Hinduism
- Ethics
-Hindus disapproved of violence and killing
-this belief of non-violence is called ahimsa
-however, they were allowed to use violence for self-defense, such as war
-conduct of war: couldn’t poison the tip of arrows, attack the sick, attack women or children, and couldn’t attack someone from behind
-they were vegetarians
-didn’t believe in killing other living things
-cattle were sacred to Hindus
-in India, killing cattle was banned
-jobs relating to butchery were prohibited to those in the lower class
- Beliefs
-allowed the freedom to believe and worship
-believed the world is one big family
-accept all beliefs but against distinct forms of religion
-Beliefs: Dharma – ethics, Samsara – life death and rebirth, Karma – action and then reaction, Yoga, Moksha – let go of soul to end suffering
- