RELIGIONS OF THE EAST
Hinduism and Buddhism

• Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, no commonly agreed set of teachings, and no known date of origin
• Hinduism is a way of life
• Very complex with countless gods and goddesses
• Major religion of India today

Hinduism
• Everything in the universe is part of the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force called
Brahman—The ABSOLUTE
• Brahman resides in everything and unites everything in the universe
• Different gods/goddesses symbolize different aspects of Brahman

Hindu Gods
Three main gods of Hindu
Brahma —the creator
Vishnu —the preserver
Shiva —the destroyer
The gods can take many forms, human or animal

Hinduism
• Hinduism believes that every individual has an essential self or atman
• Ultimate goal of a Hindu is achieving moksha or union with Brahman
• Moksha gives a person perfect understanding of all things
• Must free yourself from selfish desires
• World known to our senses is called maya— this gives people sorrow and pain

Hinduism
• More than one lifetime required to achieve moksha
• Believe in reincarnation or the transmigration or rebirth of the soul in another bodily form

Hinduism
• Get closer to moksha by obeying laws of
Karma — all actions in a person’s life that effect his or her fate in the next life
• Cycle of rebirth symbolized by the wheel in
Indian art
• Hindu beliefs include the authority of the
Vedas—most ancient religious texts which define truth for Hindus (passed on orally for hundreds of years before written down)

Hinduism
• Hinduism stressed the idea of dharma — the religious and moral duties of an individual to escape the wheel of fate--code of conduct
• Dharma is the natural universal law whose observance allows humans to be contented and happy and avoid degradation and suffering
• Hindus believe that dharma is the very foundation of life
• Duties vary according to caste—obey and acquire merit in next life

VEDAS
• Vedas include hymns of praise to God, rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties
(eventually written down in Sanskrit)
• They concern worship and meditation
• Rig-Veda (1028 hymns) are the oldest of the
Vedas
• Important texts include the Upanishads (central concept is Brahman), Bhagavad Gita (obedience and duty) which is part of the Mahabharata
(greatest epic poem of India) and Ramayana
(good overcoming evil)

Jainism
• Mahavira , a Hindu teacher founded Jainism
• Jainism is a religion that emphasizes complete non-violence and asceticism
• Incorporates the traditional Hindu concepts of karma, reincarnation but rejects the Veda scriptures, castes and the idea of a creator god
• Goal of life is to reach liberation by a life of purification and discipline

JAINISM
• Five Great Vows—1) non-violence 2) Truth 3) non-stealing 4) celibacy 5) non-possessiveness
• Monks and nuns do not eat when it is dark or in front of a layperson
• They do not except food that is cooked for them
• They do not wear shoes or stay in one place for a prolonged period of time

JAINISM
• Do not touch the opposite sex
• They wear single white clothes or nothing at all
• Do not create art or get involved in social matters
• Monks expected to be homeless, shave their heads and beg for food

JAINISM
• Must be vegetarians or fruitarians (eat only fruit, nuts and milk)
• During meditation they chant mantras
• All life is sacred even the smallest insect
• Death by starvation is the ultimate for Jains

Hinduism
• Hindus commonly practice yoga —the physical and mental discipline harmonizing the body with the soul
• In Hinduism the cow is revered as the source of food and the symbol of life—should never be killed

MAURYAN EMPIRE
• Empire divided into provinces which were ruled by governors appointed by ruler— subdivided into districts
• Trade flourished—capital city rivaled even the great Persian cities
• Chandragupta converted to Jainism in later life
• Abdicated after 25 year reign—ascetic who self-starved

MAURYAN EMPIRE
• Asoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty—”reign of virtue”
• Considered ancient India’s greatest ruler and one of the greatest men in history
• In the history of Buddhism he ranks second only to Buddha
• His coronation was in the year 269 B.C.E.
• 8 years into his reign he annexed Kalinga

ASOKA’S RULE
• At the bloody battle his army killed over 100,000 people and took 150,000 captives
• Only aggressive war of his reign (believed to have converted to Buddhism two years prior)
• Four years later he publicly issued edicts proclaiming his profound sorrow and remorse for his actions
• Devoted the rest of his life to non-violence—gave up hunting, royal luxuries and the use of meat in royal kitchens

ASOKA’S RULE
• Established and endowed hospitals for men and animals—banyan trees planted on highways for shade, mango trees were laid to provide fruit, wells were dug, watering places constructed and rest houses established
• Declared all his subjects as his children—urged subjects to practice non-violence and noninjury toward fellowmen and animals; revere parents, teachers, mendicants and elders

ASOKA’S RULE
• Be kind to inferiors such as servants, serfs, and beasts of burden; be truthful and respect beliefs of others (protection of all religions)
• Cruelty to domestic and wild animals was prohibited

ASOKA’S RULE
• Recorded ethical doctrines by inscribing them on rocks, sandstone pillars, and cave walls
(Rock Edicts and Pillar Edicts)
• Sent out missionaries to spread Buddhism
• Built over 8,000 temples and 1,000 stupas or tombs in honor of the Buddha

ASOKA’S RULE
• Central regions of empire governed directly from capital while outlying domains were divided among four viceroys
• Council of ministers advised the king
• Proclaimed a non-expansionist policy and urged peaceful co-existence

GUPTA EMPIRE
• Known as India’s Golden Age
• The Kushan Empire had collapsed and
Chandra Gupta I united most of northern India
• Great period of intellectual advancement
• Literature and art flourished during this period
• In mathematics the Indian numeral system
(commonly known as Arabic numerals) was developed—first to develop concept of zero

