INDIAN RELIGIONS
Chapter 5: Sections 2-3
INDIAN SOCIETY DIVIDED
The
Varnas – social divisions in the
Aryan society
 Brahmins – priests; highest rank
because they performed rituals for the
gods
 Kshatriyas – rulers and warriors
 Vaisyas – farmers, craftspeople &
traders
 Sudras – laborers & non-Aryans
Definition
– divided Indian society
into groups based on a person’s
wealth, birth, or occupation
 Not permanent – castes, groups of
people, could move up in down, but
not individual people
 Untouchables – not in a caste at all
 Could only interact with people within
their caste
 Aryan
religion was based on the Vedas
4 Vedas
 each contained sacred hymns & poems

 Later
Vedic Texts were where the Arayans
wrote about their thoughts and belief
Described
religious rituals – animal sacrifices
& secret rituals only priests could perform
Upanishads – written in the 600s BC;
reflections on the Vedas by religious students
and scholars
HINDUISM DEVELOPS
A
combination of Brahmanism, Persian &
other Asian cultures formed HINDUISM,
the largest religion in India today
 Hindu Beliefs

Believe in many gods, but three of them are
the most important:
Brahma – the Creator
 Siva – the destroyer
 Vishnu – the preserver


Believe that each god is a part of a single
universe called Brahman
Siva – the destroyer
Brahma – the creator
Vishnu – the
preserver
LIFE AND REBIRTH
 Everyone
them
has a soul, or atman, inside
Atman contains that person’s personality,
etc.
 Ultimate goal – reunite soul with Brahman,
the universal spirit
 Brahman only reality – everything else is an
illusion

People
must see through the illusion of the world
It can take several lifetimes to see through illusions
 That
is why Hindus believe that souls are born
and reborn many times, each time in a new
body. This process is called reincarnation.
HINDUISM AND THE CASTE SYSTEM
 The
type of form a Hindu is reincarnated into is
dependent upon a person’s Karma, the effects
that good or bad actions have on a person’s
soul



Bad karma – come back as a pig, etc.
Good karma – come back in a higher caste system
Ultimate goal – salvation, or moksha, freedom from
life’s worries and the cycle of rebirth
 Dharma
– must accept his/her place in society
without complaint
HINDUISM & WOMEN
 Hinduism
taught
that both men &
women can reach
salvation.
 But, women were
considered inferior
to men.
 They could not
participate in any
rituals or read any of
the sacred texts
JAINS REACT TO HINDUISM
 Hinduism
spread widely, but not everyone
agreed with all of their practices
 Jainism is based on the teachings of Mahvira



Born into the Kshatriyas, one of the high castes
Unhappy with the control of religion in Indian
society
Game up life to become a monk and establish
Jainism
 Four




Main Principles
Injure no life
Tell the truth
Do not steal
Own no property
JAINS REACT TO HINDUISM CONT.
 Practice
non-violence,
or the avoidance of
violent actions



Believe that
everything is alive and
a part of the rebirth
cycle
Jains are very serious
about not injuring or
killing any creature –
humans, animals,
insects, or even plants
Vegetarians
SIDDHARTHA'S SEARCH FOR WISDOM
The
Quest for Answers
 Siddhartha Gautama – born into a high
caste around 563 BC.
Although he never had to struggle for
anything in life, he was unhappy .
He didn’t like all the suffering that went on
around him.

 Before he turned 30, Siddhartha left
his luxurious life behind him to find
answers about the meaning of life.
SIDDHARTHA'S SEARCH FOR WISDOM CONT.
 The

Spent 6 years wandering throughout India


Buddha Finds Enlightenment
Wanted to free his mind of daily concerns by:
 Fasting – going without food
 Meditation – the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas
Stopped at Gaya, close to the Ganges River, sat under
a tree & meditated.

After 7 weeks of deep meditation, he realized why humans
suffer:
 WANTING WHAT WE LIKE BUT DO NOT HAVE

WANTING TO KEEP WHAT WE LIKE AND ALREADY HAVE

NOT WANTING WHAT WE DISLIKE BUT HAVE
SIDDHARTHA'S SEARCH FOR WISDOM CONT.
 At
about 35, Gautama found enlightenment
under the tree.


 As
From that point on, he would be called Buddha, or
“enlightened one.”
Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling across
northern India and teaching people his ideas.
he traveled, Buddha gained many followers.
 These followers were the first believers in
Buddhism, a religion based on the teachings of
Buddha