1. Chapter 6 - Religion and Philosophy

2. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Hinduism – ‘the dominant religion’ or
‘way of life’
*** at least 3000 years old – oldest religion in
India
*** developed through a mixing of the beliefs
of the Aryans & Indus people

3. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Three main features of Hinduism
they worship of many gods
Brahma – the Creator
Shiva – the Destroyer
Vishnu – the Preserver

4. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Three main features of Hinduism
the belief in non-violence
*** all life is sacred – therefore human
beings & animals should not be
killed

5. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Three main features of Hinduism
the belief in reincarnation
*** believe that when a person dies, his
soul is reborn into a new body

6. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Impact of Hinduism
affected almost every aspect of life
the caste a person was born into was the result
of his actions in the past life
kings – as divine rulers must make sure everyone
follows the caste system

7. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Spread of Hinduism
between 200 CE to 1200 CE spread to Southeast
Asia
Asian kingdoms rulers adopted the idea of divine
kingship (did not adopt the caste system)
83% of India’s population are Hindus
(caste system became less important)

8. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Buddhism – began over 2000 years ago
‘Buddha’ – enlightened one
developed form the teachings of Prince called
Gautama Siddharta
freed himself from craving, hatred & ignorance
taught for 49 years the Dharma (the Truth)

9. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Buddhism as a religion
did not claim to have any special powers
his teachings did not mention any god or gods
his belief that all men are equal and that all men can
achieve enlightenment
his followers raised him to the level of god

10. Religion & Philosophy – Ancient India
Impact of Buddhism
spread quickly in Ancient India
many Hindus converted to Buddhism especially
those from lower castes
Ashoka, from Mauryan Empire did much to spread
Buddhism
from 6th century CE onwards popularity of Buddhism
in India declined

11. Religion & Philosophy – China
Confucianism – originated in China by Confucius
(Kong Fuzi) 551 BCE BCE
was troubled by the destruction caused by wars
he wanted people to live in peace & harmony
believed that people should live by code of conduct
or set of rules in their relationship with others

12. Religion & Philosophy - China
Impact of Confucianism
few were convinced
banned by Qin Shihuang ( BCE)
became popular during the Han Dynasty 202 BCE-
220 BCE)
has to be studied to pass the Civil Service Exams

13. Religion & Philosophy – China
Confucian Teachings
proper social behaviour
others before self
filial piety

14. Religion & Philosophy - China
Legalism - philosophy of ‘good government’
rather than one that guides people
in their daily lives
duty of the government to rule strictly
people who broke the law must be severely
punished

15. Religion & Philosophy - China
Legalism under Qin Shuang
Qin Shuang adopted legalism from 221 – 210 BCE
People who broke the law were executed or had to
do forced labour
it was adopted later by other dynasties but without
the severe punishments

16. Religion & Philosophy - China
Taoism
– teaches that there can be peace and
harmony if people follow the Tao (Way)
of nature

17. Religion & Philosophy - China
Taoism
began during the Zhou dynasty (1027 – 221 BCE
Lao Zi (founder)
Zhuang ZI (contributor

18. Religion & Philosophy - China
Taoism
began as a philosophy eventually developed in to a
religion
people combined their own early beliefs with teachings
of Taoism
Took many god & goddesses from Chinese folktales
Ancestor Worship – practice paying respect to dead
relatives & forefathers

19. Religion & Philosophy Southeast Asia
Hinduism
came to SEA around 1st Century
spread by Hindu priests from India
Did not survive long in the region
except in Bali

20. Religion & Philosophy – Southeast Asia
Buddhism – came to SEA c. 300 CE
brought by Indian and Chinese traders
and Buddhist missionaries
Buddhist monk Yijing studied Sanskrit and
Buddhism as practiced by Indian & Chinese

21. Religion & Philosophy – Southeast Asia
Islam – followers are called Muslims
religion was revealed through the
Prophet Muhammad
came to Southeast Asia c. the 11th Century
brought by traders

22. Religion & Philosophy – Southeast Asia
Role of Melaka in the spread of Islam
in Southeast Asia
conversion of local leaders
marriages
conquests
missionaries
trade