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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Indian subcontinent
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Land mass that includes what is now India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
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Monsoons
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Winds that shift in direction at certain times of each year.
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Khyber pass
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Mountains which Northern migrants may have gone through to get to the Indus Valley.
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Harappa
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One of the largest cities along the Indus. Many archeological discoveries were made here.
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Mohenjo-Daro
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Another one of the largest cities along the Indus. Archeologists have found remains of bodies here which were seemingly never buried.
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City planning
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One of the most remarkable achievements of the Indus Valley people.
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Citadel
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A fortified area which contained the major buildings of the city.
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Grid system
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Buildings were constructed of oven-baked bricks cut in standard sizes.
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Indus seals
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Made of carved stone and were probably used by Indus merchants to identify their gods.
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Great-Bath
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The swimming pool sized area of water in Mohenjo-Daro which was probably used for ritual bathing or other religious purposes. Private dressing rooms, some with their own religions, surrounded the pool.
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Aryans
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A nomadic people from the north of the Hindu Kush mountains who swept into the Indus Valley around 1500 B.C. and may have caused the first Indus civilization to collapse.
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Why do you think there was trade between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia?
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They had different goods.
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Aryans
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An Indo-European people who, about 1500 B.C., began to migrate into the Indian subcontinent.
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Vedas
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Four collections of prayers, magical spells, and instructions for performing rituals. They were produced by the Aryans during an early stage of their settlement in India.
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Rig Veda
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The most important of the vedas which contains 1,028 hymns, all devoted to Aryan gods.
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Dasas
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The name, meaning "dark", which the Aryans gave to the people they found in India referring to the color of their skin. "Dasa" eventually became the Aryan word for slave.
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Indra
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The thunder god.
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Agni
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The fire god.
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Brahmin
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In Aryan society, a member of the social class made up of priests.
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Sudra
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Non-Aryan laborers or craftsmen. They formed a fourth social class and did work that Aryans did not want to do.
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Varna
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Skin color. Varna was a distinguishing feature of the social system. The four major groups came to be known as Varnas.
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Caste
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One of the four classes of people in the social system of the Aryans who settled in India-priests, warriors, peasants or traders, and non-Aryan laborers or craftsmen.
Castes became really important as time went on and they gradually grew more complex. A person's caste membership determined the work they did, the man or woman they could marry, and the people with whom they could eat. Those who were impure because of their work (butchers, gravediggers, collectors of trash) lived outside of the caste structure. |
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Untouchables
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Workers who were physically or spiritually unclean due to unhealthy habits of eating and washing. They were known as "untouchables" because people believed that even their touch endangered the ritual purity of others.
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Mahabharata
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A great Indian epic poem, reflecting the struggles of the Aryans as they moved south into India. It tells the story of a great war between two sets of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It is the longest single poem in the world with 106,000 verses. Elements of the poem indicate that a blending of cultures was taking place between Aryan and non-Aryan peoples. Non-Aryan people were described as dark-faced.
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Aryans and the dasas: How did the Aryans view the dasas?
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Aryans:
-taller -no developed writing system -pastoral people -counted their wealth in cows -offered sacrifices to heroic nature gods The dasas: -shorter -dark skin -town dwellers -lived in communities protected by walls -worshiped life-giving principles, such as the "Great God" Shiva and various mother goddesses. The Aryans viewed the dasas as inferior to them. They treated them like slaves by making them do work that they did not want to do. |
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What does the Mahabharata reveal about Indian society during this period?
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A blending cultures was taking place between Aryan and non-Aryan peoples in the Indian society during this period.
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Which body part is used to symbolize each of the four castes and why?
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The body parts used to symbolize each of the four castes are based on the honor or worthiness of each caste. For example, the mouth symbolizes the Brahmins, consisting of priests, because the mouth is at the top of Perusha. The top indicates that the priests were the most wealthy and powerful. The Sudras, or laborers, on the other hand were represented by the feet because they had the least amount of money, power, and dignity. The feet, much like the Sudras, are on the bottom. The Kshatriyas are represented by the arms which are higher up and close to the head. The Vaishyas are represented by the legs which are lower down and closer to the feet.
