WORLD HISTORY CHAPTER 3 AND HINDUISM

• HINDUISM - ORIGINATED WITH THE ARYAN PEOPLE WHO SETTLED IN INDIA AROUND 1500 B.C.E. • HINDUISM IS A POLYTHEISTIC RELIGION.( BELIEVE IN MANY GODS) • VEDAS - A BOOK OF HYMNS AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES. HINDUISM

• - A FORM OF ULTIMATE REALITY OR GOD. • ATMAN - THE INDIVIDUAL THAT MUST SEEK TO BECOME ONE WITH BRAHMAN. • REINCARNATION - INDIVIDUAL SOUL IS REBORN IN A DIFFERENT FORM AFTER DEATH. HINDUISM

• KARMA - THE IDEA THAT WHAT PEOPLE DO IN THEIR CURRENT LIFE WILL DETERMINE WHAT FORM THEY WILL BE IN THEIR NEXT LIFE. • - DIVINE LAW, THE LAW REQUIRES PEOPLE TO DO THEIR DUTY, WHICH DEPENDS ON THE PERSONS SOCIAL STATUS. HINDUISM

• YOGA - A METHOD OF TRAINING TO LEAD TO ONENESS WITH BRAHMAN. • ONENESS WITH BRAHMAN IS SEEN AS A DREAMLESS SLEEP. • WHEN ALL THE SENSES ARE STILLED, WHEN THE MIND IS A T REST, THIS IS CONSIDERED THE HIGHEST STATE. HINDUISM

• IT IS BELIEVED THAT HINDUS HAD A TOUGH TIME RELATING TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF A FORM OF ULTIMATE REALITY. • SO HUMAN-LIKE GODS WERE USED TO EXPLAIN THE EXPECTATIONS OF A HINDU. HINDUISM

• BRAHMA - THE CREATOR • VISHNU - THE PRESERVER • SIVA - THE DESTROYER • MANY HINDUS SEE THESE GODS AS MANY EXPRESSIONS OF THE ONE ULTIMATE REALITY. BUDDHISM

• BUDDHISM - APPEARED IN NORTHERN INDIA IN 500 B.C.E. AND BECAME A RIVAL OF HINDUISM IN INDIA. • SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA - THE FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM. KNOWN AS THE BUDDHA, OR ENLIGHTENED ONE. SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA • SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA - WAS BORN A PRINCE OF A SMALL KINGDOM IN MODERN DAY NEPAL. • SIDDHARTHA’S PARENTS SHELTERED HIM, AT THE AGE OF 16 HE WAS MARRIED TO A PRINCESS AND STARTING A FAMILY OF HIS OWN. SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA • SOME MAY SAY SIDDHARTHA HAD EVERYTHING, HE WAS RICH, GOOD LOOKING, MODEL FOR A WIFE, A CHILD, AND WAS NEXT IN LINE TO BE KING. • IN HIS LATE TWENTIES, SIDDHARTHA BECAME AWARE OF SICKNESS, AGE, AND DEATH. BUDDHA OR ENLIGHTENED ONE • HE DECIDED TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE LOOKING FOR A CURE TO HUMAN SUFFERING. • HE GAVE UP HIS ROYAL CLOTHES, SHAVED HIS HEAD, ABANDONED HIS FAMILY, AND SET OUT TO FIND THE TRUE MEANING OF LIFE. BUDDHA OR ENLIGHTENED ONE • ASCETICS - PEOPLE WHO PRACTICED SELF-DENIAL TO ACHIEVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF ULTIMATE REALITY. • AFTER A CLOSE CALL WITH DEATH FROM NOT EATING, SIDDHARTHA ABANDONED ASCETICS AND INSTEAD TURNED TO MEDITATION. BUDDHA OR ENLIGHTENED ONE

• ONE EVENING WHILE MEDITATING UNDER A TREE, SIDDHARTHA BECAME ENLIGHTENED ON THE MEANING OF LIFE AND SPENT THE REST OF HIS LIFE PREACHING WHAT HE HAD LEARNED. BASICS OF BUDDHISM

• BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BUDDHISM - THE PAIN, POVERTY, AND SORROW THAT AFFLICTS HUMAN BEINGS ARE CAUSED BY THEIR ATTACHMENT TO THINGS OF THIS WORLD.

• 1) ORDINARY LIFE IS FULL OF SUFFERING. • 2) THIS SUFFERING IS CAUSED BY OUR DESIRE TO SATISFY OURSELVES. • 3) THE WAY TO END SUFFERING IS TO END DESIRE FOR SELFISH GOALS AND TO SEE OTHERS AS EXTENSIONS OF OURSELVES. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

• 4) THE WAY TO END DESIRE IS TO FOLLOW THE MIDDLE PATH • - ULTIMATE REALITY, THE ENDING OF SELF AND A REUNION WITH THE GREAT WORLD SOUL. MIDDLE PATH OR EIGHTFOLD PATH • 1) RIGHT VIEW - WE NEED TO KNOW THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS. • 2) RIGHT INTENTIONS - WE NEED TO DCIDE WHAT WE REALLY WANT. • 3) RIGHT SPEECH - WE MUST SEEK TO SPEAK TRUTH AND TO SPEAK WELL OF OTHERS. MIDDLE PATH OR EIGHTFOLD PATH • 4) RIGHT ACTION - THE BUDDHA GAVE , DO NOT KILL, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT LIE, DO NOT BE UNCHASTE, DO NOT TAKE DRUGS OF DRINK ALCOHOL. • 5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD - WE MUST DO WORK THAT UPLIFTS OUR BEING. MIDDLE PATH OR EIGHTFOLD PATH • 6) RIGHT EFFORT - THE BUDDHA SAID, “ THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE WAY MIGHT WELL FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF AN OX THAT ARCHES THROUGH THE DEEP MUD CARRYING A HEAVY LOAD. HE IS TIRED, BUT HIS STEADY, FORWARD-LOOKING GAZE WILL NOT RELAX UNTIL HE COMES OUT OF THE MUD.” MIDDLE PATH OR EIGHTFOLD PATH • 7) RIGHT - WE MUST KEEP OUR MINDS IN CONTROL OF OUR SENSES. “ ALL WE ARE IS THE RESULT OF WHAT WE HAVE THOUGHT.” • 8) RIGHT CONCENTRATION - WE MUST MEDITATE TO SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW WAY. BUDDHA OR ENLIGHTENED ONE • BUDDHA ACCEPTED THE IDEA OF REINCARNATION, BUT REJECTED THE HINDU BELIEF OF RIGID SOCIAL CLASSES WERE ONLY THE HIGH SOCIAL CLASS COULD REACH ONENESS WITH BRAHMAN. • BUDDHA BELIEVE ALL PEOPLE COULD REACH NIRVANA AS A RESULT OF BEHAVIOR IN THIS LIFE.