arise
 Jainism and Buddhism then arose
 Jainism: founded by Mahavira (599 to
527BCE)…believed everything in the universe
has a soul and should not be harmed…sweep
ants off path, wear gauze masks to avoid
harming insects
o Nonviolent occupations (trade and
commerce)
o Jains today make up one of the wealthiest
communities in India
o Generally preach tolerance of all
religions…don’t really focus on
conversion…no missionaries…almost all of
the 5 million Jains in the world today live in
India
II. The Buddha Seeks Enlightenment
 Founder of Buddhism- Siddhartha Gautama
o Born into a noble family from Kapilavastu,
foothills of Himalayas in Nepal
o According to Buddhist legend, Siddhartha
was born with marks of a great man…world
ruler or universal spiritual leader if he left
home…his father originally isolated
Siddhartha in his palace, he eventually
married and had a son
A.
Siddhartha’s Quest
 Siddhartha was always curious about the
outside world
 Ventured out at age 29…saw an old man, sick
man, corpse, and a peaceful wandering holy
man
 Siddhartha interpreted this to mean that the
only a religious life offers a refuge from
inevitable suffering in the world
 Siddhartha left after the birth of his son and
became an ascetic (wandering holy
person)…seeking enlightenment (wisdom)
o Extremes: 6 grains of rice day
o Saw strings of a sitar…too loose won’t play,
too tight will snap…middle way
o Sat in meditation under a large fig tree…49
days later, he achieved an understanding of
the cause of suffering in this world…then
known as the Buddha, “enlightened one”
B.Origins and Beliefs
 Buddha gave his first sermon to 5
companions…laid out the Four Noble Truths
First Noble Truth: Everything in life is suffering
and sorrow
Second Noble Truth: The cause of all suffering is
people’s selfish desire for the temporary
pleasures of this world
Third Noble Truth: The way to end all suffering is
to end all desires
Fourth Noble Truth: The way to overcome such
desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the
Eightfold Path, the Middle Way between desires
and self-denial
*****Eightfold Path: Right Views, Right Resolve,
Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood,
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration. This is the Middle Way
 NIRVANA: Release from selfishness and pain,
(like blowing out a candle)
 In both Hinduism and Buddhism: belief in
reincarnation, cyclical view of history
 Buddha rejected the multiple gods of Hinduism
and the caste system
 Moksha and Nirvana are similar, in that they
both involve a release from reincarnation, and
perfect understanding
C. The Religious Community
 First five disciples from Buddha’s first sermon,
were first monks admitted into the SANGHA,
Buddhist religious order
o Eventually sangha referred to entire
religious community
o Buddhist laity and Buddhist monks and
nuns
 Three Jewels of Buddhism: religious community,
the Buddha, and the dharma (Buddhist doctrine
or law)
o “I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge
in the law. I take refuge in the community.”
D.
Buddhism and Society
 Buddhism appealed to laborers and
craftspeople due to his rejection of the caste
system
 Large following in northeast India (where
Aryans had less influence)
 Buddha reluctantly admitted women to
religious orders, but feared they would be a
distraction to men.
 Monks and nuns took vows of poverty,
nonviolence, to not marry
 Missionaries wandered with only a begging
bowl
 Monasteries for Women and Men…Nalanda
became a great university
 Teachings of Buddha written down shortly after
his death
o Also includes commentaries, rules about
monastic life, manuals on how to meditate,
recorded in the first century BC
E. Buddhism in India
 Centuries following Buddha’s death,
missionaries spread his faith over large parts of
Asia
o Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia in the 3rd
Century BC
o Buddhism also spread to China along Silk
Roads (especially after the decline of the
Han dynasty)
 Buddhism never gained a substantial foothold
in India…maybe Hinduism simply absorbed
Buddhism…syncretism between the
religions…Buddha was identified by some
Hindus as one of the 10 incarnations of the god,
Vishnu
 India, still an important pilgrimage site for
Buddhists…birthplace at Kapilavastu, fig tree
near Gaya…first sermon at Varanasi…STUPASsacred mounds, said to contain Buddha’s relics
o Important actions at shrines: circling a
shrine, lying face down as a sign of humility,
and offering flowers
F. Trade and the Spread of Buddhism
 Missionaries and traders played important roles
in the spread of Buddhism
 Traders carried Buddhism beyond India to Sri
Lanka…and southeast along trade routes to
Burma, Thailand, and island of Sumatra…also
Central Asian Trade routes (Silk Roads) to
China…from China to Korea and to Japan
 Buddhism as most widespread religion of East
Asia