Nature of Mind – Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia WHAP/Napp
“Hindus believed that every creature had a soul and that after death it migrated to a new body. The idea now is seen as essentially belonging to Indian religions but it was found at one time in many places…[The] philosopher Plato, in his book Republic, depicted Orpheus becoming a swan. Devoted Hindus also had the faith that any person, with the aid of good conduct and sheer devotion, could escape from earthly pain and commune with the gods.
A human being could be reborn into a variety of insect or animal species. Therefore cows and goats, mites and insects had to be treated with respect. Why the cow, alone of the meat-providing animals, was especially venerated in India is a puzzle. Certainly cows served a vital function by breeding the oxen or bullocks which pulled the plough; and by 1000 BC, some Indian farmers employed as many as 24 oxen to draw their ploughs. But the cow and oxen were useful in many other lands and were not venerated there.
Hinduism did not depend on its followers assembling in large numbers in a temple…[Its] creed was full of rules for daily life and eternal life. It also came to emphasize the recycling of lives. This idea implanted some hope, while blessing the miseries of the status quo. The consolation for living in poverty and being humble in status was that one’s life, if lived virtuously, might be rewarded at death by the passing of the soul into a worthier being. On the other hand, the dead person’s soul might pass, on returning to earth, into a lesser animal. While this doctrine does not appear to have been vital to early Hinduism and is barely touched upon in the collection of 1,028 hymns known as the Rig-Veda, it slowly became important.
The Hindu religion, as the centuries passed by, accentuated the caste system. All Indians were assigned a caste or station. In theory a person could not marry outside the assigned caste, work outside it or rise beyond it. [However], in the course of time, however, the castes tended to become more rigid.
It is remarkable that India became a democracy in modern times, because the long-lasting Hindu civilization at first sight was innately hostile to the ideas that all adults should have an equal vote, irrespective of their caste, and that all adults should be able to share in the social mobility which was part of the democratic spirit. But to graft exotic new trees onto old, when there seemed little hope of success, and to watch them grow vigorously, is not a rare experience in human institutions.” ~A Short History of the World
1- State several essential beliefs of Hinduism. ______
2- Why are scholars uncertain about the origins of the veneration of the cow? ______
3- How does a belief in reincarnation reinforce the status quo? ______
4- What is the Rig-Veda? ______
5- Explain the caste system. ______
6- Why is India’s democracy surprising at first sight? ______
Notes:I. Hinduism
A. No historical founder; Never was a single tradition
B. “Hinduism” as a term derived from outsiders – Greeks, Muslims, British
C. Texts
1. No single sacred texts but sacred texts
2. Vedas
a) Earliest of Hindu texts; Collection of poems, hymns, prayers and rituals
b) Compiled by priests called Brahmins, transmitted orally for centuries (written in Sanskrit around 600 BCE)
1- Brahmins gained power/wealth through performing sacrifices/rituals
2- Dissatisfaction with Brahmins led to another body of sacred texts
3. Upanishads
a) Composed by anonymous thinkers between 800 and 400 BCE
b) Sought to understand the inner meaning of the sacrifices
D. Beliefs
1. Brahman or the World Soul is the ultimate reality
a) Beyond all separate identities, persons, and forms lay this divine reality
b) According to philosophical Hinduism, the individual human soul (atman) was part of this ultimate reality
c) Perceived separateness of people/formsàillusion; Everything: Brahman
2. Moksha
a) To achieve union with Brahman
b) To end illusory perception of a separate existence - Moksha (liberation)
c) But until moksha is achieved, there is samsara or rebirth (reincarnation)
3. Rebirth determined by individual’s actions (Karma) and duty (Dharma)
4. Therefore, caste system is a register of every person’s spiritual progress
II. Buddhism
A. Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 556 – ca. 486 BCE)
1. Founder of Buddhism-Indian prince from a small north Indian state
2. Led a sheltered and privileged existence
3. Shocked by the existence of old age, sickness, and deathàLeft family/wealth
5. Began search for the causation and cessation of suffering
B. Once Enlightened One or the Buddha à formulated Four Noble Truths
1. Life has suffering.
2. Selfish desire is the cause of suffering.
3. Suffering can end.
4. Follow the Noble Eightfold Path
a) Eight actions to help eliminate suffering
C. Nirvana is the elimination of suffering
1. The identity is extinguished as are greed, hatred, and delusion
2. Loving-kindness or compassion for all living things develops
D. Comparisons
1. Similarities
a) Karma and reincarnation – meditation as well
b) overcoming incessant demands of ego to achieve release from samsara
2. Differences
a) Rejected religious authority of Brahmins, ridiculed rituals and sacrifices, not much interested in creation of world/existence of God
3. Reluctantly allowed women to become Buddhist nuns
a) But Buddhist nuns had inferior status than Buddhist monks
b) Nonetheless, in opposition to “The Laws of Manu”
1) Classic Hindu text on the position of women
2) “In childhood, a female must be subject to her father; in youth to her husband; when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent.”
4. Buddhism’s popularity increased by teachings in Pali, local language
a) During the reign of Ashoka (268 -232 BCE), Buddhism had state support
E. Two Primary Schools of Buddhism
a) Theravada (Teaching of the Elders) portrayed Buddha as a wise
but not divine
b) Mahayana (Great Vehicle) developed in the early centuries CE
1. Claimed help was available for the strenuous journey through bodhisattvas or spiritually developed individuals who had postponed entry into nirvana to help others still suffering
c) But Buddhism died out in land of birth but spread elsewhere
Complete the Graphic Organizer Below:
Strayer Question:
· In what ways did the religious traditions of South Asia change over the centuries?
· What is the difference between the Theravada and Mahayana expressions of Buddhism?
1. Which of the following regions does NOT belong in a list of lands to which Buddhism spread substantially in the centuries following the death of Siddhartha Gautama?(A) Southeast Asia
(B) Mesopotamia
(C) China
(D) Japan
2. Buddhism’s rise is most accurately viewed as a modification of which of the following belief systems?
(A) Confucianism
(B) Islam
(C) Daoism
(D) Hinduism
3. Which is NOT a significant continuity Buddhism carried over from its Hindu roots?
(A) Endorsement of caste stratification
(B) Belief in an afterlife
(C) Concern with and reverence of beauty in nature
(D) Ornate temple architecture
(E) Centrality of ritual in worship
4. Which beliefs do Hinduism and Buddhism have in common?
(A) Belief in the caste system
(B) Reverence for Muhammad
(C) Monotheism
(D) Reincarnation / 5. How did the Hindu doctrine of dharma impact Indian society?
(A) It fostered the formation of rigid social and economic groups.
(B) It was the basis of equality under the law between men and women.
(C) It influenced the priestly class to implement a standardized set of religious rituals for Hindus.
(D) It caused the majority of the subcontinent’s population to settle near the holy waters of the Ganges River.
6. Which major world religion lacks a central founding figure?
(A) Christianity
(B) Judaism
(C) Buddhism
(D) Hinduism
7. Which of the following is unique to the Hindu religion when compared to other major world religions?
I. Belief in some form of afterlife
II. Absence of a central founding figure
III. Distinct denominations
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II
(D) II and III
Comparative Thesis Statement: Hinduism and Buddhism
______