Chapter 9: 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
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
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
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
Central Beliefs of Hinduism
Rigveda
Oldest of four Vedas composed 1500-1200 B.C.E. 1,028 verses of Sanskrit poetry that invokes early
gods and speculates on the creation of the world
Hinduism
Central Beliefs of Hinduism
Caste
Rigveda introduced the caste system as result of
sacrifice of Purusha, a mythical creature, into four parts Caste is hierarchical and hereditary
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
Buddhism in China [cont.]
Buddhism under Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.)
Divided into eight major sects
Pure Land variant promised paradise for those who believed in the ruler of paradise, Buddha Amitabha
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
What Difference Do They Make?
Hinduism sustains a religion of
monotheism that provides cultural unity
for South Asia
