sign in sign up
<<
Home , Gautama Buddha

Hinduism religious basis for the rigid class divisions in Indian had its origins in the religious beliefs of society. It justified the privileges of those on the higher end of the scale. After all, they would not have the peoples who settled in after 1500 B.C. Evidence about the religious beliefs of the Aryan peo- these privileges if they were not deserving. At the ples comes from the , collections of hymns and same time, the concept of gave hope to religious ceremonies that were passed down orally those lower on the ladder of life. The poor, for exam- through the centuries by Aryan priests and then ple, could hope that if they behaved properly in this eventually written down. life, they would improve their condition in the next. Early Hindus believed in the existence of a single How does one achieve oneness with God? Hindus force in the universe, a form of ultimate reality or developed the practice of , a method of training God, called . It was the duty of the individ- designed to lead to such union. (In fact, yoga means ual self—called the atman—to seek to know this ulti- “union.”) The final goal of yoga was to leave behind mate reality. By doing so, the self would merge with the cycle of earthly life and achieve union with Brah- Brahman after . man, seen as a kind of dreamless sleep. As one Hindu writing states, “When all the senses are By the sixth century B.C., the idea of reincarnation had appeared in Hinduism. Reincarnation is the stilled, when the is at rest, that, say the wise, is belief that the individual soul is reborn in a the highest state.” different form after death. As one of the Most ordinary Indians, however, Vedas says, “Worn-out garments are could not easily relate to this ideal shed by the body/Worn-out bodies and needed a more concrete form are shed by the dweller [the of heavenly . It was soul].” After a number of exis- probably for this tences in the earthly world, the that the Hindu soul reaches its final goal in came to have a number a union with Brahman. of human-like gods and According to Hinduism, all goddesses. living seek to There are hundreds of achieve this goal. deities in the Hindu reli- Important to this process gion, including three chief is the idea of , the ones: the Creator, force generated by a person’s the Preserver, actions that determines how the and Siva (SIH•vuh) the person will be reborn in the next Destroyer. Many Hindus life. According to this idea, what regard the multitude of gods people do in their current lives deter- as simply different expres- mines what they will be in their next sions of the one ultimate reality, lives. In the same way, a person’s cur- Brahman. However, the various rent status is not simply an accident. It is gods and goddesses give ordinary a result of the person’s actions in a past Indians a way to express their religious existence. feelings. Through devotion at a Hindu The concept of karma is ruled by , they seek not only salvation the , or the divine law. The but also a means of gaining the ordi- law requires all people to do their nary things they need in life. duty. However, people’s Today, Hinduism is still the religion duties vary, depending on of the vast majority of the their status in society. History . More is expected of those Siva is the god of destruction, transformation, and high on the social scale, change. Siva creates with the right hand and destroys Reading Check such as the , with the left hand. Compassion and healing are offered Comparing How do karma, than of the lower castes. with the lower hands. How does this bronze dharma, and yoga relate to The system of rein- illustrate Siva’s role in Hinduism? reincarnation? carnation provided a

CHAPTER 3 India and China 77 History through Architecture The , third century B.C. Originally the stupa housed a of the . This stupa has become the greatest Buddhist monument in India. Describe how the decorative archi- tecture reflects the monument’s importance to .

