220 likes | 364 Views
Hinduism and Buddhism. AP World History Bartlett High School Mr. Pahl. Hinduism. No single founder No single sacred text. Grew out of various groups in India: The Aryans added their religious beliefs to those of the Indus Valley.
E N D
Hinduism and Buddhism AP World History Bartlett High School Mr. Pahl
Hinduism • No single founder • No single sacred text. • Grew out of various groups in India: • The Aryans added their religious beliefs to those of the Indus Valley. • Our of all its complexity, though, there are certain basic beliefs…
Hindu Beliefs… • God is one, but is known by many names. • Everything in the universe is part of the unchanging, all-powerful force called Brahman. • Brahman is too complex for most people to understand. • They worship gods that give a concrete form to Brahman. • Gods are Brahma the Creator; Vishnu the preserver, Shiva, the destroyer • All are aspects of Brahman • Every person has an essential life, or atman.
More Hindu beliefs • But even the atman is just another name for Brahman. • The ultimate goal is to attain moksha, union with Brahman. • Since this usually takes more than one lifetime, Hindus believe in reincarnation. • Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in another bodily form. Samsara. • Karma; your good or bad deeds affect one’s future, and the future of those around one, for good or suffering
Respect for all life – vegetarian • Human life as supreme: • Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests & teachers, nobles & warriors, merchant class, servant class • Four stages of life – student, householder, retired, renunciant • Four duties of life – pleasure, success, social responsibilities, religious responsibilities (moksha)
Major Gods • Brahma, the creator god • Vishnu, the preserver god
Shiva, god of constructive destruction(the transformer) • Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort ofBrahma
Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consortof Vishnu • Kali, destroyer of demons
Ganesha-He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth
More Hindu Beliefs… • All existence is ranked: Brahman, humans, animals, plants, things. • To help escape the wheel of fate, dharma, religious duties, can help one acquire merit for the next life. • Vedas and Upanishads are sacred texts. The BhagavadGita spells out many ethical ideas. • Ahimsa is another key principle of Hinduism; nonviolence.
Buddha • Gautama Buddha, from the foothills of the Himalayas, founded a new religion. • Gautama born about 566 BC • He saw for the first time in his protected environment, a sick person, an older person, and a dead person. • Gautama left a happy married life to discover the realm of life “where there is neither suffering or death.”
Buddha… • He meditated and fasted. For 48 days he meditated in one place. He believed he understood the cure for suffering and sorrow; he was now Buddha. • The Four Noble Truths are the heart of Buddhism: • All life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow. • The cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, such as riches, power and long life. • The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire. • The way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path: • Right views • Right aspirations • Right speech • Right conduct • Right Livelihood • Right effort • Right mindfulness • Right contemplation
Buddhism • Final goal of Buddhism is nirvana, union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth. • Buddhism and Hinduism agree on karma, dharma, moksha and reincarnation. • They are different in that Buddhism rejects the priests of Hinduism, the formal rituals, and the caste system. Buddha urged people to seek enlightenment through meditation.
Buddhism • Buddha preached in northern India and his teachings spread. • Buddhas followers gathered his teachings into the Tripitaka. • Gradually Buddhism split into two parts, schools: • Theravada Buddhism. Closely followed Buddha’s original teachings. • Mahayana Buddhism. Made following Buddhism easier for the ordinary people. • Buddhism declined in India, being swallowed up by Hinduism which made Buddha another Hindu god.