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Chapter 7.2 Reading Quiz
1. Syncretism is the blending of old and new
ideas. Summarize the syncretism of
Buddhism between the Mauryan and Gupta
empires.
Buddhism was spread primarily through trade
and missionaries on the Silk Roads to East Asia
and Southeast Asia…some new doctrines included
Theravada (lesser vehicle, focused on meditation,
appealed to elite, Buddha as a teacher and the only
bodhisattva)…Mahayana (greater vehicle, focused
on masses, to reach nirvana through
devotion…Buddha worshipped as a
God…Bodhisattvas-souls that could have reached
nirvana, but instead are reincarnated to help
others reach salvation (example: Dali Lama in
Tibetan Buddhism)
2. Syncretism is the blending of old and new
ideas. Summarize the syncretism of Hinduism
between the Mauryan and Gupta empires.
As Buddhism arose in India, Hinduism began to
become more geared towards the masses, with an
emphasis on devotion, and Bhakti Yoga. Also,
Hindus can choose to worship one God or many
Gods…more personal religion…spreads to
Southeast Asia
3. List a minimum of 3 accomplishments from
the Gupta Empire.
 Astronomy- solar calendar, 7 day week, earth
was round
 Mathematics- modern numerals, concept of
zero, decimal system, Aryabhata- value of pi,
and length of solar year
 Medicine- important guides, inoculations
Chapter 7.2: Trade Spreads Indian Religions
and Culture
I. Changes in Religious Thought
 By 250BCE: Hinduism and Buddhism were
India’s 2 main faiths
 The origins of Hinduism are still debated, but
the religion developed over a long period of
time, blending ideas from amongst the many
inhabitants of India, and includes a universal
spirit, Brahman, and multiple gods and
goddesses, and the belief that every living
thing has a soul, atman, and everything is a
part of Brahman.
 Buddhism teaches that desire causes suffering
and that humans should overcome desire by
following the Eightfold Path.
 Over the centuries, both religions became
increasingly removed from the
people…Hinduism dominated by priests,
Brahmins, while the Buddhist ideal of selfdenial was difficult to follow
A. A More Popular Form of Buddhism
 Buddhism stressed that each person could
reach a state of peace, called nirvana.
 Nirvana is achieved by rejecting the material
world and embracing spiritual discipline.
 After the Buddha died, his followers
developed different interpretations of his
teachings
 One of the main shifts, was that some
Buddhists saw the Buddha as a teacher, while
others began to worship him as a God.
 Some Buddhists also believed in the concept
of BODHISATTVAS- souls that could reach
nirvana, but instead chose to continue to be
reincarnated, in order to help others and save
humanity through good works and selfsacrifice. (ex: Dali Lama of Tibet)
 Buddhism began changing from a religion that
emphasized individual discipline, to a mass
religion that offered salvation to all and
allowed popular worship
 2 main sects of Buddhism: Theravada =
stricter interpretation of Buddha’s teachings,
with emphasis on self-sacrifice and
meditation (more elites that have time to
pursue)…and Mahayana= also known as the
“Greater Vehicle” meaning that it emphasizes
devotion, and is more focused on the masses
reaching salvation…also Buddha as a God
 Buddhism also inspired Indian art…statues of
the Buddha…construction of stupas
(mounded stone structures built over holy
relics…cave temples
 Gandharan artistic style- blend of GrecoRoman and Indian styles…Buddha wearing a
toga…syncretism/ Greco-Buddhism
B. A Hindu Rebirth
 By the time of the Mauryan Empire, Hinduism
had become more remote from the people,
and included a complex set of sacrifices that
could be performed only by the priests.
 Example of syncretism in Hinduism- new
interpretations as a response to popularity of
Buddhism
 Focus on Brahman: The Absolute or God that
is: 1. The all pervading and absolute reality; 2.
Beyond description; 3. May be worshipped in
various form(s) or no form, male or female
 Important divine manifestations of Brahman
continued to be Brahma (the creator of the
world), Vishnu (the preserver of the world),
and Shiva (the destroyer of the world).
