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Buddhists on a Mission

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Buddhists on a Mission Indian Empires BUDDHISTS ON A MISSION Greeks Bearing Gifts IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Indian_Empires_FC.indd 1 3/10/17 9:33 AM 2 From Many States to One Empire Picture ancient India in the 500s BCE. It is a vast peninsula with steep moun- tains on three sides. To the north rise the Himalayas, the tallest mountains on Earth. From the northernmost foothills of the Himalayas to the southern tip of India is almost 2,000 miles. A person riding a horse (or an elephant!) would need weeks or months to travel from one end of ancient India to the other. The country is divided into many small kingdoms and city-states that are often at war. Their kings fight to control more land and trade routes that can bring wealth. Could one leader ever unite this huge area? u AROUND THE r ANCIENT INDIA 500s BCE, most was a rich land, parts of India were with fertile farmland ruled by kings, and gold produced but some areas in the Indus Valley. were republics. This made foreign In a republic, conquerors inter- representatives ested in India. King of the people run Darius of Persia the government. (present-day Iran) In many ancient sent his armies to Indian republics, u THOSE WHO RULED for control of the Magadha kings invade India begin- representatives of the lands along these lands. The conquered many ning around 518 important families the Ganges River Magadha kingdom, of their neighbors. BCE. The Persians were members of could become which arose along By the 300s BCE, ruled parts of the the assemblies that rich by controlling the Ganges River, they controlled an Indus Valley and made the laws. trade through was especially area of northern Punjab for nearly eastern India. powerful. In the India the size of 200 years. Many rulers fought 500s and 400s BCE, England. Indian_Empires_2-3.indd 16 3/10/17 9:32 AM 3 u ALEXANDER THE Ganges because dom. From there, GREAT wanted to they were afraid he expanded his rule the whole of the Magadha power by attacking world, but he failed kingdom’s power- other kingdoms to conquer all of ful army. Alexander and republics. India. Alexander left India and Because Alexander led his army into returned to Persia. had defeated many India around 327 Some of his local Indian kings, BCE, after defeating generals stayed it was easier for the Persians. He behind to govern Chandragupta to conquered most the conquered take control of of the kingdoms lands. But after their lands. He in the Indus Valley. Alexander’s death u CHANDRAGUPTA quickly conquered Then, some his- in 323 BCE, Indian MAURYA was a many of the former torians believe, leaders, including young leader who Greek territories. In Alexander’s troops Chandragupta defeated the pow- 321 BCE, he united refused to march Maurya, drove out erful but unpopular the lands he had east toward the the Greek armies. ruler of the great conquered into the Magadha king- Maurya Empire. Indian_Empires_2-3.indd 17 3/10/17 9:32 AM 4 It is 321 BCE in northern India. control of much of the Punjab Chandragupta Maurya has region in the far north. The Maurya conquered the great Magadha For the first time, a large kingdom and helped to drive area of India has been united the Greeks out of India. Now under one ruler. Chandragupta Empire that Alexander the Great has has founded the Maurya died, Chandragupta has taken Empire. He will go on to CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA was a strong and strict ruler. He needed a large army to con- trol and expand the empire. Ordinary people had to pay high taxes to support the army and the rest of the government. Chandragupta’s style of rule was hard on the poor and powerless. But Chandragupta also created a well-organized government that improved roads and drained land to cre- ate more farmland. l CHANDRAGUPTA in a book called said that a ruler punishment as had an important the Arthashastra, should take deserved becomes adviser named or the Science of care of his people respectable.”