Ancient India Test Flashcards
pantheism
god(Brahman) is everything, everything is god(Brahman)
polytheism
worship in a variety of gods(each represents a human form of Brahman)
edict
official orders
Sanskrit
an ancient Indian language
Vedas
ancient texts that are the foundation of Hinduism
The Ramayana
a story to learn lessons of right and wrong
caste system
social hiearchy in Hinduism which came from the belief in dharma
Brahman
is everything, and everything is him
dharma
a duty believed people were born w/ a set of skills to best serve society
karma
a belief that what you do in this life, will affect your standing in your next life
samsara
the cycle of reincarnation; goes until you are truly practicing your dharma
pilgrimage
a spiritual/reflective journey
moksha
freedom from samsara
ascetic
someone who gives up worldly pleasures
enlightenment
great happiness from deep knowledge
nirvana
what happens when you achieve enlightenment, which is true happiness and peace
Four Noble Truths
- Suffering is ever-present and nothing lasts forever.
- Suffering is caused by your cravings.
- Suffering can be ended by giving up your cravings.
- You can give up your cravings by following the Eightfold Path.
eg. we suffer by wanting things
Eightfold Path
- Understand the Four Noble Truths.
- Be selfless.
- Don’t lie or gossip.
- Don’t kill or steal.
- Don’t harm others with your job.
- Do good, prevent evil.
- Be aware of feelings.
- Meditate.
eg. ways to be a good person
The Battle of Kalinga
one of the brutalist and bloodiest battles in world history
Chandragupta Maurya
a ruler who truly unified India by using elephants and spies
Ashoka the Great
Ruled India from 268-232 BCE who initially was cruel until the battle of Kalinga, after the battle he issued edicts and turned Buddhism into the state religion
Buddha
the awakened one
Prince Siddhartha
the Buddha, a prince that lived in India from 563-483 BCE, ascetic, and achieved Nirvana. Learned the three forms of suffering: aging, death, sickness.
Compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism
Hinduism: deities, pantheism, polytheism, pilgrimages, caste system, Brahman
Both: sacred texts, reincarnation, dharma, karma
Buddhism: Buddha, nirvana, enlightenment, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, meditation, asceticism, embracement of all people regardless of social class
Describe the four original Varnas that eventually led to the caste system
1) Brahmins- educate and lead
2) Kshatriyas- protect society
3) Vaishayas- make the economy hum along
4) Shudras- provide service to others
Explain the Law of the Fishes
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Big fish eat little fish, but don’t let the little fish gang up on the big fish. Be the bread in the enemy sandwich.
What are the four core beliefs of Hinduism?
1) Belief in one supreme being.
2) Pursue the knowledge of truth.
3) Strive for moral order.
4) Time is cyclical.
What are the three core beliefs of Buddhism
1) Reincarnation.
2) Embrace all people regardless of social class.
3) Teach people to reach enlightenment
Timeline
- Hinduism
- Siddhartha discovers the 3 forms of suffering
- Buddhism
- Chandragupta unifies India
- The Battle of Kalinga
- Ashoka converts to Buddhism
- Ashoka puts pillars up of his edicts
- The Mauryan empire ends
Explain how the Ramayana demonstrated Hindu core beliefs and values
In the Ramayana, when Rama is seeking to kill Ravana which is him striving for moral order by doing his dharma, which is to kill Ravana and when he kills he, he is demonstrating that core belief because he did his dharma and regained moral order for the people by doing his dharma
Describe three of Ashoka the Great’s different edicts. Also, explain how each one represented a Buddhist value.
1) Aid the poor/elderly and respect them- this represents the Buddhist value and core belief of embracing all people regardless of social class because aiding and respecting the poor is helping people regardless of socioeconomical standing.
2) Make Buddhism the state religion- this represents the Buddhist value of teaching people to reach enlightenment because if people are practicing Buddhism, then people will help each other out in the quest to enlightenment.
3) Created hospitals for humans and animals- this represents the Buddhist value in the eightfold path that states, you should not harm others with your job. Jobs such as fisherman and hunter would be illegal because this edict prevents the haming of others because of your occupation.