GUPTA EMPIRE
• Developed decimal system based on ten
• In astronomy Indian scholars said the earth is round and rotated on it’s own axis
• In medicine developed techniques for plastic surgery
• Indian physicians excelled at caesarean sections, bone setting, and skin grafting

GUPTA EMPIRE
• In literature great works were written in
Sanskrit including fables and folk tales that inspired many Islamic literary works (Ali Baba and Forty Thieves and Aladdin and His Magic
Lamp)
• The Karma Sutra written which is considered the standard work on human sexual behavior
• The game of chess was believed to have been developed during this period

GUPTA EMPIRE
• Government was highly decentralized unlike the Mauryan government
• King at top of hierarchy—entire territory divided into provinces with a Viceroy overseeing region
• Villages controlled by headman with a council of elders—a lot of discretion given to viceroy
• Gupta empire declined due to weak rulers and invasions

INDIAN CIVILIZATION
• Contributions also include rust-free iron

Buddhism
• Arose in India
• Founded by Siddharta Gautama
• Great Renunciation —gave up all his worldly possessions to search out questions
• Why does suffering exist?—What is the value of life and death?
• Became the “ Enlightened One ” or Buddha

Buddhism
• Developed the idea of the Four Noble Truths
– 1) life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow
– 2) cause of suffering is desire for material things
– 3) cure suffering by overcoming desire
– 4) overcome desire by following the Eightfold
Path

• Right view
• Right intention
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right concentration
• Key to success is the
Middle Way
• Moderation in all things
• Eightfold Path is a way of life between life devoted to pleasure and one based on harsh self-denial
• Unselfishness is the key

Buddhism
• Honesty, charity and kindness to all living things
• Avoid evil words and actions
• Ultimate goal is to achieve nirvana or union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth—brings perfect peace

• Both accept the law of
Karma, dharma, reincarnation and nonviolence
• Buddhism rejected
Hinduism’s priesthood, formal rituals, existence of many gods and caste system

• Both men and women became followers of
Buddhism
• Complete equality of all believers
• Live in monasteries and convents
• Sacred text is Three Baskets of Wisdom

Schools of Buddhism
• Theravada Buddhism
• Closely follows original teachings
• Devote yourself to hard spiritual work
• Mahayana Buddhism
• Views Buddha as a god

• Founded by Confucius (Kung Fu Zi)
• China’s most influential philosopher/scholar
• Believed that a good society was one that preserved peace and order among individuals and between the people and their government

• Sayings compiled in The Analects
• Concerned with worldly goals to ensure social order and good government
• Grew up during period of civil war in China
• Chinese civil service exam based on
Confucian teachings
• Chinese government based on Confucian ideas

Basic Relationships
• Father to son • Unequal
• Unequal • Elder brother to younger brother
• Husband to wife
• Ruler to subject
• Friend to friend
• Unequal
• Unequal
• equal

• Older people superior to younger people
• Men superior to women
• Mother’s of sons should be respected
• Everyone in the relationships had duties and responsibilities
• Correct behavior brings order and stability
• Woman’s duty to ensure stability of family and promote harmony in the home

• Taught filial piety—respect for one’s parents and elders above all other duties
• Values of honesty, hard work, reverence to ancestors and concern for others

• Believed that people are naturally good
• Best ruler was a virtuous man
• Education is very important

Legalism
• Grew out of the teachings of philosopher Han
Fei Zi
• Authoritarian philosophy and demands unquestioning obedience to authority
• Man is by nature evil
• Greed was motive for most actions and causes most conflicts
• Achieve order by passing strict laws and enforce them with harsh punishments

• Concerned with politics and believes that a highly efficient and powerful government is the key to restoring order
• Rich rewards to those who carry out duties well
• People are incapable of loyalty, trust and honesty
• Censorship is ok to be used by government

• Founded by Laozi or Old Master
• Wrote The Way of Virtue
• Dao means “the way” which is the universal force that guides all things—force that can only be felt
• Goal is to become attuned to the dao
• Person must withdraw from the world and contemplate nature to understand the dao

Daoism
• Live in harmony with nature
• People should not strive for learning, riches or power
• Don’t participate in public affairs and shun politics
• Rulers should leave the people alone—striving to make things better tends to make them worse
• People should be allowed to return to the natural state of ignorance and contentment
• Best government is the one that governs the least

Daoism
• Popular religion with common people
• Magical practices and charms for unseen forces
• Concerned with a person’s life in this world
• Daoist priests probably invented gunpowder
• Experimented with alchemy —turning worthless metals into gold

Maurya Empire
• First great Indian empire forged by
Chandragupta Maurya
• Used secret police to maintain control
• Most honored of the Maurya emperors was
Asoka —converted to Buddhism and rejected violence
• Asoka spread Buddhism outside of India

Chinese Dynasties
• Qin dynasty will be established by Shi Huangdi or First Emperor
• Based on Legalist principles—used torture, jails and murder
• Books burned to limit knowledge
• Most remarkable achievement was building the Great Wall of China (connected old walls and built new additions)

Chinese Dynasties
• Han dynasty built by Liu Bang (Gao Zua)
• Appointed Confucian scholars as advisors
• Most famous of Han emperors was Wu Ti (Di) , the warrior emperor
• Defeated the Huns
• Opened the great Silk Road (4,000 miles) to
Fertile Crescent