* Kautilya who was Material Gain. In but should also *From Kautilya’s Arthashastra known for his ideas ruling his empire, keep order using (Science of Polity) by B. K. about the best way Chandragupta strict punishment. Chaturvedi. Diamond Pocket to rule a country. closely followed the According to Books Ltd., 2006. Kautilya wrote ideas in this book. the text, “Who- about his ideas The Arthashastra ever imposes Indian_Empires_4-5_v3.indd 16 3/10/17 9:34 AM The Maurya Empire 5 expand his empire by conquering U K U S H N D N H I N other kingdoms and republics. AN TA r IS H W E H A N e PLATEAU AFG v I i M Chandragupta’s son and grand- i M OF TIBET R A L A CHINA son will continue to expand the Y S N A A S 0 500 mi. T NEPAL 0 500 mi. I S Mathura Maurya Empire until, by around K s Mathura A u P d Thar 0 500 km. n Desert G I Desert Ayodhya BCE a n Pataliputra 250 , it will cover nearly all of g e INDIA e s INDIA R i v e r the Indian subcontinent. Sanchi Ujjain Ajanta DECCAN Arabian Bay of Sea Bengal Maurya Empire, about 320 BCE Maurya Empire, about 250 BCE SRI Present-day border SRI INDIAN OCEAN LANKA u IN 297 BCE, Chandragupta gave the throne to his son Bindusara. He retired to follow a religious life. In about 25 years of rule, Bindusara strength- ened the empire and probably expanded it further south. Legend says that Bindusara had 101 sons. After he died around 272 BCE, his son Ashoka (also writ- ten as Asoka) took the throne. Ashoka would go on to be one of ancient India’s greatest rulers. Alexander’s empire agreed to a peace in India and to treaty. Under this the northwest. His treaty, Seleucus u THE HELLENISTIC Maurya emperors countries sent lands were known gave up his lands (Greek-influenced) maintained strong ambassadors to the as the Seleucid in India, while countries to diplomatic connec- Maurya govern- u SELEUCUS WAS Empire. Around 305 Chandragupta gave the west were tions with these ment. Their leaders a Greek general BCE, Chandragupta Seleucus 500 war important trading states, including also exchanged who ruled over defeated Seleucus, elephants and mar- partners for the the Seleucid Empire gifts with the the remains of and the two leaders ried his daughter. Maurya Empire. The and Egypt. These Maurya emperors. Indian_Empires_4-5_v3.indd 17 3/10/17 9:34 AM 6 The Beginning of Buddhism Many centuries ago, in a part of northern India that is now the country of Nepal, a prince was born. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. Prince Siddhartha was raised in luxury and wealth, kept apart from the rest of the world in royal palaces. At the age of 29, the prince left the palace for the first time. He was shocked to see sickness and poverty and to learn that people get old and die. After this, he rejected his life of comfort and set out to understand why people have to suffer in life. This was the beginning of Siddhartha’s journey to become a great moral teacher known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One.” This led to the creation of Buddhism. Indian_Empires_6-7_v2.indd 16 3/10/17 9:36 AM 7 l SIDDHARTHA spent years searching for the truth. He learned to meditate, or to concentrate so deeply that the mind becomes clear and calm. He studied with many spiritual teachers. He tried going without food and sleeping on a bed u THE BUDDHA, desires. Buddhists of thorns. Finally, like other Hindus, believe that if they he sat under the believed in rein- free themselves shade of a tree and carnation. He saw from all desire and meditated on the the world as an sense of self, they idea of suffering. endless cycle, or will reach nirvana, At the heart of the Buddha’s teachings are the After 49 days, he wheel, of suffering, the highest state of Four Noble Truths: reached enlighten- death, and rebirth. the human mind. 1. Suffering is part of human life. ment, or complete He taught that the Then they will 2. Wanting things is the root of all suffering. understanding way to escape escape from the of truth. from this cycle was cycle of death 3. The way out of suffering is to become wise enough to reject selfish and rebirth. to not want things. 4. The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to learn not to want things. l THE BUDDHA’S l THE CONCEPT early life was of ahimsa, or filled with riches. nonviolence, has Later, he suffered influenced many extreme hardship. Indian leaders. He learned that Mohandas Gandhi neither of these used nonviolent ways of life led action to help India to happiness. win independence Instead, he taught from British rule. people to follow ings, people can Gandhi wrote: a Middle Way come closer to “Non-violence . between these nirvana by follow- does not mean two extremes. ing the steps meek submission According to the of the Noble to the will of the Buddha’s teach- Eightfold Path. evil-doer, but it means putting of r AROUND THE all living beings one’s whole soul same time that the have souls. This against the will of Buddha was teach- means that plants the tyrant.”* Dr. ing, another great and animals should Martin Luther King teacher called be treated with Jr.
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