Hinduism Beliefs and Practices

Buddhism and Hinduism

• The word "Hindu" comes from the Sanskrit word "sindhu," which means river.
• "Hindu" also refers to followers of Hinduism or those living in the Indian subcontinent.
• Hindus call their religion "Sanatana Dharma," meaning Eternal Faith.
• The most important gods are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.
• Each god can take many forms, human or animal, to represent the various aspects of Brahman.
• Brahman means the ultimate reality.
• All living things will return to Brahman after escaping the cycles of reincarnation.
• Hinduism has no set creed or defined structures.
• Hinduism focuses more on living a disciplined, unselfish, and simple lifestyle.
• Hinduism is polytheistic, involving the practice of worshipping multiple gods.
• Worship can take place daily at any time.
• Dharma is important to escape the wheel of fate
• Dharma represents the religious and moral duties of an individual.
• These duties vary according to class, occupation, gender, and age.
• Another key moral principle of Hinduism is ahimsa, or nonviolence.
• To Hindus, all people and things are aspects of Brahman and deserve respect.
• Caste is based on the idea that there are separate kinds of humans.
• Higher-caste people consider themselves purer (closer to moksha) than lower-caste people.
• Buddhism began in India during the late 500 BCE from the teachings of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha, meaning Enlightened One.
• Buddhists see Buddha as an enlightened human being rather than as a god or an incarnation of a god.
• The main source of faith and practice for Buddhists is the dharma (teachings of Buddha).
• The Four Noble Truths are fundamental teachings.
  • Life is always subject to dukkha (suffering).
  • Dukkha can originate from desire.
  • The cessation of suffering and desire is possible.
  • One reaches nirvana (a state of mind that transcends desire and suffering) by following the Eightfold Path.
• Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Effort, Right Livelihood, Right Action, Right Speech.
• Middle Way Path refers to applying Buddhist wisdom to the questions and challenges of life and society.
• Mahayana Buddhism is described as an afterlife filled with many heavens and hells, and it spread to China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan.
• Theravada Buddhism closely follows Buddha's original teachings and spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
• The Dalai Lama is the head of Tibetan Buddhism.

Chinese Philosophies

• Confucianism emphasizes that harmony is achieved through fulfilling duties.
• One should be a good role model.
• Individuals should improve themselves through education to improve society.
• Confucius believed that social order could be restored through five basic relationships.
• Children should practice filial piety for their parents and ancestors.
  • Ruler and subject
  • Father and son
  • Husband and wife
  • Older brother and younger brother
  • Friend and friend
• Confucius (Kongzi) was born in the small state of Lu in Northeast China during the Zhou dynasty.
• He was born at a time of crisis and violence.
• His disciples were not young and enthusiastic but men of middle age, sober, grave, respectable, and occupying important public situations.
• Confucius did not believe in equality (equity rather than equality).
• Daoism developed during the Zhou dynasty under the warring states period.
• Key tenets include living in harmony with nature and embracing simple desires and minimal possessions.
• Focus on the activity and not the results; proper action, not overexertion, to achieve harmony must be practiced.
• Lao Tzu/Laozi established Daoism.
• He was said to be the author of the Dao De Jing (the classic of the way is power).
• Dao is the force that gave order to the natural universe.
• Daoism taught that people gained happiness and peace by living in harmony, or agreement with the way of nature.
• True harmony comes from balancing the opposite forces of nature called yin and yang.
• Wu-wei means nothing (wu 无) and doing (wei 为).
• This does not mean people should be lazy, but people should not force things and let nature guide them.
• Human actions must be effortless and spontaneous.
• Daoists made important contributions to the sciences of alchemy, astronomy, and medicine.
• Daoists taught that people followed the way of nature by living simple lives of quiet meditation.
• People should avoid feeling self-important or striving for possessions or honors.
• Daoism encouraged rulers to rule less harshly.
• The Qin Dynasty employed legalist ideas to subdue the warring states and unify the country.
• The Qin ruler assumed the name Shi Huangdi, which means first emperor.
• To prevent criticism, Shi Huangdi and his prime minister, the legalist philosopher Li Si, murdered hundreds of Confucian scholars and ordered useless books to be burned.
• Legalists urged harsh rule in sharp contrast to the followers of Confucianism and Laozi.
• Legalism was said to be found by Shihuangdi, who was the first Chinese emperor.
• A key belief was that humans are naturally evil.
• The role of the citizens was to obey the rules of their government, of which they cannot question.
• Legalists believed that the government should use the law to end civil disorder and restore harmony
• Hanfeizi and Li Si were among the founders of Legalism.
• They believed that political institutions should be modeled in response to the realities of human behavior and that human beings are inherently selfish and short-sighted.
• Social harmony cannot be assured through the recognition by people of the virtue of their ruler, but only through strong state control and absolute obedience to authority.
• Strict laws are what people need to be reminded to do good things
• People should also obediently follow the government so that peace and order can be ensured.
• Rules should trust nobody, not even their own families.
• Hanfeizi wrote, "he who trusts will be controlled by other."
• Legalists taught that a ruler should provide rich rewards for people who carried out their duties well, and the disobedient should be harshly punished.