 Hinduism evolved to a more personal religion,
with a focus on devotion, which appealed to
the masses, and continued it’s popularity, and
further entrenched it in South Asia, and
Southeast Asia
II. Flowering of Indian Culture
 India entered a highly productive period in
literature, art, science, and mathematics that
continued until about AD 500
A. Literature and the Performing Arts
 Kalidasa: considered one of India’s greatest
writers…possibly the court poet for Chandra
Gupta II
o Kalidasa’s most famous play is
Shakuntala- a beautiful girl who falls in
love with and marries a middle-aged
king…when she and her husband are
separated, the suffer from a curse that
prevents the king from recognizing his
wife when they meet again
 Writing academies in southern India
(Madurai)
o About 2,000 Tamil poems still exist
o “There dwells my sweetheart, curving and
lovely, languid of gaze, with big round
earrings, and little rings on her tiny
fingers. She has cut the leaves of the
garden plantain and split them in pieces
down the stalk to serve as platters for the
meal…”
 Drama was also very important, various dance
forms, and performing acting and dance
companies
B. Astronomy, Mathematics, and Medicine
 expansion of trade spurred the advance of
science
 Sailors on trading ships used the stars to
figure their position at sea…knowledge of
astronomy increased
 From Greek invaders, Indians adapted the
Western methods of keeping time…solar
calendar, 7 day week, 60 minute hours, 12
hour days
 Gupta Empire (AD 320 to 500): knowledge of
astronomy greatly increased
o Indian astronomers proved that the earth
was round by observing a lunar
eclipse…when the earth’s shadow fell
across the face of the moon, it was curved,
indicating the earth itself was round
 Indian mathematics was among the most
advanced in the world
o Modern numerals, the zero and the
decimal system were invented in India
o Around 500AD, Indian mathematician,
Aryabhata, calculated the value of pi to
four decimal places and calculated the
length of the the solar year as
365.3586805 days
 Two important medical guides were
compiled…classified more than 1,000 diseases
and over 500 medicinal plants…surgery was
performed, including plastic surgery, and
inoculations
III. The Spread of Indian Trade
 Important precious resources: spices,
diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, and wood=
valuable exports
 Trade between India, Africa, and Sumeria
began more than 4,000 years ago…trade
continued to expand, even after the end of
Mauryan Empire around 185BCE
A. Overland Trade, East and West
 Invaders at the end of the Mauryan Empire,
helped to expand India’s trade to new regions
o Ex: caravan routes of central Asia
o SILK ROADS
o Indians as middlemen on the Silk Roads,
connecting China to Western Asia and
Rome
o Important trading stations set up,
including Pataliputra
B. Sea Trade, East and West
 Sea trade also increased
 Coastal routes around rim of Arabian Sea, up
Persian Gulf to connect India to Rome
 Southern Indian traders, sailed to Southeast
Asia to collect spices…also sold to Roman
traders
o Roman gold coins found in southern India
 India also traded extensively with the Swahili
Coast of Africa: exported cotton cloth and
imported African ivory and gold
 Rice and wheat went to Arabia, in exchange
for dates and horses
 Trade with Rome decreased around 3rd
century AD, but increased with China.
Exported Indian cotton cloth, monkeys,
parrots, and elephants, imported Chinese Silk
C. Effects of Indian Trade
 Increased trade led to the rise of banking in
India
 Bankers were willing to lend money to
merchants, and charge interest on loans
 Interest rates varied, depending on business
risk
o Interest rates on Overseas trade during
Mauryan Empire at 240%, during Gupta
Empire at 15 to 20%
 Many Indian merchants lived abroad and
brought their culture with them
 Ex: Indian art, architecture, dance throughout
Southeast Asia, especially Thailand,
Cambodia, and Java
 Traders also brought Hinduism ( to Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Borneo especially), Buddhism (along
Silk Roads by traveling Buddhist merchants
and monks…eventually to China)
Global Impact: The Spread of Buddhism
 Buddhism became a missionary religion
during Asoka’s reign
o Asoka sent out Buddhist missionaries
 Buddhism was also spread along the Silk
Roads to East Asia
 Buddhist monks established their first
monastery in China in AD 65, spread to China,
especially during the decline of the Han
Dynasty
 Buddhism spread from China to Korea (4th
century AD) to Japan (6th century AD)
 Present-day: Buddhism is a major religion
throughout East and Southeast Asia
o Theravada: Myanmar, Cambodia; Sri
Lanka; Thailand
o Mahayana school: Japan and Korea