hinduism_and_buddhism (1).pdf

Hinduism and Buddhism History Social Science Standards WH6.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of India. Looking Back, Looking Ahead Content Vocabulary Much of Indian civilization is based on Aryan ideas and culture, whi...

Hinduism and Buddhism History Social Science Standards WH6.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of India. Looking Back, Looking Ahead Content Vocabulary Much of Indian civilization is based on Aryan ideas and culture, which you learned about in the last section. One of the most important and long-lasting contributions of the Aryans is the main religion of India, Hinduism. Hinduism (HIHN doo IH zuhm) Brahman (BRAH muhn) reincarnation Focusing on the Hinduism grew out of the ancient beliefs of the Aryans. (page 247) A new religion, Buddhism, appealed to many people in India and other parts of Asia. (page 249) Locating Places Nepal (nuh PAWL) Tibet (tuh BEHT) Meeting People Siddhartha Gautama (sih DAHR tuh GOW tuh muh) Dalai Lama (DAH LY LAH muh) (REE ihn kahr NAY shuhn) dharma (DAHR muh) karma (KAHR muh) Buddhism (BOO DIH zuhm) nirvana (nihr VAH nuh) theocracy (thee AH kruh see) Academic Vocabulary affect (uh FEHKT) require (rih KWYR) area (AR ee uh) aware (uh WAR) Reading Strategy Summarizing Information Create a web diagram like the one below. In the ovals, identify major beliefs of Hinduism. Hinduism 1500 B.C. 800 B.C. 100 B.C. NEPAL Ga n ges R. SRI LANKA 246 CHAPTER 4 Early India c. 1500 B.C. c. 563 B.C. c. 200 B.C. Aryans bring early Hindu ideas to India The Buddha is born in Nepal Theravada Buddhism spreads to Sri Lanka WH6.5.3 Explain the major beliefs and practices of Brahmanism in India and how they evolved into early Hinduism. Hinduism Hinduism grew out of the ancient beliefs of the Aryans. Reading Connection Have you ever wondered why most people try to behave properly or do good deeds? As you read this section, find out how a Hindu would answer this question. Hinduism (HIHN doo IH zuhm) is one of the oldest religions in the world, and today it is the third largest. The basic principles of what is known today as Hinduism were already formulated by 1500 B.C. They are to be found in the four Vedas. The Aryans believed in many deities who controlled the forces of nature and governed society. We know about Aryan religion from their sacred hymns and poetry, especially their epics, or long poems. For centuries, the priests, or Brahmins, recited these works, and much later they were written down in Sanskrit. Over the centuries, Aryan religion changed. It borrowed some religious ideas from the people the Aryans conquered in India. This mix of beliefs eventually became Hinduism. Early Hinduism Hinduism grew out of the religious customs of many people over thousands of years. This might explain why Hinduism has thousands of deities. Hindus tend to think of all deities as different parts of one universal spirit. This universal spirit is called Brahman (BRAH muhn). In its earliest forms, the worship of this spirit is sometimes called Brahmanism. The search for a universal spirit is described in the ancient sacred texts known as the Upanishads (oo PAH nih SHADZ). Those writings say that every living being has a soul that wants to be reunited with Brahman and that this happens when a person dies. The Upanishads describe how a person unites with Brahman: A soul that becomes one with Brahman is like a lump of salt thrown into water. The lump of salt is gone, but the water tastes salty. The salt has become part of the water. Hindu temple Fire sacrifice accompanied by reading from the Veda. What ancient scriptures describe a universal spirit? 247 (l)Robert Harding Picture Library, (r)Borromeo/Art Resource, NY Major Hindu Deities Name Realm Brahma creator of the world Vishnu preserver of the world Siva destroyer of the world Ganesha lord of existing beings; remover of obstacles Krishna teacher of the world Lakshmi deity of light, beauty, good fortune, and wealth Saraswati deity of knowledge, music, and creative arts Parvati universal mother Surya deity of the sun Ganesha What Is Karma? Hindus believe that a soul is not joined to the Brahman immediately after a person dies. Instead, a person must pass through many lives to be united with Brahman. On its journey, a soul might be reborn into a higher caste. If an individual lived a bad life, he or she might be reborn into a lower caste or life-form. This idea of passing through many lives to reach the Brahman is called reincarnation (REE ihn kahr NAY shuhn). It is very important in Hinduism and it influences how Hindus live their daily lives. It even affects how they treat animals because they consider all life sacred. To earn the reward of a better life in their next life, Hindus believe they must perform their duty. Dharma (DAHR muh) is the divine law. It requires people to perform the duties of their caste. A farmer has different duties than a priest and men have different duties than women. 