Government Structures

• A monarchy is a form of government where the position of the head of the state is hereditary.
• In absolute monarchies, the monarch held all the power.
• In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch's authority is shared with another branch of the government.
• Aristocracy was first introduced by the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle.
• A small group of people who are deemed the best are the ones who rule an aristocratic government.
• Being the best refers to moral and intellectual superiority.
• Aristotle used the term Oligarchia to designate the rule of the few when it was exercised by bad/corrupt leaders.
• Unlike aristocratic rulers, the system of Oligarchy appoints rulers and nobles by their measure of wealth.
• The word theocracy comes from the Greek words theos (god/deity) and kratia (rule/governance).
• Ancient Egypt operated as a theocratic monarchy.
• Under this system, deities were the ultimate authorities, but the Pharaoh was viewed as being anointed by the gods to rule.
• The first democracy was said to be developed in Athens, Greece.
• Democracy comes from the Greek words demos (people) and kratia (rule).
• A democratic country has a system of government where people have the power to participate in decision-making.
• A republic is a country where power is held by the people or representatives that they elect.
• Republics have presidents who are elected rather than kings or queens.

Ancient Greece

• Main geographic features are mountains, islands, and the sea
• Having a mountainous region meant that societies grew and developed independently
• Having access to the sea gave Ancient Greece the opportunity to grow economically
• Ancient Greeks used to travel by way of the Aegean Sea from city to city
• Provided trade route and source of food
• A Greek Polis was a small but autonomous political unit in which all major political, social, and religious activities were carried out.
• The central meeting point was on top of a hill called an Acropolis.
• It served as a place of refuge during an attack and also as a religious center.
• Below the acropolis is the Agora a marketing and assembly place for citizens.
• Athens was a walled trading city near the sea, located four miles away from the Aegean sea.
• Athens's location encouraged them to look outward toward the world beyond the city.
• Sparta was an inland city without walls in a fertile farming area, 25 miles away from the Aegean sea.
• Sparta was surrounded by mountains on three sides.
• Athens was a Direct Democracy.
• It had the Council of 500, who were responsible for the day-to-day government and proposed laws.
• Members of the council of 500 had to be at least 30 years old.
• Proposed laws had to be approved by the Assembly of Athens.
• At least 6,000 citizens had to be present in the Assembly for a meeting to take place.
• If less than 6,000 attended, slaves armed with ropes dipped in red paint were sent out to gather more citizens.
• Sparta had the Council of Elders who made the important decisions.
• The council of elders had 2 kings who inherited the position, and 28 men who were elected by the assembly and served for life.
• Men had to be 60 years old and come from a noble family to be elected to the council of elders.
• The members of the Council of Elders were elected from those who received the loudest support.
• The Council of Elders prepared laws for the Assembly to vote on and it had the power to stop any laws passed by the Assembly.
• The Spartan assembly was made up of male citizens.
• The Athenian economy was based on trade with other city-states and foreign lands.
• Athenians acquired wood from Italy and grain from Egypt.
• Athenians exported honey, olive oil, silver, and pottery.
• Athens developed its own coins to make trade easier.
• The Spartan economy relied on farming and conquests of others.
• Spartans relied on slaves and noncitizens to produce the goods they lacked.
• Spartans used heavy iron bars as money.
• Spartans generally discouraged trade.
• Athenian democracy depended on having well-prepared citizens.
• Producing good citizens was the main purpose of Athenian education: good citizens should have both an intelligent mind and a healthy body.
• Boys were taught at home by their mothers or male slaves until the age of 6 or 7, then went to school at 14.
• Teachers taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and literature.
• Students had to read subjects out loud and memorize everything.
• Writing tablets also helped boys learn.
• Coaches taught sports like wrestling and gymnastics to build boys' strength.
• Boys also studied music and learned to sing and play the lyre.
• Unlike boys, girls did not learn to read and write
• Instead, they grew up helping their mothers with household tasks, learning to cook, clean, spin thread, and weave cloth.
• Some also learned ancient secret songs and dances for religious festivals.
• Sparta believed that the purpose of education was to produce capable men and women who could fight to protect the city-state
• All Spartan children were trained for battle from the age of 7.
• Girls were also given some military training.
• Spartans learned wrestling, boxing, footracing, and gymnastics.
• At the age of 20, Spartan men were given a difficult test of fitness, military ability, and leadership skills.
• Boys also learned to read and write, but those were not considered as essential as military skills.
• Citizenship was not possible for women and slaves in Athens.
• Athenian women could not inherit or own much property.
• Women could not vote or attend the Assembly.
• Most women could not choose their own husbands.
• A very few important women became priestesses.
• An Athenian wife's responsibilities included spinning, weaving, and supervising the slaves.
• An Athenian wife taught her sons until 6 or 7 when they were ready for school.
• Athenian wives also educate their daughters until they were 15 and ready to be married.
• Slaves performed a wide variety of jobs.
• Some slaves ran households and taught Athenian children.
• Some slaves were trained as artisans or worked on farms or in factories.
• Slaves also worked for the city as clerks or worked in silver mines.
• Spartan women lived the same life as Spartan men.
• Like Spartan men, women were expected to be strong, healthy, and ready to fight when needed.
• A wife was expected to look after her husband's property in times of war.
• A Spartan wife also had to guard the property against invaders and revolts by slaves.
• Spartan women had more rights than other Greek women.
• Spartan wives were free to speak with their husbands' friends.
• Women could own land and control their own property.
• Women could also marry again if their first husband was away at war for too long.
• Spartan slaves were called Helots.
• Spartan men were focused on strengthening the military.
• They attacked villages to turn them into slaves to work on the day-to-day activities.
• Despite the harsh treatment, helots had some rights.
• Helots were free to marry whomever they wanted.
• Helots could sell any leftover crops after giving their owner his share.
• Helots who saved enough money could buy their freedom.

Explore the core tenets of Hinduism, including the origins of the name, the concept of Sanatana Dharma, and the roles of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Understand Brahman, reincarnation, the importance of Dharma, and the polytheistic nature of Hindu worship.