Chapter 9: Hinduism and BuddhismExamining Religious Beliefs

All five of the world religions studied in this section are based on miraclesHistorians cannot study actions that leave no direct evidence; they can only study the actions of believersReligious belief creates standards of behavior and religious organizationsCreates 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

Creation of religious organization

Hinduism

The Origins of HinduismBecause 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

Outsiders, not insiders, see Hinduism as a unified religion

Hinduism

Sacred Geography and PilgrimageHinduism 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

Hinduism

Central Beliefs of HinduismRigveda

• 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

• Does not claim to offer specific answers

Hinduism

Central Beliefs of Hinduism [cont.]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

Hinduism

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

– moksha = unification of atman and Brahman

Hinduism

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

Hinduism

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 in earlier Hindu literature

Hinduism

Temples and ShrinesShift 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 entered worship as analogues for passion for gods

Hinduism

Religion and RulePowerful sought support in religion and religion validated power of elitesBrahmin priests were used to awe indigenous people after confiscation of local landsKings rewarded priests with land, court subsidies, and temple bequests in return for support

Hinduism

Hinduism in Southeast AsiaBrahmin 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 Indian calendar--present by 5th century

Buddhism

Origins of BuddhismDeveloped 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• Key is Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path

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

BuddhismEmergence of Mahayana Buddhism

200 B.C.E-200 C.E. saw more Buddhist than Hindu shrines in IndiaGeneral councils codify Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism (“Greater Vehicle”)Believed that bodhisattvas facilitated achievement of Nirvana by masses Maitreya Buddha a servant to redeem humanityMahayana Buddhism a challenge to Hinduism

Buddhism

Decline of Buddhism in IndiaBuddhist 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

Buddhism

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 upon entering India

Buddhism

JainismAnother religion of India, similar to both Hinduism and BuddhismLike Theraveda Buddhism, Jains reject caste system and supremacy of BrahminsJains practice nonviolence to such a degree that many do not farm for fear of killing creatures in the soilRely on Hindu priests for ceremonies

Buddhism

Buddhism in ChinaArrival 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)

• All traveled the silk route

Buddhism

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• Buddhist travels promoted Chinese unity

Buddhism

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

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

– Forced monks and nuns to leave monasteries and convents

Buddhism

Buddhism in JapanJapan 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 by Asoka and imitated his action

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

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• Buddhist wealth and power alarmed many

Japanese

Buddhism

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

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 Shinto

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 polytheism that provides cultural unity for South Asia

Buddhism is religion of hundreds of millions of people