248 CHAPTER 4 Early India (t)SEF/Art Resource, NY, (b)Victoria & Albert Museum, London/Art Resource, NY Siva Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are considered to be the three main Hindu deities. 1. Which deity is known as the “teacher of the world”? 2. Conclude Why does Hinduism have so many deities? The consequences of how a person lives are known as karma (KAHR muh). Hindus believe that if they do their duty and live a good life, they will have good karma. This good karma moves them closer to the Brahman in their next life. How did the belief in reincarnation affect Indians? For one thing, it made them more accepting of the caste system. People believed they had to be happy with their role in life and do the work of their caste. A dedicated Hindu believes that the people in a higher caste are superior and that they are supposed to be on top. The belief in reincarnation gave hope to everyone, even servants. If servants did their duty, they might be reborn into a higher caste in their next life. Explain How did the beliefs of the Aryans influence Hinduism? WH6.5.5 Know the life and moral teachings of the Buddha and how Buddhism spread in India, Ceylon, and Central Asia. Buddhism A new religion, Buddhism, appealed to many people in India and other parts of Asia. Reading Connection What do you think makes a person free and happy? Find out how the Buddha answered this important question as you read this section. By 600 B.C., many Indians began to question Hindu ideas. The Brahmin priests seemed to focus only on their temple ceremonies and not on the needs of the people. Ordinary Hindus wanted a simpler, more spiritual religion. Many would find what they needed in Buddhism (BOO DIH zuhm), a new religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (sih DAHR tuh GOW tuh muh). Who Is the Buddha? Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 B.C. in a small kingdom near the Himalaya. Today, this area is in southern Nepal (nuh PAWL). Siddhartha seemed to have it all. He was wealthy and handsome, happily married, and had a fine new son. Then one day he decided to explore the kingdom beyond the palace walls. As he traveled, he became very upset. He saw beggars, people who were ill, and people broken down by age with no home and nowhere to go. For the first time, he was truly aware of suffering. Then and there, Siddhartha decided to seek an answer to this great riddle: Why did people suffer and how could their suffering be cured? He left his family and riches and began his search. At first he lived like a hermit, fasting and sleeping on the hard ground. Siddhartha nearly starved, but he still had no answer to his questions. Then he decided to meditate for as long as it took to get the answer. Legend tells us that Siddhartha sat under a tree to meditate, and after 49 days, he finally understood. It was as if he had seen a great light. This shrine in northern India marks the location where it is believed the Buddha delivered his first sermon. With what groups of Indians did the Buddha’s message become popular? Siddhartha spent the rest of his life wandering the countryside and telling people what he had discovered. His lessons about life and the nature of suffering became known as Buddhism. To his followers, he became known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One.” What Is Buddhism? To understand the Buddha’s ideas, one first has to see the world as he did. Like any good Hindu, Siddhartha did not think that the normal, everyday world was real. Trees, houses, animals, the sky, and the oceans were just illusions. So were poverty, sickness, pain, and sorrow. Siddhartha believed that the only way to find the truth about the world was to give up all desires. By giving up the desire for fame, the desire for money, and the desire for all worldly things, pain and sorrow would vanish. If a person gave up all desires, he or she would reach nirvana (nihr VAH nuh). Nirvana is not a place but a state of wisdom. The word