 Confucius taught to value and respect age, wisdom and education. ◦ Applied to govt.  Lao Tzu taught that happiness comes from a respect for nature, and that govt. can disrupt the balance of good and bad (yin and yang)

 Hindus ◦ Belief in many Gods  3 main ones:  chief god, Brahma, the creator of the universe  Vishnu, the preserver  Shiva the destroyer ◦ Reincarnation over and over ◦ Karma

 Hindus believe that eventually the soul is released from the cycle. ◦ Daily prayers ◦ Puja rituals to honor gods or guests ◦ Gatherings that celebrate seasons, gods and important religious accomplishments ◦ Meditation

 Buddhist beliefs and practices vary.  Common beliefs: ◦ “four noble truths”  Life involves suffering, desiring worldly things causes suffering, suffering eventually ends with Nirvana, and the way to Nirvana is to follow the eightfold path of right thoughts and actions.  Reincarnation  Karma  Soul is eventually freed from the cycle of life and reaches Nirvana.  Monasteries (some)

 India and China-large-various religious groups.  India- over 100 languages spoken and dialect  Newspapers are printed in 87 different languages, radios broadcast in 71 languages and movies are made in 15.  China- over 50 different languages  Communist govt. has established Mandarin as official language.

 China and India face many social problems, related to huge populations.  China has more people than any country, but only 10% is farmed, so they cannot produce enough food.  Govt. has tried to limit family size.  India-poverty