WH Chapter 4 Section 1 Notes

 Upanishads---collection of sacred texts
 Hinduism and Buddhism---both major world
religions emerged in ancient India
 Unlike most major religions, Hinduism has no
single founder and no single sacred text
 Grew out of overlapping beliefs of the
diverse groups who settled India
 Hinduism has countless gods and goddesses
and many forms of worship existing side by
side
 All Hindus share basic beliefs

 Brahman---all-powerful spiritual force of the
universe
 Important Hindu gods---
 Brama---the creator
 Vishnu---the preserver
 Shiva---the destroyer
 Each of these gods represent different
aspects of brahman

 Sacred Hindu texts---the Vedas and
Upanishads
 Bhagavad-Gita---sacred poem that spells out
many ethical ideas central to Hinduism

 Atman---the essential self in every person
 Moksha---the ultimate goal of Hindu existence;
union with brahman
 Reincarnation---rebirth of the soul in another
bodily form
 Reincarnation allows people to continue working
toward moksha through several lifetimes
 Karma---all the actions of a person’s life that
affect his or her fate in the next life
 People who live virtuously earn good karma and
are reborn at a higher level of existence; those
who do evil acquire bad karma and are reborn
into suffering

 Dharma---the religious and moral duties of an
individual
 These duties vary according to class,
occupation, gender, or age
 By obeying one’s dharma, a person acquires
merit for the next life
 The concepts of karma and dharma helped
ensure social order by supporting the caste
system

 Ahimsa---belief in nonviolence
 To Hindus, all people and things are aspects
of brahman and should therefore be
respected
 Many holy people have tried to follow the
path of nonviolence

 Founded by Mahavira around 500 BC
 Jain teachings emphasized meditation, self-
denial, and an extreme form of ahimsa
 To avoid accidentally killing a living thing,
even an insect, Jains carried brooms to
sweep the ground in front of their feet

 Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha)---founder of
Buddhism
 Buddha---means “enlightened one”

 Four Noble Truths 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
 Eightfold Path---right views, right
aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and
right contemplation

 The first two steps of Buddhism involved
understanding the Four Noble Truths and
committing oneself to the Eightfold Path
 Next, a person had to live a moral life,
avoiding evil words and actions
 Through meditation, a person might at last
achieve enlightenment
 The final goal of Buddhism is NIRVANA---
union with the universe and release from the
cycle of rebirth

 Buddhism grew from the same traditions as
Hinduism
 Both Hindus and Buddhists stressed
nonviolence and believed in karma, dharma,
moksha, and a cycle of rebirth
 The Buddha rejected the priests, formal
rituals, and many gods of Hinduism
 He instead urged each person to seek
enlightenment through meditation
 Buddhists also rejected the caste system,
offering the hope of nirvana to all regardless
of birth

 Many men and women who accepted the
Buddha’s teachings set up monasteries and
convents for meditation and study
 After the Buddha’s death, some of his
followers collected his teachings into a
sacred text called the “Tripitaka” or “Three
Baskets of Wisdom”

 Gradually, Buddhism spread into two sects:
 Theravada Buddhism---closely followed the
Buddha’s original teachings. It required a life
devoted to hard spiritual work. Only the most
dedicated seekers, such as monks and
nuns, could hope to reach nirvana. The
Theravada sect spread to Sri Lanka and
Southeast Asia
 Mahayana Buddhism---followed by ordinary
people who worshiped Buddha as a god, and
believed in an afterlife with heaven and hell.
Mahayana Buddhism spread to
China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan.

WH Chapter 4 Section 1 Notes

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WH Chapter 4 Section 1 Notes