Transcript Spread of civilizations in east asia

SPREAD OF CIVILIZATIONS
IN EAST ASIA
UNIT FIVE
BUDDHISM
S E C T I O N T WO
SETTING THE STAGE
By the 6th century BC, Hinduism and the caste
system had become a way of life in India. For
Hindus, the only way to gain salvation was by
obeying caste rules and following complex
rituals performed by Brahmin priests. These
rules and rituals, however, did not meet the
needs of the common people. As a result,
some Hindus began to listen to the message
of a rising religious teacher.
SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA
• New religion was called Buddhism
• Founded by Siddharta Gautama
SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA: Indian prince born in 563
BC; later known as Buddha
One day, when he was almost 30, Gautama saw first a dying
old man, then a sick man in great pain, then a dead man, and
finally a wandering religious beggar. These encounters came as a
shock to the prince. Why, he asked, was there such sorrow in the
world? Gautama decided to give up his life of luxury to seek
understanding.
For several years Gautama followed the Hindu way of selfdenial and meditation. Still he felt troubled. Finally, at the age of 35,
he sat down under a sacred fig tree and vowed never to leave the
spot until he found answers. On the forty-ninth day, he suddenly saw
the reason for life’s sufferings and a way to overcome them. From
that time on, he was known as the Buddha, the “Enlightened One.”
BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS
Four Noble Truths:
1. Sorrow and suffering are part of life
2. People suffer because they constantly try to get
things they can’t have
3. The way to escape suffering is to overcome these
desires and reach a state of “not wanting”
4. To reach nirvana people should follow a “middle
way”
NIRVANA: state of enlightenment
MIDDLE WAY: having neither too much nor too little
pleasure
CHALLENGE TO HINDUISM
• Many of Buddha’s teachings stemmed from
Hinduism
Three main differences exist between Buddhism
and Hinduism:
1. Buddhism placed more importance on how
one lived than on one’s caste;
2. Buddhists did not find value in Brahmins’
complex rituals; and,
3. Buddhists do believe in reincarnation, but that
it is not necessary for becoming pure.
GROWTH OF BUDDHISM
• Buddha and followers traveled doing missionary work
• Monasteries became centers of teaching and learning
Buddhism split into two schools of thought:
THERAVADA BUDDHISM: Buddhists who remained close
to original teachings
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM: Buddhists who developed a
complex religion with temples, saints and statues of the
Buddha
• Mahayana Buddhism spread into China, Japan and
Korea
• Theravada Buddhism spread into Sri Lanka, Burma and
Southeast Asia
GOLDEN AGE FOR INDIA
SECTION THREE
RISE OF THE MAURYAN EMPIRE
By the 6th century BC, several kingdoms existed in northeast India, on the
great plain of the Ganges River. One of those kingdoms, the Magadha
Kingdom, ruled the entire plain of the Ganges, and much of northern India.
• Around 300 BC,
Chandragupta Maurya
seized power
• Empire included all of
northern India and part
of present day
Afghanistan
• Empire had a strong
central government
REIGN OF ASOKA
• Around 269 BC, the
empire passed to
Chandragupta’s
grandson, Asoka
• Asoka was
influenced by
Buddhism
• Proclamations were
written in stone and
carried throughout
his empire
BREAKUP OF MAURYAN EMPIRE
• Asoka has been judged one of the
world’s greatest rulers
• Death in 232 BC left a void in leadership
• Over the next 500 years, northern and
central India splintered
RISE OF THE GUPTA EMPIRE
• Around 320 AD, the
Gupta Empire was
established
• First emperor took
the name Chandra
Gupta
• Last great Hindu
empire
• Often referred to as
India’s Classical Age
GUPTA EMPIRE ACHIEVEMENTS
• Literature showed
importance of
Hinduism in life
• Produced plays and
poetry in sanskrit
SANSKRIT: Indian
language of literature
• Astronomers, scientists
and mathematicians
were far ahead of the
rest of the world
FALL OF THE GUPTA EMPIRE
• Lasted for almost 200
years
• In the middle of the
5th century, Huns
began to raid the
borders
• By 500 AD, the
northern part of India
was once again
broken into many
kingdoms
MUSLIM RULE IN INDIA
SECTION FOUR
SETTING THE STAGE
Soon after the rise of Islam, the followers of
this new religion set about conquering
neighboring peoples. From the 700’s to the
1500’s, four different groups of Muslims
invaded India. Eventually most of the Indian
peninsula was united under Muslim rule.
Although the majority of Indian people
remained Hindu, Muslim rulers left a lasting
mark on Indian society and culture.
CONFLICT BETWEEN
HINDUISM AND ISLAM
• Two religions differed
in basic principles –
number of Gods and
equality of people
• Two faiths could not
mix
MUSLIM INVASIONS OF INDIA
• In early 700’s, Muslim invaders claimed
northern India for Muslim empire
• In the 11th and 12th centuries, Muslims
moved in and occupied all of India north of
the Deccan
• Indian territories became separate Muslim
kingdom – a sultanate
DELHI SULTANATE
• Named by the caliph
of Baghdad
• Ruled for over 300
years
• Lived in great luxury –
taxing non-Muslims
• Gov’t was never
stable
• Delhi Sultanate fell in
1526
MONGOL RULE IN INDIA
SECTION FIVE
SETTING THE STAGE
In the early 1500’s, Babur, a descendant of
Genghis Khan, led his army into India. In 1526,
the Delhi Sultanate fell. Though Babur died
shortly after the conquest, he succeeded in
establishing a new empire in India. This
empire was called the Mogul Empire, coming
from the Persian word for Mongol.
REIGN OF AKBAR
• Akbar ruled for 49
years and controlled
most of India
• Well respected and
supported
• Allowed religious
freedoms
• Lessened conflict
between Hindus and
Muslims
AKBAR’S SUCCESSORS
• Son and grandson
continued policies of
fairness, efficiency and
compromise
• Grandson took the title
of shah in 1628
SHAH: king
• Shah Jahan built the Taj
Mahal
TAJ MAHAL: architectural
wonder of the world,
built for Shah Jahan’s
wife
END OF MONGOL RULE
• Shah Jahan’s son
seized the throne in
1658
• By his death in 1707,
Mongol empire had
gained territory, but
lost its strength