ANCIENT INDIA

GEOGRAPHY Great size and diverse landscapes = cultural diversity and hard to unite Indian subcontinent = a large landmass that is part of a continent Monsoons = seasonal winds in India that bring rain in the summer

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The Aryans and the Vedic Period Between BC a group of nomadic Indo-European people formed a new civilization along the Ganges river – A warlike people who went from being nomads to farmers Developed Sanskrit, their writing system around 1000 BC – Sacred writings called the Vedas – a collection of hymns, prayers, and other religious teachings

People settled in smaller villages, which banded together under regional leaders called rajas The social structure was based on the caste system – Caste system = a set rigid categories in ancient India that determined a person’s occupation and position in society – Caste = social class

Society was divided into four social classes called varnas – Brahmans = priestly class in charge of religious ceremonies, is the highest ranking – Kshatriyas = warriors and rulers – Vaisyas = commoners, mostly farmers and merchants – Sudras = people who were not Aryans, mostly peasants with limited rights in society, servants The four varnas are also subdivided into hundreds of smaller castes Untouchables = people who are not part of the caste system, lowest part of society – Are given menial, degrading tasks that other Indians would not accept (trash collecting, handling dead bodies)

Valued Cattle – Cows were sacred Women had less rights and were not equal – Job was to have children and obey and respect their husbands at all times Sati – Virtuous woman who joined her husband on his funeral pyre – In ancient India the dead were burned in a funeral pyre – Suttee required a wife to throw herself on her dead husband’s flaming body to join him in death – Women who refused were considered disrespectful

The Aryans were polytheistic The Aryans practiced the religion of Hinduism

Hinduism One of the world’s oldest religions – Practiced in ancient India by the Aryans Religious beliefs of the Hindus are found in the Vedas, a collection of hymns and religious ceremonies Beliefs – Polytheistic, belief in the caste system – Brahman – single force, external being that created and preserves the world, a form of ultimate reality

– Every person has an atman, or soul, that is an aspect of Brahman A person’s atman shapes their personality and cannot be destroyed by death The duty of the atman is to seek to know this ultimate reality called Brahman – Devas = various manifestations of Brahman, are active in the world

– Continual pattern of birth, death, and rebirth At death the atman is released from the body and later reborn in another – Called reincarnation = belief that the individual soul is reborn into a new form after death – The nature of the person’s new life will be shaped by their karma Karma = force generated by a person’s actions that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life – good karma = reborn into a higher caste – bad karma = reborn into a lower caste Gave religious basis for the rigid caste system and hope to the lower castes

– The ultimate goal of human existence is achieve moksha, or union with Brahman Moksha = escape or release from the cycle of rebirth Atman leaves the world and reunites with Brahman – Hindus work toward achieving this – The way to achieve moksha is to fulfill one’s dharma Dharma = (divine law) a person’s spiritual duties and obligations which they must follow to achieve liberation Various depending on status and caste Fulfilling dharma allows a person to create good karma

– Make a pilgrimage to a holy location Pilgrimage = religious journey For Hindus one of the most holy places they want to visit in their lifetime is the Ganges river, believe that the water is holy Believe that bathing in the Ganges will purify and remove some bad karma

Buddhism Founded in the 6 th century BC by Siddartha Gautama – Later took the name of Buddha, which means “Enlightened One” His goal was to seek the cure for human suffering – Resolved to find a way to overcome age and sickness to keep people from having to suffer

Decided one must deny the reality of the material world – Pain, poverty, and sorrow are caused by attachments to things of this world – Once you let go of worldly cares, pain and sorrow can be forgotten and wisdom can be achieved (bodhi) Achieving wisdom is a key step to achieving nirvana – Nirvana = end of self and reunion with the Great World Soul – A state of perfect peace in which the soul will be free from suffering Four Noble Truths – Ordinary life is full of suffering – This suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy ourselves with pleasure and material goods

– Overcoming these desires during life eventually brings suffering to an end – The way to end desire is to follow the Eightfold Path Eightfold Path = a series of steps that leads to Enlightenment Can also be expressed as the Middle Way, which advises people to live in moderation in the search for nirvana – Right viewRight livelihood – Right attitudeRight effort – Right speechRight mindfulness – Right actionRight concentration

Other beliefs – Believe in reincarnation – Do not believe in the caste system – Do not worship any gods, Buddha forbade followers to worship his image Spread of Buddhism – Starts out in India, but loses popularity to Islam – Spreads to Southeast Asia

HINDUISMBUDDHISM Founded By Major Goal Main Religious Teachings Polytheistic or Monotheistic Belief in Reincarnation? Belief in Caste System? Started Where