Bartlett High School   WORLD HISTORY    Mr. Pahl     

 Lecture Notes 10-9-08

Unique Buddhist and Hindu Concepts

á        BUDDHIST: Nirvana.  Union with the universe and relief from the cycle of rebirth.

 

á        HINDU:Atman. The essential self of every person.

á        lBrahman. The unchanging, all powerful force behind everything in the universe.

 

Hindu and Buddhist Concepts

á        Reincarnation.  Being reborn in another form

á        Moksha.  The goal of life is to achieve moksha, union with Brahman.

á        Karma.  Actions that affect fate.  Cause and effect.

á        Dharma. The moral duties of an individual

á        Ahimsa. Nonviolence.

 

Hindu Gods

á        Brahma, the Creator

á        Vishnu, the Preserver

á        Shiva, the Destroyer

á        Shakti, wife of Shiva, a creator and destroyer

 

Buddhist founder

á        Gautama, the Buddha

 

Buddha   Main Buddhist Concept
The Four Noble Truths.

á        1.All life is full of suffering, pain and sorrow

á        2.The cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, such as riches, power, and long life.

á        3.The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire

á        4.The way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path.

 

8 fold path

á        Right views

á        Right aspirations

á        Right speech

á        Right conduct

á        Right livelihood

á        Right effort

á        Right mindfulness

á        Right contemplation

 

Buddhism Spreads in China

á        Buddhism gradually spread into China.

á        Originally there was conflict with the Chinese respect for ancestors and the Buddhist reverence for monks, those who gave up family

á        But Buddhism gradually incorporated elements of Confucianism and Daoism

á        People gravitated to Buddhism because of its promise of escape from suffering

á        Confucianism and Daoism did not offer the idea of personal salvation that Buddhism did.

 

Appeal of Buddhism Ð Confucianism in China

 

The Holy Books

á        Religions in India today

 

4.2 Indian Empires

 

á        lA. Maurya

á        lB. Gupta

 

Map of Maurya Ð Gupta Empire

 

Indian Empires

á        Mauryan Empire   321 BC Ð 185 BC

o       Chandagrupta, harsh; grandson Asoka

o       Asoka: conversion, tolerant to other religions, sent missionaries

á        Gupta Empire  320 AD Ð 550 AD

o       ÒGolden ageÓ

o       Invented system of writing numbers used today (ÒArabicÓ)

 

The Deccan

 

The Gupta Golden Age

 

4.3 Pillars of Indian Life

á        Caste System

á        Family Life

á        Joint family

á        Patriarchal

á        Arranged marriages

á        Upper class women restricted outside home-had to cover themselves

á        Sati

 

4.4 Three Schools of Thought

Three Schools of Thought and their Originators

á        1.Confucianism.

o       Confucius

á        2.Legalism

o       Hanfeizi

á        3.Daoism

o       Laozi

 

 

Confucianism

á        Confucius born in 551 BC

á        Brilliant scholar

á        Tried to get a job working for government leaders, teaching them how to govern

á        Did not get the job, but his teachings attracted followers

 

Confucius

á        Like Buddha in India, and Socrates in Greece, who lived about the same time, Confucius never wrote down any of his ideas

á        After his death, students collected his writings in The Analects

á        He focused on worldly goals, how to have a good social order and good governmentÑConfucianism is not a religion

 

ConfuciusÕ 5 Relationships

Harmony comes from accepting oneÕs place in society

1.Father to son

2.Elder to younger brother

3.Husband to wife

4.Ruler to subject

5.Friend to friend

á        Women should ensure family stability

 

Other Confucian Ideas

á        Filial piety

á        Respect for elders is above all other duties, even loyalty to the state

á        Honesty

á        Hard work

á        The golden rule: (mutual respect) ÒDo not do to others what you do not wish yourselfÓ

á        People are naturally good.

á        Leaders should lead by example

á        Take the advice of wise, educated men

á        Education became the road to advancement in Chinese society.

á        Confucianism never became a religion as Buddhism did.

á        Almost a third of the worldÕs population came under the influence of these ideas

 

Legalism

á        The nature of man is evil

á        Hanfeizi was the founder

á        Greed is the cause of most actions and the cause of conflict

á        People donÕt follow the example of a good leader, they need to have strict laws which are enforced with punishments.

á        Strength, not goodness was the rulerÕs greatest virtue.

Daoism: The Unspoken Way

á        Daoists did not seek to bring order to government or human affairs.

á        They sought to live in harmony with nature.

á        Laozi wrote The Way of Virtue, a book that heavily influenced China.

á        The Dao, or Òthe wayÓ

á        Daoists reject the world of conflict and strife and emphasize yielding.

á        ÒGive it up!Ó

 

4.5 Chinese Empires

A. Qin

B. Han

 

Map of Qin and Han Empires

 

Qin Empire

á        ZhengÉproclaimed himself Shi Huangdi (ÒFirst EmperorÓ) 

á        His methods were brutal; jail, torture, death

á        Had legalist advisors

á        Centralized power; had nobles live in capital

á        Standardized weights and measures

á        Built Great Wall

 

Han Dynasty

á        Liu Bang ÉMandate of Heaven

á        Appointed Confucian advisors

á        Wudi, most famous Han ruler:

á        Canals, roads, Universities, granaries (monopoly)

á        Silk Road

á        Civil Service

á        ÒGolden AgeÓ  arts, paper, astronomy