nirvana came from the Sanskrit word for blowing out a candle flame. CHAPTER 4 Early India 249 Rajesh Bedi/National Geographic Image Collection 1. Know and understand the Four Noble Morality in the Eightfold Path This passage describes the way a person should act according to the Eightfold Path. “He avoids the killing of living beings.... He avoids stealing, and abstains from [avoids] taking what is not given to him. Only what is given to him he takes, waiting till it is given; and he lives with a heart honest and pure.... He avoids lying.... He speaks the truth, is devoted to the truth, reliable, worthy of confidence, no deceiver of men.” The Buddha —The Word of the Buddha, Nyanatiloka, trans. According to the passage, what is the correct way to accept something? Truths. 2. Give up worldly things and don’t harm others. 3. Tell the truth, don’t gossip, and don’t speak badly of others. 4. Don’t commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living an unclean life. 5. Do rewarding work. 6. Work for good and oppose evil. 7. Make sure your mind keeps your senses under control. 8. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality. One reason the principles of Buddhism became popular was that the Buddha did not accept the caste system. A person’s place in life depended on the person, he thought. The Buddha did believe in reincarnation, but with a difference. If people wanted to stop being reborn into new lives, the Buddha said, they would only have to follow his Eightfold Path. Many people liked the Buddha’s message, especially Untouchables and low-caste Indians. For the first time, these groups heard that they, too, could reach enlightenment. Buddhism in Southeast Asia The heart of the Buddha’s teachings is contained in the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are: 1. Life is full of suffering. 2. People suffer because they desire worldly things and self-satisfaction. 3. The way to end suffering is to stop desiring things. 4. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the Eightfold Path. The Buddha’s fourth truth says people should follow eight steps to eliminate suffering. These eight steps, known as the Buddha’s Eightfold Path, are: 250 Borromeo/Art Resource, NY CHAPTER 4 Early India For more than 40 years, the Buddha preached his ideas. Disciples gathered around him, and after his death, they spread his message all over Asia. As more and more people practiced Buddhism, disagreements arose about the Buddha’s ideas. Finally, Buddhists split into two groups. The first was Theravada Buddhism. Theravada means “teachings of the elders.” It sees the Buddha as a great teacher, not a god. Buddhist teachers and merchants spread the ideas of Theravada to the south and to the east. It was adopted in Ceylon in the 200s B.C. Ceylon, an island located near the southern tip of India, is now called Sri Lanka. 6.4.6. Compare and contrast life in Athens WH6.5.5 Know the life and moralrules in and Sparta, with emphasis on their teachings thePeloponnesian Buddha and how Buddhism the Persianof and Wars. spread in India, Ceylon, and Central Asia. THE BUDDHA C. The Buddha 563–483 B.C. Siddhartha Gautama—the thinker and teacher who would later be called the Buddha—was born in what is now Nepal. According to legend, his mother had a dream shortly before his birth that was interpreted to mean that her son would become a great leader. The Gautama family belonged to the warrior caste. Siddhartha’s father, Suddhodana, ruled a group called the Shakyas. His mother, Maya, died shortly after his birth. Siddhartha was very intelligent. According to legend, the young man knew 64 languages and mastered all his studies without needing instruction. At age 29, Siddhartha realized that he wanted to search for truth, enlightenment, and a way to rise above suffering. He left his wife, Yasodhara, and son, Rahula, to study with priests. At age 35, Siddhartha is said to have reached full enlightenment while sitting beneath a tree. The Buddha began traveling to teach others about his discoveries and about the nature of life and suffering. Sculpture of the Buddha sitting on a cobra “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” —The Buddha What types of present-day occupations often involve traveling to teach others? Why is this type of teaching easier today than in ancient times? 