Religions of India’s Classical Age

By: Cade Venhuizen

Hinduism• People live many lives until they reach

spiritual perfection• Reincarnation- live on after death in a new

body• In time, a person can reach moksha- the highest

position when no further reincarnation is needed• Animals have souls-people were vegetarians

Hinduism• Worshipped Brahman-3 parts-Brahma the Creater,

Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the destroyer• Also worshipped many lesser gods• Sanskrit-language spoken by gods• Veda(knowledge)-written in Sanskrit-holist book to

the Aryans

Jainism• Founded in India in the 500s and 400s B.C. by

an Indian prince named Mahavira• Rejected Vedas and Brahman• Based on belief that every living thing had a

soul-were vegetarians• Best way to bring change was through

peaceful action (nonviolence)

Buddhism• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who was born to

royal parents in about 563 B.C.• The first time he went out of the palace walls, he saw

an old person, a sick person, and a dead person• For six years, he studied for the knowledge of how to

end suffering• He also prayed with the Brahman priests• After intense thought, he discovered the meaning of

life-people should seek love, truth, and the joy of knowledge

Buddhism• Gautama(Buddha) spent the rest of his life

teaching his message, which centered around the Four Noble Truths: 1. Suffering is a part of life, 2. Wanting things brings suffering, 3. People can find peace by giving up wants, and 4. Following the Eightfold path can end reincarnation and lead to nirvana

• After his death in 483 B.C., the religion Buddhism was based on his teachings

Confucianism• Kong Fuzi, or Confucius(Great Master Kong)

lived towards the end of the Zhou dynasty• He was a great teacher• None of his writings remain, however, his

students remember his teachings in the form of short statements

• They collected them in a book called the Lunyu(Chinese) or the Analects(English)

Confucianism• Filial piety- fulfilling one’s duty to one’s

parents, following their wishes, and caring for them

• Confucius said people should use filial piety to honor their king

• His teachings were mostly ignored during his lifetime, but, his ideas eventually spread throughout eastern Asia

Legalism• After establishing the Qin dynasty, the Qin

empire changed his name to Shi Huangdi• He depended on a way of government now

known as legalism• It taught that people obeyed their ruler out of

fear instead of respect(people who obey are rewarded-those who do not are punished)

• Shi Huangdi ruled the Chinese people harshly, but brought important changes about

Legalism• Shi Huangdi: ended power of nobles and made a strong

central government• Set up bureaucracy• United China and extended its borders• Organized building projects• Made peasants build more than 4,000 miles of road

and Great Wall of China• Made sure everything about Confucianism was

destroyed• Clay soldiers guard his tomb

Daoism• Han dynasty supported Confucianism and

Daoism• Happiness is key to long life• Han dynasty had many important innovations

such as:• Seismograph and paper• Silk Road-overland trade route that connected

China and Europe

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