Chapter 9 _Hindusim and Buddhism
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Transcript Chapter 9 _Hindusim and Buddhism
THE WORLD’S HISTORY
Fourth Edition
Chapter
9
Indian Empires:
New Arrivals in South
Asia
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Hinduism and Buddhism
Examining Religious Beliefs
• All five of the world religions studied in this
section are based on miracles
• Historians cannot study actions that leave
no direct evidence; they can only study the
actions of believers
• Religious belief creates standards of
behavior and religious organizations
• Creates a sense of the sacred
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Examining Religious Beliefs
• Historians can study:
– Sanctification of time
– Sanctification of space
– Sanctification of language and literature
– Sanctification of artistic and creative endeavor
– Sanctification of family and ancestors
– Creation of religious organization
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• The Origins of Hinduism
– Because of use of Sanskrit, many
believed that Hinduism was a product of
the Aryan invasion
– Now believe that Indus Valley people
were source of many Hindu beliefs
– Anthropologists believe that Hinduism is
an amalgam of a variety of different
beliefs
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Hinduism
• Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage
– Hinduism is confined to the Indian
subcontinent and its migrants
– Broad dispersion of sacred places
promotes pilgrimages to important sites
– Each city and town has its own sites that
foster close-knit communities
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism
– Rigveda
Oldest of four Vedas composed 15001200 B.C.E.
1,028 verses of Sanskrit poetry that
invokes early gods and speculates on
the creation of the world
Does not claim to offer specific
answers
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]
– Caste
Rigveda introduced the caste system
as result of sacrifice of Purusha, a
mythical creature, into four parts
Caste is hierarchical and hereditary
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]
– Caste
Speculations of purpose include
maintaining order among the diverse
people of India, preserving frozen
economic system, or suppressing subject
people
Believe that today’s caste system existed in
the past
Caste was often more important that
government
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]
– Brahmanas (from 900-500 B.C.E.) and
Upanishads (800-500 B.C.E)
Former discusses rituals and myths; latter contains
mystical speculation
From the Upanishads Hindus derive
•
•
•
•
dharma = religious and ethical duties
karma = human activities and impact on its atman
samsara = life cycle of different duties for different stages
moksha = unification of atman and Brahman
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]
– The Great Epics
Bhagavad-Gita is part of Mahabharata
• A story of duties and meaning of life and death
• Warrior (kshatriya) must fulfill dharma by fighting
• Krishna, blue-skinned god, is non-Aryan
• Story supports bhakti, mystical devotion to god
• Role of women is more prestigious than in
Ramayana, where Rama’s wife Sita was
subservient
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]
– The Puranas
Focus on Vishna and Shiva, most popular of the
Hindu gods
Goddesses serve as consorts to powerful male
gods
Balance the suppressed vision of women present
in earlier Hindu literature
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
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Hinduism
• Temples and Shrines
– Shift in Hindu practice in 7th century C.E.
– Personal prayer replaced sacrifice as way to
communicate with the gods
– Result was caves and temples of great beauty
that reflected Hindu beliefs through art
– Sexual passion and union of males and
females entered worship as analogues for
passion for gods
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• Religion and Rule
– Powerful sought support in religion and
religion validated power of elites
– Brahmin priests were used to awe
indigenous people after confiscation of
local lands
– Kings rewarded priests with land, court
subsidies, and temple bequests in return
for support
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Hinduism
• Hinduism in Southeast Asia
– Brahmin priests and Hindu priests were used
as early as the 3rd century C.E. to validate
royal authority in rare example of spread of
Hinduism outside India
– Represented an extension of ongoing trade
– Externals of Hinduism--Sanskrit, Indian gods,
and Indian calendar--present by 5th century
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
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Buddhism
• Origins of Buddhism
– Developed within Hinduism
– The Life of the Buddha (born c. 563 B.C.E.)
Sheltered life shattered by introduction to human
suffering at age twenty-nine
Reached enlightenment after meditation under tree
Antidote to pain and suffering is recognition that
temptations are illusions
Key is Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• The Origins of Buddhism [cont.]
– The Sangha (groups of monks and nuns)
Initially open to women; nuns today are in
Tibet
Obedient to order, monks are intellectually
free
Settled into monasteries after abandoning
tradition of begging
Abandonment of begging led to loss of
contact with common people
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Emergence of Mahayana Buddhism
– 200 B.C.E-200 C.E. saw more Buddhist than
Hindu shrines in India
– General councils codify Theravada Buddhism
and Mahayana Buddhism (“Greater Vehicle”)
– Believed that bodhisattvas facilitated
achievement of Nirvana by masses
– Maitreya Buddha a servant to redeem
humanity
– Mahayana Buddhism a challenge to Hinduism
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Decline of Buddhism in India
– Buddhist appeal was for warriors and
businessmen who felt scorned by Brahmins
– Decline paralleled decline of Gupta empire
– Many Indians could not easily distinguish
Mahayana Buddhism from Hinduism
– Buddhists relied on Hindu priests to conduct
life-cycle ceremonies
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Decline of Buddhism in India [cont.]