251 (l)Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS, (r)Christie’s Images, London/Bridgeman Art Library/SuperStock Theravada Buddhism also became popular in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Mahayana Buddhism The second kind of Buddhism is called Mahayana Buddhism. It teaches that the Buddha is a god who A Tibetan monk came to save people. today Mahayana Buddhists believe that following the Eightfold Path is too hard for most people in this world. They believe that by worshiping the Buddha instead, people will go to a heaven after they die. There, they can follow the Eightfold Path and reach nirvana. Mahayana Buddhists also have special affection for the bodhisattvas (BOH dih SUHT vuhz). Bodhisattvas are the enlightened people who postpone going to heaven. Instead, bodhisattvas have decided to stay on Earth to help others and do good deeds. Mahayana Buddhism spread northward into China and from there to Korea and Japan. A special kind of Mahayana Buddhism developed in central Asia in the country of Tibet (tuh BEHT). There it mixed with Tibet’s traditional religion and with Hinduism. In Tibet, the Buddhist leaders, called lamas, also led the government. When religious leaders head a government, it is called a theocracy (thee AH kruh see). The Dalai Lama (DAH LY LAH muh) was the lama who headed the government, and the Panchen Lama was the lama who led the religion. Both were considered reincarnations of the Buddha. Today, many Buddhists live in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka, but few live in India where the Buddha first preached. 252 Sheldan Collins/CORBIS CHAPTER 4 Early India What Is Jainism? While Buddhism did not last in India, another religion that challenged Hindu beliefs has survived. This religion is called Jainism. Followers of Jainism believe that there were 24 saints who taught Jainism to the world. The last and greatest was named Mahavira. Jains believe that Mahavira is the 24th Tirthamkara (pathfinder) who like his predecessors retold how to achieve spiritual liberation. Mahavira lived at about the same time as the Buddha. Like the Buddha, Mahavira was also born in northern India to a noble family. He, too, gave up his wealthy lifestyle and traveled throughout the country. After many years he became enlightened and began to teach Jainism. Jainism rejected the caste system of Hinduism. Mahavira’s followers stress the idea of ahimsa, or nonviolence to all living things. Because all life is sacred, the Jains, as Mahavira’s followers came to be called, tried to avoid harming any other living creature. They would even use brooms to sweep aside insects so that they would not step on them. Jains refused to farm for fear of plowing under living things. Jains believe in living a very strict life. By living this way and practicing ahimsa, Jains hope to achieve nirvana. They also practice tolerance toward all other religions. Ahimsa’s Impact Today The concept of ahimsa has had an important influence in modern times. Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian political and spiritual leader in the 1900s, used ahimsa very effectively. India had been under British control since the middle of the 1700s. Gandhi and his followers led peaceful protests to gain British attention. He practiced passive nonviolent resistance by peacefully disobeying the law. By using nonviolence, he hoped to shame the British into discussing the situation in India. His efforts eventually helped India gain its independence. Occasionally political leaders in the United States have adopted Gandhi’s belief in ahimsa and used nonviolent protest to bring about change. Perhaps the most famous example of this was Martin Luther King, Jr., who led civil rights protests in the 1950s and 1960s. During this period in U.S. history, many African Americans did not have the same opportunities as other people. There were also laws in parts of the United States that kept African Americans and white Americans segregated, or separate, from each other. Martin Luther King, Jr., learned and followed many concepts taught by Gandhi. King believed that living by the principles of ahimsa and practicing passive resistance would be more effective than violence in gaining rights for African Americans. Like Gandhi (left) and Martin Luther King, Jr., (below) both believed in nonviolent protest. Gandhi, King was able to bring about great change in his country. Describe How did Buddhism spread throughout Asia? Study Central Need help understanding Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central. Reading Summary What Did You Learn? 