Section 3: Buddhism Story of Buddhism: A young Hindu prince lived a life of luxury and was surrounded by youth and beauty. He had never witness old age, sickness, or death. At around 30 the prince traveled outside the walls of his palace where he met a bend and tired old man. Then he saw a man who was very sick and finally he saw a corpse as it was carried to a funeral.

This suffering and death troubled the young man greatly and he wondered why there was so much misery and pain in the world. He decided to change his life to find the answers. He gave up his wealth, his family, and his life to find the cause and wandered for 7 years. His name was Siddhartha Gautama

Buddha and his teachings Gautama quit looking outward for answers and decided to look inward. To do this, he began meditating or focusing the mind inward in order to find spiritual awareness It is said that Gauatma fasted and meditated under a fig tree for 49 days and he found the answers For the next 45 years, he traveled across India to share his knowledge and his followers called him Buddha or the enlightened one

The Middle Way Buddhism teaches people to follow the eightfold path called the middle way By following the path, people avoid the extreme pleasure or extreme unhappiness in life Selfish desires for wealth, power, and pleasure cause humans to suffer and by giving those up a person is free from suffering Pg120-Eightfold Path To overcome selfishness, Buddhists must learn to be wise, behave correctly, and develop their minds.

Release from Reincarnation To find this Middle Way, the Buddha taught, people must act unselfishly toward others and treat people fairly. They must tell the truth at all times. If people follow the Buddha’s path their suffering will end. They will eventually find nirvana, or lasting peace. By reaching nirvana, people will be released from the cycle of reincarnation.

Followers of Buddhism Buddhism also taught that all people are equal. Anyone could follow the path to nirvana, regardless of his or her social class. This idea appealed to many people living under the caste system. Like other religions, Buddhism has priests. People of any social can work to become a Buddhist priest or monk. The Buddha encouraged his followers to establish monasteries. They there would learn, meditate, and teach. He also urged monks to become missionaries, or people who spread their religious beliefs to others.

Buddhism Inside and Outside India After the Buddha’s death, his teachings spread all over India. Buddha’s teachings did not last in the land of his birth. Hinduism gradually regained favor among those in power. Meantime, Hinduism had developed in ways that it made it more appealing to the lower castes. Buddhism died out almost completely in India. But for many years, Buddhism and Hinduism existed side by side.

Hindus and Buddhists: Shared Beliefs When Hinduism and Buddhism coexisted in India, a number of basic ideas came to be shared by both. They both accept the idea that it is wrong to harm other living creatures. They both value nonviolence and believe in dharma and the cycle of rebirth. Some Hindus came to honor Buddha as a reincarnation of the god Vishnu. But because Buddhists do not embrace the sacred texts of Hinduism, most Hindus do not worship the Buddha as an avatar.

Buddhism spread to other countries Buddhism was accepted by millions of people in other lands. Missionaries and traders carried the Buddha’s message throughout the Asia. It took roots first in China. Million of Chinese became Buddhists, and Buddhists monasteries in China became centers of religious thoughts. From China, Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan. Today, Buddhism is part of the cultures of such countries as Japan, the Korea, Tibet (part of China), and Vietnam.

Sections 4: The Maurya empire Around 321B.C., an new ruler came to the throne of a kingdom in northeastern India Within 35 years it grew into the giant Maurya Empire Chandragupta Maurya founded this empire

Rise of Maurya Empire Chandragupta’s armies were strong and ruthless and conquered the many small cities within India and the Ganges River. They went west and advanced to the Indus river. They controlled Northern and Central India at their peak.

Absolute rule A ruler must have absolute power Chandragupta had a HUGE army with thousands of soldiers, ready to enforce the law and crush any revolts They also had a heard of 9,000 war elephants They had a great economic success because of his rule. Slowly he became more fearful for his life and would sleep in different rooms each night to ward off assassins One story said that he gave his throne to his son and became a monk in S. India, fasting and praying he starved himself to death Maurya Elephants-Chandragupta’s army rode elephants into wars causing fear and panic.

Chandragupta’s Legacy He did not gain wealth for himself only. Through his rule was harsh he used his wealth to improve his empire New irrigation systems brought water to the farmers Vast networks of roads made it easier for maurya traders to exchange goods with foreign lands

Asoka’s Leadership Chandragupta’s son died and left the empire to his son. After the son died Chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka gain power. Asoka means “without sorrow” He built the greatest empire India had ever seen

The Battle of Kalinga More than 35 years, Asoka ruled much of the Indian subcontinent He was warlike like his grandfather 261 B.C, he won a battle in which thousands and thousands of people were injured or died This great slaughter of Kalinga was a turning point in Asoka’s life, and he gave up war and violence He freed his prisoners and restored their land He later converted to Buddhism

Buddhist Ruler Asoka practiced and preached Buddhism He did not allow the use of animals for sacrifices and gave up hunting the traditional sport of Indian Kings He had hospitals built throughout his kingdom His writing issued writings of moral advice such as honor their parents, or don’t kill animals, or behave with truthfulness and tolerance-freedom from prejudice

Buddhism outside of India Because Asoka spread Buddhism to neighboring countries At the time of Asoka’s death, India was united as never before.

Questions??? How was India governed before the Maurya Empire? India consisted of separate states that were small and each had its own ruler What were some of Asoka accomplishments? Issued writings of moral advice, established laws that require people to treat others with humanity and spread Buddhism throughout India