– Hinduism became more attractive to
Buddhists
Hindu religion built on common folktales
Could be Hindu and Buddhist at same time
Neither group treated women well
– Began to wane with onset of Muslim traders
along silk route
– Muslims destroy remnants of temples and
monasteries upon entering India
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Jainism
– Another religion of India, similar to both
Hinduism and Buddhism
– Like Theraveda Buddhism, Jains reject caste
system and supremacy of Brahmins
– Jains practice nonviolence to such a degree
that many do not farm for fear of killing
creatures in the soil
– Rely on Hindu priests for ceremonies
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in China
– Arrival in China: The Silk Route
First Buddhist missionaries to China in 65 C.E.
Pilgrimages to India to learn Buddhism included
those of Faxian (early 5th century) and Xuanzang
(early 7th century)
All traveled the silk route
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Buddhism in China [cont.]
– Relations with Daoism and Confucianism
Fall of Han discredited Confucianism and opened
door to Buddhist ideas
Mahayana Buddhism similar to Daoism
In south, Buddhism represented philosophy for
dealing with hazardous life in semi-exile
Buddhism and Confucianism accommodated each
other
Buddhist travels promoted Chinese unity
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in China [cont.]
– Buddhism under Tang Dynasty (618907 C.E.)
Divided into eight major sects
Pure Land variant promised paradise
for those who believed in the ruler of
paradise, Buddha Amitabha
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in China [cont.]
– Buddhism under Tang Dynasty (618-907
C.E.)
Chan taught the importance of meditation
Invented woodblock printing
Only woman to rule China in her own name, the
“Emperor” Wu (625-705 C.E.), used Buddhism to
legitimate her rule
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in China [cont.]
–Buddhism’s Decline in China
Chinese power in central Asia
broken by Islamic power
Central Asian Buddhism survived
only in Tibet
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Buddhism in China [cont.]
– Buddhism’s Decline in China
Tang Emperor Wuzong (r. 840-846
C.E.) feared power of Buddhism and
blamed it for decline of Tang power
• Confiscated Buddhist lands
• Destroyed Buddhist texts
• Forced monks and nuns to leave
monasteries and convents
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in Japan
– Japan followed Shinto, “the way of the kami,”
who were powers and spirits inherent in
nature
– After arrival of Buddhism, kami were seen as
minor Buddhas while bodhisattvas and
Buddhas were seen as major kami
– Japanese royal family knew of adoption of
Buddhism by Asoka and imitated his action
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Buddhism in Japan [cont.]
– Buddhism’s Arrival in Japan
Arrived 552 C.E. via Korea
Initial acceptance tied to belief that monks could
work medical miracles
Acceptance at court came under Prince Shotoku
Taishi (573-621 C.E.)
Saw Buddhism as a basis of Chinese power and
wanted that power source for himself
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in Japan [cont.]
– Buddhism’s Role in Unifying Japan
Japanese creation of Nara capital
expanded imitation of Chinese practices
including Buddhism
Buddhism joined Shinto as support of
government
Buddhism facilitated Japanese
centralization
Buddhist wealth and power alarmed many
Japanese
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Buddhism in Japan [cont.]
– Japanese Buddhism Develops New Forms
Saicho monastery, placed far from centers of
power, focused on Tendai variant that held
enlightenment achieved by sincere religious
devotion
Shingon (“True Word”) emphasized mantras
Amida (Amitabha) favored chanting mantras
Zen (Chan in China) emphasized defense of state
and the importance of martial arts
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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Buddhism
• Buddhism in Japan [cont.]
– Lasting Buddhist Elements in Japanese
Society
Cultivated an especially pure aesthetic
dimension
Buddhist emphasis on transience of all
life affected Japanese literature such
as the Tale of Genji
Merged with aspects of Shinto
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
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Comparisons
• Both have experienced transformations
• Both have sacred calendars and control of
life-cycle events
• Both have sacred languages
• Both ultimately connect to common people
• Both show flexibility of world religions
• Both show ties between government and
religion
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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What Difference Do They Make?
• Hinduism sustains a religion of polytheism
that provides cultural unity for South Asia
• Buddhism is religion of hundreds of
millions of people
The World’s History, Fourth Edition
Howard Spodek
Copyright ©2010, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.