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Asceticism
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Renouncing the worldly life.
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Ascetic
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One who withdraws from all pleasure of the senses. This person seeks a reality not related to everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, owning a lot of things, and engaging in sex and hopes the austerities will result in inner peace and tranquility.
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Brahman
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The most prestigious group in northern India by around 1000 B.C.E.
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Atman
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An individual's deepest self.
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Moksha
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When ascetics experienced their true identity and realize their oneness with Brahman.
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Upanishads
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Collection of teachings of deeper insights. It literally means "to sit down under".
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Samsara
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Idea that Brahman never dies, but individuals are born and die again and again. Samsara may have developed from the repeated sacrifices that symbolized creation. However, the first written mention of it is in the Upanishads.
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Karma
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The measure of how one performs their dharma (duty, role), are determines what a person will be born in future lives. It stays with a person for many lifetimes. The law of karma helps explain the apparent lack of fairness within a single life time without sacrificing the ultimate ideal of justice.
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Dharma
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Duty, or role. Someone who does their own dharma builds good karma. Those who violate their dharma, even without meaning to do so, build bad karma. It does not matter what one intends to do. All that matters is how they act.
-Job-->caste/varna -determines future -influences karma -respect -made society peaceful and prosperous -friends -marry/date -creates order |
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What were the criticisms of Brahmin power?
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The Brahmins did not want their sons and daughters to marry non-Brahmins from conducting rituals. They stressed that doing one's duty kept the entire society serene.
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Which varnas (castes) were most critical of the Brahmins? Why?
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Some criticisms of Brahmin power included the rajas not having enough say in religion and cultural life and merchants receiving little recognition.
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How did karma explain to people why there was unfairness in life?
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Karma explained that good and bad karma stick with a person for many lifetimes. It might take repeated lives to offset bad karma. Bad karma may be a result of violation of dharma in a past life.
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Jainism
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Jiva
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A quality with which everything in existence is alive. Mahavira taught that billions of jivas have always existed Everything in the universe contains a jiva. They are caught up in solid matter. Mahavira also taught that the goal of life is to free jivas so they can escape the karmic matter that imprisons them. Humans free jivas from their own bodies by learning to control their senses.
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Ahimsa
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One of Mahavira's teachings against the brahminic sacrifices. he urged people to become strict vegetarians because of their reverence for all life.
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Jina
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A person who has absolute control over his senses. (i.e. Mahavira).
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Vira
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A heroic warrior.
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Doctrine of Maybe
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Principle taught by Mahavira to give up attachment because he suggested that giving up things is often easier than parting with one's opinions. Also that what a person thinks is true depends on where he or she is standing and what that person has been taught to think is true.
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Which varna (caste) was Mahavira? How did this influence his teachings?
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Mahavira was a prince, or Kshatriya. This influenced his teachings because he became fed up with his luxurious princely life.
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What did Mahavira preach about desire, violence, material possessions, and tolerance?
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Mahavira preached that violence in thought was an even greater form of violence and that people should strive to develop total self-control while avoiding all forms of injury, whether physical or emotional. He also preached to give up attachment, and that the best way to deal with insecurities and anxieties was not to try to abolish evil, but to control one's own thoughts and feelings.
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How does the religion of an orthodox Jain affect their daily life?
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It makes it more difficult for them to live than others. They have to be more careful. For example, they had to wear masks and carry brushes to prevent harm to small creatures. That probably made it more difficult for them to breathe and speak to others.
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Siddhartha Gautma
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The founder of Buddhism.
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Enlightenment
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In Buddhism, a state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe.
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Enlightened One
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Meaning of Buddha. Siddhartha Gautma was known as a Buddha for achieving an understanding of the cause of suffering of the world.
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Four Noble Truths
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The four main ideas that The Buddha had understood in his enlightenment.
First Noble Truth- Everything in life is suffering and sorrow. Second Noble Truth- The cause of all suffering is people's selfish desire for the temporary pleasures of this world. Third Noble Truth- The way to end all suffering is to end all desires. Fourth Noble Truth- The way to overcome such desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, which is called the Middle Way between desires and self-denial. |
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Eightfold Path
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Similar to a staircase in the way that Buddhas who were seeking enlightenment had to master one step at a time.