The Buddha

Buddhism physical body, however, only led to a close brush with death from not eating. He abandoned In the sixth century B.C., a new doctrine, called and turned instead to an intense period of medita- Buddhism, appeared in northern India and soon tion. (In Hinduism, this was a way to find oneness became a rival of Hinduism. The founder of Bud- with God.) One evening, while in dhism was Gautama (sih •DAHR under a tree, Siddhartha reached enlightenment as to •tuh• GOW• tuh•muh), known as the Buddha, or the meaning of life. He spent the rest of his life “Enlightened One.” preaching what he had discovered. His teachings became the basic principles of Buddhism. The Story of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama came from a small kingdom in the foothills of the Himalaya (in what is today southern ). Born The Basic Principles of Buddhism Siddhartha denied the reality of the material world. The physical around 563 B.C., he was the son of a ruling family. The young and very handsome Siddhartha was raised in surroundings of humans, he believed, were simply the lap of luxury and lived a sheltered life. At the age illusions. The pain, poverty, and sorrow that afflict of 16, he married a neighboring princess and began human beings are caused by their attachment to to raise a family. things of this world. Once people let go of their Siddhartha appeared to have everything: wealth, a worldly cares, pain and sorrow can be forgotten. good appearance, a model wife, a child, and a throne Then comes bodhi, or . (The word bodhi is the that he would someday inherit. In his late twenties, root of the word Buddhism and of Siddhartha’s usual however, Siddhartha became aware of the pain of name—.) Achieving wisdom is a illness, the sorrow of death, and the effects of old age key step to achieving , or ultimate reality— on ordinary people. He exclaimed, “Would that sick- the end of the self and a reunion with the Great ness, age, and death might be forever bound!” He World Soul. decided to spend his life seeking the cure for human Siddhartha preached this message in a sermon suffering. He gave up his royal clothes, shaved his to his followers in the Deer Park at (outside head, abandoned his family, and set off to find the India’s holy city of Banaras). It is a simple message true meaning of life. based on the : At first he followed the example of the ascetics, 1. Ordinary life is full of suffering. people who practiced self-denial to achieve an 2. This suffering is caused by our to satisfy understanding of ultimate reality. The abuse of his ourselves.

78 CHAPTER 3 India and China 3. The way to end suffering is to end desire for Siddhartha accepted selfish goals and to see others as extensions of the idea of reincarnation, HISTORY ourselves. but he rejected the Hindu 4. The way to end desire is to follow the division of human beings Web Activity Visit Middle Path. into rigidly defined castes the Glencoe World based on previous rein- History Web site at carnations. He taught wh.glencoe.com and This Middle Path is also known as the Eightfold instead that all human click on Chapter 3– Path, because it consists of eight steps: beings could reach nir- Student Web Activity to learn more about 1. Right We need to know the Four Noble vana as a result of their Buddhism. Truths. behavior in this life. This 2. Right intention We need to decide what we made Buddhism appeal- really want. ing to the downtrodden 3. Right speech We must seek to speak truth and to peoples at the lower end of the social scale. speak well of others. Buddhism also differed from Hinduism in its sim- 4. Right action The Buddha gave : plicity. Siddhartha rejected the multitude of gods that “Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not be had become identified with Hinduism. He forbade his unchaste. Do not take drugs or drink alcohol.” followers to worship either his person or his image 5. Right livelihood We must do work that uplifts after his death. For that reason, many Buddhists see our . Buddhism as a rather than as a religion. 6. Right effort The Buddha said, “Those who Siddhartha Gautama died in 480 B.C. at the age of follow the Way might well follow the example 80 in what is today Nepal. After his death, his fol- of an ox that arches through the deep mud car- lowers traveled throughout India, spreading his rying a heavy load. He is tired, but his steady, message. sprang up throughout the coun- forward-looking gaze will not relax until tryside. Buddhist were also established he comes out of the mud.” to promote his teaching and provide housing and 7. Right We must keep our in training for dedicated to the simple life and control of our senses: “All we are is the result of the pursuit of wisdom. what we have thought.” 8. Right concentration We must meditate to see the Reading Check Contrasting How does Buddhism world in a new way. differ from Hinduism?

Checking for Understanding Critical Thinking Analyzing Visuals 1. Define monsoon, , raja, caste 5. Evaluate How did Arjuna’s decision to 7. Examine the photographs on page 76. system, caste, Hinduism, reincarnation, fight illustrate the importance of Hin- Explain how the photos represent the karma, dharma, yoga, Buddhism, duism’s concept of dharma in Indian . What photos ascetic, nirvana. life? would you take to represent the class system in your community? 2. Identify , Siddhartha Gautama, 6. Compare and Contrast Prepare Brahmans, , Vaisyas, Sudras. a Venn diagram like the one shown below to show the similarities and , Himalaya, 3. Locate differences between Hinduism Ganges River, Deccan, Persian Gulf, and Buddhism. 8. Expository Writing In spite of the Hindu Kush. difficulties they faced, most Untouch- ables did not opt to convert to other 4. Describe the relationship that exists in Hinduism Buddhism or emigrate to other coun- Hinduism between the caste system tries in order to escape their lot in and the dharma, or divine law. life. What social pressures might pre- vent a person from converting from the religion of his or her culture?

CHAPTER 3 India and China 79