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READING ESSENTIALS AND STUDY GUIDE 6-2 JHinduism and Buddhism For use with pages 202-208

Key TermsHinduism: one of the oldest religions in the world; has thousands of gods and

goddesses that are part of a universal spirit (page 203)

Brahman: the universal spirit (page 203)

reincarnation: the idea of living many different lives (page 204)

dharma: divine law; requires people to perform duties of their caste (page 204)

karma: the consequences of how a person lives; if you live a good life, youhave good karma (page 204)

Buddhism: a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama based on Hinduism(page 205)

nirvana: a state of wisdom; achieved after giving up all desires (page 205)

theocracy: a government led by religious leaders (page 208)

Drawing From ExperienceDoes your family practice a religion? Many people

follow their religion by going to a church, temple,or mosque.

In the last section, you learned how India's first civi-lization developed along the Indus River. In this section,you will learn about India's two main religions, Hindu-ism and Buddhism.Organizing Your Thoughts

The Buddha said that people should follow the steps ofthe Eightfold Path. What are the steps of the path? Usedetails from the text to help you fill in the blanks.

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(page 203)

HsfflMgaJ1 Hinduism grew out of the ancient beliefs of the Aryans.

Hinduism started when the Aryans arrived in Indiaabout 1500 B.C. The Aryan religion had many godsand goddesses who ruled nature. Over time, the Aryanreligion added ideas from the Indian people to createHinduism.Early Hinduism Hindus believe in one universal spirit calledBrahman. They also believe in thousands of gods andgoddesses that are a different part of Brahman.

The Upanishads are very old religious writings. Thesewritings talk about how each person looks for the univer-sal spirit. They say our souls are like lumps of salt, andBrahman is a glass of water. When salt is put into water, itdisappears. But the water is salty. Like salt, our souls dis-appear and become part of the universal spirit.What Is Karma? Hindus believe that a soul joins Brahmanwhen a person dies. However, a soul must live manylives—even as an animal—before it joins Brahman. Theidea of living many lives, one after another, is calledreincarnation.

If people do the duties of their caste, they will get aj* better next life. So they must follow dhanna, or the divine$ law. If you follow dharma, then you have good karma.8. Karma is the result of how a person lives. For example, if5 you live a good life and do your duty, you have good| karma.1 This belief in dharma and karma made people accept| the caste system. A dedicated Hindu thinks that higherI- caste people really are better than lower caste people. This£ belief meant that servants would not rebel. The idea of©s reincarnation gave hope to everyone.Ia 9. How is karma related to reincarnation?

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Buddhism (page 205)A new religion, Buddhism, appealed to many people in India and other

parts of Asia.

By 600 B.C., many Indians began to question Hinduideas. They wanted a simpler, more spiritual religion forcommon people.Who Is the Buddha? Prince Siddhartha Gautama was bornabout 563 B.C. He ruled a kingdom near the Himalaya.He was wealthy, married, and had a son. One day heleft the palace and saw beggars and people suffering.He asked himself why people suffered.

To search for answers, he left his family, lived alone,fasted, and meditated, or emptied his mind of thought.Legend says that Siddhartha meditated for 49 days. Then,he came to an understanding about life.

Siddhartha spent the rest of his life teaching peopleabout his discovery. People called him the Buddha, whichmeans "Enlightened One." His lessons about life and suf-fering are called Buddhism.What Is Buddhism? The Buddha taught that there was one wayto see truth in the world. Everyone should stop wantingfame, money, and worldly things. Then they would reachnirvana, or a state of wisdom. p

The Buddha said that the only way to stop desiring |things is to follow the Eightfold Path, which gives rules Iffor living a good life. The Buddha believed in reincarna- 3tion—with a difference. He thought that people could g*stop being reborn if they followed the Eightfold Path. |

The Buddha did not accept the caste system. He |thought that all people—even the lower castes—could |reach nirvana. This made Buddhism very popular amongthe lower castes and the Pariahs. They, too, could escapesuffering and find peace.Buddhism in Southeast Asia The Buddha preached his ideas formore than 40 years. When he died, his disciples spreadhis message all over Asia.

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Over time, the Buddhists split into two groups. Thefirst was Theraveda Buddhism. Theraveda means "teach-ings of the elders." It says that the Buddha was a greatteacher, but not a god. Theraveda Buddhism spread southand east. It was adopted in Ceylon in the 200s B.C. It alsobecame popular in Indochina.Mahayana Buddhism The second kind of Buddhism isMahayana Buddhism. It says that Buddha is a god whocame to save people. Mahayanas think people can go toheaven if they worship the Buddha. In heaven, they canfollow the Eightfold Path to reach nirvana.

Mahayana Buddhists also honor the bodhisattvas.Bodhisattvas are enlightened people who do not go toheaven right away. They stay on earth to help others.

Mahayana Buddhism spread north into China, Korea,and Japan. In Tibet (in central Asia) it mixed with Hindu-ism and Tibet's own religions. This mix made a specialkind of Mahayana Buddhism.

At that time, Tibet's Buddhist and government leaderswere called lamas. When religious leaders also head thegovernment, it is called a theocracy. The Dalai Lama ledthe government. The Panchen Lama led the religion. Bothlamas were considered reincarnations of the Buddha.

Today, many Buddhists live in Thailand, Cambodia,^ and Sri Lanka. But very few live in India, where the£ Buddha first taught.s.I 10. How could a Buddhist reach nirvana?u3

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