Ch. 6- Early India

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Ch. 6- Early India

• Section 1- Indias First Civilizations
• Section 2- Hinduism and Buddhism
• Section 3- Indias First Empires

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CHAPTER 6 KEY TERMS

• Subcontinent
• Himalaya
• Monsoons
• Sanskrit
• Caste
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Reincarnation
• Karma
• Dalai Lama

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The Land of India

• Introduction to India
• What causes Monsoons?

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India
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The Land of India

• India is shaped like a diamond hanging from the
  bottom of Asia. It is a subcontinent because
  even though it is part of Asia, it is separated
  from the rest of Asia by a large mountain range
  called the Himalayas, the highest mountain range
  in the world.

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Himalaya Mountains
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Indias First Civilization

• Developed around the Indus River Valley
• When summer monsoon began, the river rose higher
  and higher, leaving behind rich fertile soil.
• Around 1500 B.C. historians believe the Indus
  river changed its course, killing many people and
  forcing others to flee the area.

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Indias First Civilization

• In the following year, the Aryans began to settle
  the region. They introduced a new language to
  India, Sanskrit. (pg. 199 in book)
• Early Indias social system (pg. 200)

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Ch. 6 Section 2- Hinduism and Buddhism

• One of oldest religions in the world
• Today it is the 3rd largest religion
• Is the mix of the original Aryan belief in many
  Gods along with the belief of the people the
  Aryans conquered in India
• Believe that all of their gods and goddesses are
  part of one universal spirit called the Brahman.

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Hinduism

• Hindus believe that the soul is not joined to the
  Brahman immediately after a person dies.
  Instead, a person must pass through many lives to
  be united with Brahman
• If a person lived a bad life, he or she might be
  reborn into a lower varna( a cast/social group
  someone is born into)

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Hinduism

• The idea of passing through many lives is called
  reincarnation. This is very important to Hindus
  and affects how they live their lives.
• It also affects how they treat animals because
  they believe ALL life to be sacred.
• To earn the reward of a better life in their next
  life, Hindus believe they must perform their
  duty. Dharma, divine law, requires people to
  perform their exact duty.
• Example A farmer has different duties than a
  priest.

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Hinduism

• The consequences of how a person lives their life
  is karma. If Hindus do their duty and live a
  good life, they will have good karma.

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Buddhism

• By 600 B.C. many Indians began to questions Hindu
  ideas.
• The Brahman priests seemed only to care about
  their temple ceremonies and not about the needs
  of the people.
• Ordinary Hindus wanted a simpler, more spiritual
  religion.
• They would find this in Buddhism.

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Buddhism

• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama
• Gautama seemed to have it all- wealthy, handsome,
  happily married, a new son.
• As he explored the kingdom (today called Nepal)
  he saw suffering, homelessness, and hunger. For
  the first time he was aware of suffering.
• At that moment he sought to solve a riddle Why
  did people suffer and how could their suffering
  be cured?

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Buddhism

• To solve riddle he first lived like a hermit,
  fasting and sleeping on the hard ground.
• Legend has it that he sat under a tree to
  meditate, and after 49 days, he finally
  understood.
• He spend the rest of his life wandering the
  countryside and telling people what he had
  discovered.
• These teachings became known as Buddhism. To his
  followers, he became known as the Buddha, or
  Enlightened One

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Buddhism

• Like Hindus, Siddhartha did not think the
  everyday world was real. Things like trees,
  houses, animals, the sky, and the oceans were all
  illusions. So was poverty and sickness.
• The only way to find the truth about the world
  was to give up all desires. By giving up desire
  for fame, wealth and all worldly things, pain and
  suffering would disappear.
• If a person gave up all desires he would reach a
  state called nirvana.

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Buddhism

• The heart of Buddhas teachings is contained in
  the Four Noble Truths
• Life is full of suffering
• People suffer because they desire worldly things
  and self satisfaction
• The way to end suffering is to stop desiring
  things.
• The only way to stop desiring things is to follow
  the Eightfold Path.

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Buddhism

• The Eightfold Path included
• Know and understand the Four Noble Truths
• Give up worldly things and dont harm others
• Tell the truth, dont gossip, and dont speak
  badly of others
• Dont commit evil acts, like killing, stealing,
  or living an unclean life.
• Do rewarding work
• Work for good and oppose evil
• Make sure your mind keeps your senses under
  control
• Practice meditation as a way of understanding
  reality

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Buddhism

• One major reason his religion became successful
  is that he didnt accept the varna and jati
  systems.
• A person could avoid reincarnation by simply
  following the eightfold path.

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Indian Empires

• Mauryan Dynasty- 321 B.C.
• Greatest king was Asoka. Asoka was a strong
  military leader but hated bloodshed
• Asoka was first great Buddhist king

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Indian Empires

• Gupta Empires- A.D. 320
• Was strong due to trade of salt, cloth, and iron.
  They also owned gold and silver mines.