Unit 4 Notes: India

Question 1

Indus River Valley

Answer 1

2600 BC
Harappa (capital of the region)
Main crops are wheat and barley
Undeciphered language

Question 2

Mahenjo - Daro

Answer 2

First great civilization of Indian subcontinent

Question 3

Ganges River

Answer 3

River running through northern India
Sacred to Hinduism beliefs

Question 4

Aryan Invasion

Answer 4

1800 BCE

Question 5

Vedas

Answer 5

Large body of ancient religious texts for Hinduism
There are four Vedas

Question 6

Rig Veda

Answer 6

One of the four vedas
a collection o hymns praising the Hindu gods.

Question 7

Caste System

Answer 7

Part of Hindu beliefs
A system people are born into.
People are put on earth to fulfill a specific job.
You role of society.
Your Dharma is based on what job you have.

Question 8

Women

Answer 8

inferior to men
where nothing without their husband
didn’t have the same rights as men

Question 9

Sati

Answer 9

Women are supposed to be so distraught and useless that they will kill themselves if their husband dies before them.
Sati was a common practice used up until the 1980s

Question 10

Caste System Ranks

Answer 10

Brahmans
Kshatriyas
Vaisyas
Sudras
Pariahs/Untouchables

Question 11

Caste System Jobs

Answer 11

Brahmans - Priests, teachers, judges
Kshatriyas - warriors
Vaisyas - farmers and merchants
Sudras - craftworkers and laborers
Untouchables or outcasts - street sweepers, garbage collectors, and hide tanners

Question 12

Upanishads

Answer 12

Ancient writings about the Vedas.
sacred like the vedas.

Question 13

Bhagavad Gita

Answer 13

large ‘epic’ story
most sacred hindu texts
teaches devotion to Gods

Question 14

Karma

Answer 14

If you do good things good things will happen to you and vice versa.
‘Spiritual scorecard’

Question 15

Moksha

Answer 15

If you have enough good Karma you will be at Moksha and you won’t keep being reincarnated.
You will make it back to Brahman.

Question 16

Dharma

Answer 16

Moral law.
Karma is based on the laws of Dharma
If you practice good Dharma you get good Karma. You then get to leave Samsara and meet with Brahman.

Question 17

Incarnations (Gods)

Answer 17

Brahma - creator
Vishnu - protector
Shiva - destroyer

Question 18

Jainism

Answer 18

Extreme Ascetics and Ahimsa.
wouldn’t hurt or kill anything

Question 19

Ascetics

Answer 19

Someone who deprives themselves of specific things such as money, sex ect.
Purifies your soul.

Question 20

Ahimsa

Answer 20

All living things have a soul and you take a vow of ‘non violence’

Question 21

Buddhism

Answer 21

Beliefs and connections to hinduism
Ahimsa, karma, dharma, samsara.
Believed in impermanence

Question 22

Nirvana

Answer 22

When you’re released from Samsara
Coming to an end of life.
When you’re done reincarnating because you have become perfect.

Question 23

Buddhism differences with Hinduism

Answer 23

Reject case system, brahmins (priests), gods. You can reach Nirvana in one Lifetime.
Doesn’t have religious hierarchy.

Question 24

Mahayan Buddhism

Answer 24

believe that each person is responsible for their fate.
Dali lama is part of Mahayan Buddhism

Question 25

Bodhisattvas

Answer 25

people who reject nirvana to help those reaching that point.

Question 26

Dali Lama

Answer 26

The main leader of Buddhism is reincarnated and found by the senior disciple

Question 27

Siddartha Guatama

Answer 27

Prince - 600 BCE His mom has a vision that her son will become a wandering holy man. His father kept him in palace surrounded by luxury to prevent him from leaving.

Question 28

The four sights vision

Answer 28

He becomes aware of human suffering. He leaves the palace. Tries to end suffering. Sits under a tree and meditates for a month until he finds the solution. He finds the solution and becomes known as the Buddha. The four sights: Sick person Old person Dead person Aesetic person

Question 29

4 Noble Truths

Answer 29

Suffering is part of life Suffering is caused by ignorance and desire Suffering can only be eliminated by eliminating desire Desire can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path (Middle Way) - if you don’t want something, you won’t suffer from its absence.

Question 30

8-Fold Path

Answer 30

Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Question 31

Brahmanism

Answer 31

earliest form of Hinduism. Polythiestic.

Question 32

Brahmans

Answer 32

High priests for Brahmanism. Had a lot of power and high status.

Question 33

Brahman

Answer 33

“God” of Hinduism. “Soul” of the earth. Our souls belong to Brahman. Brahman is the source of everything.

Question 34

Samsara

Answer 34

‘reincarnation’ life, death and rebirth. Keep redoing life to perfect it. They want to find an endpoint, but they must be perfected first.

Question 35

Mauryan Empire

Answer 35

312 - 185 BCE Chandragupta - unified India.

Question 36

Uniting of India

Answer 36

Alexander the Great Wrecked most of Chandragupta’s enemies. Chandragupta Attacked weakened states and unified all of them.

Question 37

Ashoka

Answer 37

Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. Converts to Buddhism after war and gains a conscience. Promotes Buddhism. Makes it well known. Empire falls apart under his rule.

Question 38

The Rock Edicts

Answer 38

The first unified code of law for India.