Brahminism, Hinduism, Jainism, & Buddhism

1. Brahminism, Hinduism, Jainism, & Buddhism

2. Brahminism • The Aryan religion was called Brahminism because their priests were called Brahmins. • The Vedas were their religious books and writings • There were 4 Vedas…two of them were the Rigveda & the Upanishads

3. Hinduism • Hinduism was a blend of Brahminism and other ideas from other parts of Asia • Hinduism is the largest religion in India today • Hindus believe in many gods, BUT they believe that all of these gods are part of one single god called Brahman • 3 main gods that the Hindus believed in: • Brahma-the “creator” aspect of Brahman • Siva-the “destroyer” aspect of Brahman • Vishnu-the “preserver” aspect of Brahman • This is kind of like the Holy Trinity for Christians

4. Hindu Beliefs • The ultimate goal of Hindus is to reunite their soul with Brahman • They believed this may take several lifetimes before a person could finally reunite with Brahman, that’s why they believed in something called reincarnation • Reincarnation is the process of rebirth into a different body

5. Reincarnation • Hindus believed that when a person died, their soul would be reborn into a new body • The body they came back in depended on their actions during their former life…this is called karma-the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul • This is the idea that if you do good, good will happen to you and vice versa • If you do evil, you will build bad karma

6. Reincarnation • A person with bad karma would be reborn into a lower caste or as a lower creature (like a pig or roach, if they were really evil) • A person with good karma would be reborn into a higher caste in their next life • Over time, good karma would lead to salvation, when a person’s soul could be reunited with Brahman and would be free from the cycle of reincarnation

7. Hindu Beliefs • Hindus believed that each person had to accept their position in life without complaining… • That’s why they didn’t complain about what caste they were in • Accepting your position would build good karma, which could allow you to be reborn into a higher caste in your next life • Even the Untouchables could be reborn into a higher caste if they had good karma

8. Jainism • Jains did not agree with Hinduism • Jainism was based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira. • Mahavira was a member of Kshatriya caste who though the Brahmins had too much control over religion • He became a monk and started the religion called Jainism

9. Beliefs of Jainism • Jains live by four basic principles (rules): • Injure no life (not even animals, bugs, or plants) • They are vegetarians, they don’t eat any food that comes from animals • Tell the truth • Do not steal • Own no property • Jains lived by the rule of nonviolence-avoiding any violent actions

10. Buddhism: How did it start? • A Hindu named Siddhartha Guatama disagreed with Hindu beliefs • He left home to search for “the true meaning of life” and why there was so much pain and suffering in the world • Siddhartha wanted to clear his mind from daily concerns so he fasted (went without food) and meditated (focused his mind on spiritual ideas) • He wandered around India searching for the answers he was looking for…. • What’s the meaning of life? • Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

11. Buddhism: How did it start? • He wandered around India for about SIX years and finally stopped under a tree near the Ganges River • He meditated under the tree for SEVEN weeks and suddenly had all of the answers he had been looking for • He realized that human suffering comes from three things: • Wanting what we like but do not have • Wanting to keep what we like and already have • Not wanting what we dislike but have

12. Buddha • After meditating under that tree for SEVEN more weeks, Siddhartha finally had all of the answers he had been looking for about life • After that point, he was called “Buddha”, which means “The Enlightened One”, by the people who followed his ideas • Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching his ideas to people across India • Buddha’s teachings became known as Buddhism

13. What did the Buddhists believe? • The Four Noble Truths (the four main beliefs of Buddhism): • Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life. No one can escape sorrow. • Suffering comes from our desires for pleasure and stuff. People cause their own unhappiness because they want things they can not have. • People can overcome desire and reach nirvana, perfect peace. If you reach nirvana, you are freeing your soul from suffering and don’t have to be reincarnated again. • People can overcome desire by following an eight fold path that leads to wisdom, enlightenment, and salvation.

14. What did the Buddhists believe? The Eightfold Path • Right Thought-Believe in the Four Noble Truths • Right Intent-Always try to do what is good and kind • Right Speech-Avoid lies and gossip • Right Action-Don’t steal from or harm others • Right Livelihood-Don’t do anything that will hurt others • Right Effort-Prevent evil and do good • Right Mindfulness-Control your feelings and thoughts • Right Concentration-Practice proper meditation

15. What did the Buddha believe? • Buddha believed that priests were not needed for salvation. He taught that each person was in charge of their own salvation, and they didn’t need to have a priest to be in charge of religion. • Buddha did not agree with the caste system. He said it shouldn’t matter what class you were in, as long as you lived a good life. • Who do you think started to follow Buddha???

16. How did Buddhism spread? • After Buddha’s death, 500 of his followers had a meeting to make sure that his teaching were remembered and shared with others • Buddha’s ideas spread through India quickly because they were popular and easy to understand • One of the India kings, Asoka, was Buddhist. He built Buddhist temples and schools throughout India • Missionaries were sent to other parts of Asia to spread Buddhism