RELIGIONS
OF THE RIVER VALLEY
CIVILIZATIONS
Essential Question:
What are the major
differences between the
religions of Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Judaism?
The Religions of Ancient India
The people of the
Indus River Valley
developed two
major religions that
are still practiced
today: Hinduism
and Buddhism
HINDUISM
BASIC BELIEFS OF HINDUISM
Hinduism is based on
the search for “perfect
understanding” and
liberation from the
human world
This “perfect
understanding” is
called moksha (also
known as nirvana or
enlightenment)
Only those in the
upper portion of the
caste system (the
Brahmins) can
achieve moksha
Hindus believe in
reincarnation (people
are reborn into
another form)
Moving up in the caste
system depends on
fulfilling dharma (duty)
and gaining karma
(doing good deeds)
HINDU GODS
Hindus believe in
thousands of gods,
but three are
considered supreme
There is Brahma the
Creator, Vishnu the
Preserver, and Shiva
the Destroyer
There is no single
Hindu text (like the
Christians’ Bible),
but rather several
written works that
explore Hindu
philosophy
The most
important of these
texts are Vedas and
Upanishads
The caste system as
well as the religious
beliefs of Hinduism
had enormous
impact on the lives
of Hindus
The caste structure
and the religious
beliefs determined
personal
cleanliness, how to
eat, what to wear,
who to associate
with, and so on
Even today, Hindus
turn to their
religion for
guidance in normal
daily activities
BUDDHISM
Read the Buddhist quote below. Based on that, how
do you think Buddhism differs from Hinduism?
“Let him not despise what he
has received, nor should he
live envying the gains of others.
The disciple who envies the
gains of others does not attain
concentration.”
—Buddhist scripture,
The Dhammapada
(Verses of Righteousness)
ORIGINS OF
BUDDHISM
Siddhartha Gautama
was the son of a noble
family in Nepal
He abandoned noble life
at age 29 to search for
religious truth and an
end to life’s suffering
Siddhartha wandered
India for six years; he
fasted, debated with holy
men, and meditated
After meditating for 49
days, Siddhartha
achieved enlightenment
From this moment on, he
was known as “Buddha”
or “Enlightened One”
Buddha delivered a
sermon on his
understanding of the
cause of the world’s
suffering
These ideas were called
the “Four Noble Truths”
Like the Hindus, the
Buddhists believe in
moksha (nirvana or
enlightenment) and
reincarnation
However, the
Buddhists rejected
the idea of the caste
system and the idea
that only Brahmins
can achieve moksha
The “Four Noble Truths” are the most significant
teaching of Buddhism
Buddhists believe they can achieve enlightenment
by following the Eight-Fold Path
Hindus in the lowest castes and women
were attracted to the ideas of Buddhism;
unlike Hinduism, where only the elites can
achieve enlightenment, anyone can
achieve enlightenment in Buddhism
Missionaries spread Buddhism throughout Asia
JUDAISM
The Hebrews
originated in
an area near
Mesopotamia
called Canaan
(modern day
Israel)
The religion and moral laws of the
Hebrews (later called Jews) would have an
enormous influence on Western culture
According to
Hebrew belief, God
chose Abraham, a
shepherd from
Mesopotamia, to
be the “father” of
the Hebrews
God commanded
Abraham to lead
his people to
Canaan, which was
the Hebrews’
“promised land”
As Abraham and his
family traveled from
Ur in Mesopotamia
to Canaan, God
watched over them
Abraham promised
that he and his
descendents would
obey God; in
return, God would
protect them
This agreement between
God and Abraham was
called a covenant
Hundreds of
years after
Abraham,
the Hebrews
migrated to
Egypt to
avoid a
famine; they
were
enslaved by
the Egyptian
pharaohs
God commanded a Hebrew named Moses to lead
the Hebrews out of Egypt
In return for God’s help in
escaping Egypt, Moses
agreed to a new covenant:
the Hebrews must obey the
Ten Commandments
The monotheistic (single godworship) Hebrews wandered
the Sinai Desert for 40 years
before returning to Canaan,
where Abraham had lived
This is when the Hebrews
made the change from
nomads to settled farmers,
herders, and city dwellers
This early history
of the Hebrews
was recorded in
the Torah, the
first five books
of the Hebrew
Bible
The Torah is
respected by
Christians as
part of the Old
Testament
The Torah is written on scrolls and kept in an
ornamental chest called an ark
The emphasis of
right moral
conduct and
worshipping one
God is a Hebrew
idea that has
massively
influenced
human behavior
for thousands of
years through
Judaism,
Christianity, and
Islam
Closure Activity
Complete the comparison chart on
the back of your notes
–What are the characteristics of
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism?
–Be prepared to answer some
discussion questions when finished