Lesson 2 Ancient India

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions and has no founder or holy book. It includes many beliefs and practices, such as worship, yoga, and meditation. The core belief is in the universal spirit called the Brahmin. Hindu teachings were spread orally and later written down. Hindus also believe in reincarnation and karma. The main duty for Hindus is to follow their dharma and achieve mokshaka. Buddhism originated from discontent with Hindu ceremonies and focused on a simpler, more spiritual faith. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, founded Buddhism and taught the Four Noble Truths. Buddhism spread and divided into Saravada and Mayahana Buddhism, with different beliefs and practices. Today, Buddhism is practiced by millions worldwide. Origins of Hinduism Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions. It is also the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism has no founder and no holy book. Hindus usually pay respect to the Vedas. They also take part in religious rituals either at home or in a local temple. At first, the Vedas had to be memorized by Brahmin priests and spoken out loud. Much later, they were written down in Sanskrit. Over time, Brahmin's religion blended with the ideas of other people of India. This mix of beliefs eventually became known as Hinduism. Hinduism includes many beliefs and practices. Certain practices present in Hinduism today, such as worship in the home, worship in temples, yoga, meditation, developed over time. Acceptance of religious diversity also grew to be a central aspect of Hinduism. A core belief of Hinduism is that there is one universal spirit called the Brahmin. Hindu teachings were spread orally at first. Over time, they were written into text, like the Upashads. The Upashads describe the search for Brahmin. These writings say that every living thing has a soul that is a part of the Brahmin. The body is part of life on earth. At death, the soul leaves the body and joins up with Brahmin. Upashads say that the soul becomes one with Brahmin like a lump of salt thrown into water. The lump of salt is gone, but the water still tastes salty. The salt has become a part of the water. Most ancient Egyptians, however, could not easily understand the ideas of the Brahmin. They believed in many different deities. Hindus built temples and statues and held religious ceremonies for these deities. Eventually, four deities became the most important. Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, Shiva, the deity who could transform the world, and Sarasvata, the deity of learning. Over time, many Hindus came to think of all deities as different parts of Brahmin, the one universal spirit. Another part of Hinduism is the belief of reincarnation or rebirth of the soul. Hindus strive for Murshaka, which is ultimate peace. Hindus believe that most souls do not reunite with the Brahma immediately after death. Instead, each soul must first pass through many lives. In Hinduism, the idea of reincarnation is closely related to another idea known as karma. According to karma, people's status in life is not an accident. It is based on what they did in their past lives. In addition, the things people do in this life determine how they will be reborn. If someone leaves an evil life, that person is reborn into a lower form of life. When good people die, their souls are reborn into a higher form of life. Hindus believe that they have to earn a better existence in the next life. Participation in religious ceremonies and fulfilling duties became part of the quest to find oneness with Brahman. Ultimately, the most important duty for the Hindus is to follow their dharma or their personal duty to society and obedience to the moral law of the universe. People's duties are different depending on their place in society. A farmer has different duties than a priest. Men have different duties than women. Fulfilling dharma and achieving mokshaka are two of the four goals of human life in Hinduism. The other two are karma or love and artha or wealth and success. How did Hindu beliefs shape the way of life in ancient India? In India, the idea that all life is sacred was widely accepted. Animals as well as people were treated with kindness and respect. Believing such as reincarnation also made many Indians more accepting of the jati system. An avowed Hindu believed that the people in a higher jati were superior and deserved their status. At the same time, the belief of reincarnation gave hope to people from every walk of life. A person who lives a good life is reborn into a higher jati. Rise of Buddhism During the 500s BCE, some Indians felt unhappy with the ceremonies of the Hindu religion. They wanted to look for a simpler, more spiritual faith. They left their homes and looked for peace in the hills and forests. Many trained their minds to focus and think in positive ways. This training was called meditation. Meditation had originated within Hinduism over a thousand years earlier. Using meditation, some seekers developed new ideas and became religious teachers. One of these teachers was Siddhartha Gautama. He became known as the Buddha. He founded a new religion called Buddhism. The Buddha Today, Buddhism is one of the major world religions. Scholars are unsure why, but the Buddha said mostly disappeared from India before the year 1000. Most Buddhists live in Southeast Asia and East Asia today. Only a few live in India, Buddhism's birthplace. Siddhartha Gautama was born around the year 563 BCE. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He grew up as a prince in a small kingdom near the Himalaya. This area is now known as Southern Nepal. As a young man, Siddhartha seemed to have everything. He was rich, handsome, and happily married with a newborn son. One day, he left his palace to explore the life of ordinary people in the kingdom. As he traveled, Siddhartha was shocked at the misery and poverty around him. He saw beggars, people who were sick, and aged people with nowhere to live. For the first time, he understood that the world was filled with suffering. Siddhartha gave up all he had and became a monk. Saying goodbye to his wife and son, he began his journey to find the meaning of life. Dressed in a yellow robe, he traveled across the country, stopping to meditate or think deeply. As he preached his message to people, he gathered followers. His teachings now become known as Buddhism. Some of the Buddha's ideas were not new to India. He followed the same Hindu ideas and changed others. Like the Hindus, the Buddha believed that the world was more important than the everyday world. He believed that one reason people suffered in a way was that they cared too much about the wrong things. These included fame, money, and personal possessions. Wanting such things could fill people with bad emotions like greed or anger. But seeking spiritual truth, he believed, led to inner peace. The Buddha taught his followers the four noble truths. He believed that these would help people seek spiritual truth. The Four Noble Truths 1. Life is suffering. 2. People suffer because they desire worldly things and want to satisfy themselves. 3. The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things. 4. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold Path. The Buddha's Four Truths said that people can end suffering by following these eight steps. 1. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths. 2. Give up worldly things and do not harm others. 3. Tell the truth, do not gossip, and do not speak badly of others. 4. Do not commit evil acts such as killing, stealing, or living an unclean life. 5. Earn your living in a proper way. 6. Work for good and oppose evil. 7. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under control. 8. Practice meditation to detach yourself from the world. When people are finally free from all earthly concerns, they are to reach Nirvana. According to Buddha's teachings, Nirvana is not a physical place. It is an emotional or spiritual state, a feeling of perfect peace and happiness. Buddhism spread because it welcomed people from all walks of life. The Buddha placed little importance on the Jati system. He believed that the people's place in life did not depend on the Jati which they were born. The Buddha explained that the success of the people depended on their behavior now. Like the Hindus, the Buddha believed in reincarnation, but in a different way. He taught that people could end the cycle of rebirth by following the Apricot Path rather than their Dharma. For more than 40 years, the Buddha taught his ideas. After his death, Buddhist monks, nuns, and merchants carried his teachings to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Buddha's followers disagreed over the meaning of Buddha's ideas. Eventually, the Buddhists divided into two groups, Saravada Buddhists and Mayahana Buddhists. Saravada Buddhism Saravada means teaching of the elders. Followers of the Saravada view Buddha as a great teacher, but not as a deity. Saravada Buddhism is a major religion of modern-day countries of Sri Lanka. Buddhist teachers spread the ideas of Saravada to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Mayayana Buddhism Mayayana Buddhism teaches that Buddha is a deity. Followers of Mayahana Buddhism believe that the Apricot Path is too difficult for most people. By worshipping the Buddha, the people will go to heaven after they die. There, they can follow the Apricot Path and reach Nirvana. Bodhisattvas hold a special place in Mayayana Buddhism. Bodhisattvas are enlightened people who do not enter heaven. Instead, they stay on earth to do deeds and help others on the path to Nirvana. Mayayana Buddhism spread northward into China and from there to Korea and Japan. Unique forms of Mayayana Buddhism arose in the Central Asian country of Tibet. Buddhist leaders, called Lamas, led the government of Tibet. The Dalai Lama led Tibet's government and the Pachin Lama led the religion. Tibetans considered both leaders to be reincarnations of the Buddha. Today, few Buddhists live in India where Buddha was first preached. Buddhism, however, is still widely practiced in Southeast Asia and East Asia. There's an estimated 500 million Buddhists in the world today.