1. What are the Upanishads? Review the 2. What is reincarnation? Hinduism is an old religion with Critical Thinking 3. Compare and Contrast many deities. Hindus believe in reincarnation and that a person’s place in life is determined by his or her karma. In the 500s B.C., Siddhartha Gautama founded the religion of Buddhism in northern India. According to Buddhism, a person who follows the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path can achieve nirvana. Draw a chart like the one below. Then add details to compare the two main branches of Buddhism. CA 6RC2.4 Branches of Buddhism Theravada Mahayana Buddhism Buddhism 4. Analyze How has ahimsa influenced people today? CA HI2. 5. Explain What is the importance of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path? CA HR4. 6. How did the belief in reincarnation strengthen the caste system and provide hope for the lower classes? CA HI3. 7. Narrative Writing Write a short story describing Siddhartha Gautama’s journey to enlightenment. CA 6WA2.1 CHAPTER 4 Early India 253 Selected and edited by Joseph Jacobs Before You Read The Scene: The story takes place in India, near a jungle. The Characters: A Brahman man walking through a jungle comes across a tiger who is caught in a cage. Later on, the Brahman meets a friendly jackal who tries to help him. The Plot: A fearsome tiger is trapped in a cage. As a friendly Brahman walks by, the tiger asks him for help. Vocabulary Preview contrary: exactly opposite dexterously: expertly done fodder: dry food for animals pious: religious refuse: garbage or trash vain: having no success wretched: very miserable or unhappy Have you ever tried to do something good for someone but it ended up hurting you? In this story, a friendly man tries to help a trapped tiger, only to be threatened afterward. 254 As You Read Throughout India, tales of right and wrong are told even today. Much like Aesop’s fables, many of these tales have animals as main characters. A collection of Indian stories called the Jatakas contains many of this type of story. What kinds of lessons about right and wrong can this story teach us? ¢ Once upon a time, a tiger was caught in a trap. He tried in vain to get out through the bars, and rolled and bit with rage and grief when he failed. By chance a poor Brahman came by. “Let me out of this cage, oh pious one!” cried the tiger. 1 “Nay, my friend,” replied the Brahman mildly, “you would probably eat me if I did.” “Not at all!” swore the tiger with many oaths; “on the contrary, I should be for ever grateful, and serve you as a slave!” Now when the tiger sobbed and sighed and wept and swore, the pious Brahman’s heart softened, and at last he consented to open the door of the cage. Out popped the tiger, and, seizing the poor man, cried, “What a fool you are! What is to prevent my eating you now, for after being cooped up so long I am just terribly hungry!” 2 In vain the Brahman pleaded for his life; the most he could gain was a promise to abide by the decision of the first three things he chose to question as to the justice of the tiger’s action. 3 So the Brahman first asked a pipal tree what it thought of the matter, but the pipal tree replied coldly, “What have you to complain about? Don’t I give shade and shelter to every one who passes by, and don’t they in return tear down my branches to feed their cattle? Don’t whimper—be a man!” 4 Then the Brahman, sad at heart, went further afield till he saw a buffalo turning a well-wheel; but he fared no better from it, for it answered, “You are a fool to expect gratitude! Look at me! Whilst I 1 nay: no abide by: to accept 3 pipal: a large fig tree sacred to Buddhists 4 buffalo: water buffalo 2 CHAPTER 4 Early India 255 5 gave milk they fed me on cotton-seed and oil-cake, but now I am dry they yoke me here, and give me refuse as fodder!”... On this the Brahman turned back sorrowfully, and on the way he met a jackal, who called out, “Why, what’s the matter, Mr. Brahman? You look as miserable as a fish out of water!” The Brahman told him all that had occurred. “How very confusing!” said the jackal, when the recital was ended; “would you mind telling me over again, for everything has got so mixed up?” The Brahman told it all over again, but the jackal shook his head in a distracted sort of way, and still could not understand. “It’s very odd,” said he, sadly, “but it all seems to go in at one ear and out at the other! I will go to the place where it all happened, and then perhaps I shall be able to give a judgment.” So they