1. Right views 2. Right resolve 3. Right speech 4. Right conduct 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right concentration |
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Middle Way
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The middle way between desires and self-denial.
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Nirvana
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In Buddhism, the release from pain and suffering achieved after enlightenment.
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Sangha
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Buddhist religious order. It originally only referred to a community of Buddhist monks and nuns. However, it eventually referred to the entire religious community.
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Stupas
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Sacred mounds that are said to contain the Buddha's relics.
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Describe Siddhartha's background and childhood.
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Siddhartha was born into a noble family that lived in Kapilavastu, in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. According to Buddhist tradition, signs predicted before birth that he would be a great man. A prophecy indicated that if he stayed home as a child, then he was destined to become a world leader and if he left home, then he would become a universal spiritual leader. His father isolated him in his palace to make sure that he would be a great king.
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What are the four things Siddhartha saw when he left the palace?
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1. An old man.
2. A sick man. 3. A corpse being carried to the cremation grounds. 4. A wandering holy man who seemed at peace with himself. |
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Why did Siddhartha leave the palace? Where did he go?
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He left the palace to search for religious truths, an end to suffering, and to seek enlightenment. He wandered through the forests of India for six years.
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How were the teachings of the Buddha different from early Hinduism/Brahminism?
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The Buddha taught a way of enlightenment while Hinduism taught of moksha. The Buddha rejected the Hinduism caste system as well as many gods of Hinduism.
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Who was attracted to Buddhism?
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Laborers and craftspeople because of the Buddha's rejection of the caste system.
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How did Buddhism spread?
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It spread through trade. Traders carried Buddhism beyond India to Sri Lanka. It also spread along trade routes to Burma, Thailand, the island of Sumatra, China, Korea, and Japan. The movement of trade succeeded in making Buddhism the most widespread religion of East Asia.
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Hinduism
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A total way of life that tries to offer something for everyone regardless of gender, qualities, varna, or class.
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Dharma
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One's duty or appropriate role. Everything must perform its dharma in order for the universe to function smoothly. Of the four goals of an Indian's lifetime, this was their central goal.
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Artha
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The one of the four goals which has to do with survival, power, and wealth. It includes getting rich and becoming important.
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Kama
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The one of the four goals which means pleasure and all kinds of delights. It includes good food, good drink, joyful games, excitement, and passion.
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Moksha
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The experience of oneness in which a person releases their samsara and identifies themself as nirvana. It is the fourth and final goal in the Hindu synthesis which involves recognizing that one's real self is identified with the oneness of the whole universe. After a person has reached this stage, it is believed that they have broken the chain of karma and will never be born again.
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Guru
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A teacher with which a young man studies. A young man would serve his guru and do exactly what the guru would say.
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What was the basis for ranking caste?
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The basis was purity and pollution. It is associated with what a person takes in or gives off from his or her body. For example, sweat, spit, human excrement, using foul language and using improper grammar were considered polluting. Some jobs that were considered polluting include caring for the dead, delivering babies, skinning animals, and carting off waste. Eating animal meat was also considered polluting. purity was identified with people who worked with their head, recited scripture, and performed rituals.
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What were the Brahmins worried about?
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They were worried that they would lose their status, wealth, and privileged place in society if people rejected their rituals and turned to Buddhism and Jainism. They were also worried that they might be losing power.
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4 Goals and 4 Stages of Life
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Goals:
1. Dharma 2. Artha (power) 3. Kama (pleasure) 4. Moksha Stages: 1. Student: -dharma -study with guru or mother 2. Householder: -married -work -dharma for good of community -artha and kama for personal satisfaction. 3. Going to the forest: -drop out of society -meditates -studies -moksha 4. Wandering holy man: -wander around -live of generosity of others -moksha |
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Why were average people attracted to Hindu synthesis?
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It offered each individual a wide variety of choices. They were also attracted to it because each person had countless lifetimes to work out his or her destiny. For example, if a person only wanted to continue pursuing artha and kama, that was entirely acceptable. Another reason why people liked this system was because it kept society functioning.
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