Brahmanism Flashcards
What was the main religion in India when Siddhartha was born?
Brahmanism
What were the castes?
Brahmins (priests) Kshatriyas (warriors) Vaisyas (merchants) Sudras (labourers) Pariahs (untouchables) - outcasts
What caste was Siddhartha born into?
Kshatriyas
Which era did Brahmanism develop in?
Historical Vedic Era in India (1500-500 BCE)
What was Brahmanism based on?
The Vedas - a set of religious scriptures whose oldest parts date back to 1700 BCE
What do the Vedas contain?
hymns, spells and incantations in verse and formulas for ceremonies.
What is the most important section of the Vedas as far as Buddhism is concerned?
The Upanishads
What do the Upanishads contain?
reflections about the nature of the universe written in question and answer form between the guru and pupil.
What is Brahman?
Brahman is a universal spirit that was present before the beginning of the universe and which all the universe is part of.
How does Brahmanism relate to Hinduism?
Depending on which scholar you read, it was either a kind of precursor to Hinduism or broadly indistinguishable from it. However, today the Vedas are the central hindu religious texts.
What is the atman?
the soul - the source of all living vitality among humans. the soul of a living being is thought to be the self-same as Brahman itself
What do people who follow brahmanism believe happened after death?
rebirth - the soul embodied by the human flesh takes refuge in a new body.
What is rebirth called in Brahmanism?
Samsura - the individual atman of a person undergoes samurai and lives in many different bodies either ascending or descending the caste system.
How can one move up the caste system after death?
If a person does their dharma (religious duty) then they build up good karma and this will help then ascend the caste system
How can one move down the caste system?
If a person avoids their dharma or goes actively against it them they will build up bad karma and they will move down the caste system.