returned to the cage, by which the tiger was waiting for the Brahman, and sharpening his teeth and claws. “You’ve been away a long time!” growled the savage beast, “but now let us begin our dinner.” “Our dinner!” thought the wretched Brahman, as his knees knocked together with fright; “what a remarkably delicate way of putting it!” “Give me five minutes, my lord!” he pleaded, “in order that I may explain matters to the jackal here, who is somewhat slow in his wits.” The tiger consented, and the Brahman began the whole story over again, not missing a single detail, and spinning as long a yarn as possible. “Oh, my poor brain! oh, my poor brain!” cried the jackal, wringing its paws. “Let me see! how did it all begin? You were in the cage, and the tiger came walking by—” “Pooh!” interrupted the tiger, “what a fool you are! I was in the cage.” “Of course!” cried the jackal, pretending to tremble with fright; “yes! I was in the cage—no I wasn’t—dear! dear! where are my wits? Let me see—the tiger was in the Brahman, and the cage came walking by—no, that’s not it, either! Well, don’t mind me, but begin your dinner, for I shall never understand!” 5 yoke: a wooden bar that is placed on an animal’s back and attached to a plow 256 CHAPTER 4 Early India “Yes, you shall!” returned the tiger, in a rage at the jackal’s stupidity; “I’ll make you understand! Look here—I am the tiger—”... “And that is the Brahman—”... “And that is the cage—”... “And I was in the cage—do you understand?” “Yes—no—Please, my lord—” “Well?” cried the tiger impatiently. “Please, my lord!—how did you get in?” “How!—why in the usual way, of course!” “Oh, dear me!—my head is beginning to whirl again! Please don’t be angry, my lord, but what is the usual way?” At this the tiger lost patience, and, jumping into the cage, cried, “This way! Now do you understand how it was?” “Perfectly!” grinned the jackal, as he dexterously shut the door, “and if you will permit me to say so, I think matters will remain as they were!” º Responding to the Literature 1. Which three things did the Brahman ask to help him? 2. Why did the Brahman repeat his story to the jackal? 3. Drawing Conclusions This story is told from the perspective of someone who is not directly involved in the events of the story. This is known as third-person narration. How would the story be different if it were told from the point of view of one of the characters, also known as a first-person narration? Rewrite the story from that character’s perspective. CA 6RL3.5; 6WA2.1 4. Analyze Authors use different tools, called literary devices, when they write a story. One such device is known as personification. It assigns human emotions and actions to nonhuman things. Write a two- to three-paragraph essay explaining which characters have been personified. How does this literary device help the story? Why do you think the author uses it? CA 6RL3.7 5. Read to Write What do you think is the lesson to be learned from this story? Write an essay using examples from the text to support your opinion. CA 6WA2.4 CHAPTER 4 Early India 257 Do you want to learn more about the history of civilizations in India, China, and America? If so, check out these other great books. Folklore Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown tells the tale of a hermit who befriends a small, frightened mouse. The story tells how the hermit’s magic makes the mouse change shapes. The content of this book is related to History–Social Science Standard WH6.5. Biography Confucius: The Golden Rule by Russell Freedman, a Newbery Award winner, describes the life and times of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius. The book uses stories, legends, and works written by Confucius’s students to explain his impact on life in China. The content of this book is related to History–Social Science Standard WH6.6. Nonfiction Oracle Bones, Stars, and Wheelbarrows: Ancient Chinese Science and Technology by Frank Ross, Jr., introduces the reader to the inventions and advancements made by the Chinese people. The content of this book is related to History–Social Science Standard WH6.6. Folklore Warriors, Gods, and Spirits from Central and South American Mythology by Douglas Gifford discusses the many myths, tales, and important people in Central and South America. The book is filled with colorful drawings and exciting stories of early Native Americans. The content of this book is related to History–Social Science Standard WH7.7. 258 CHAPTER 4 Early India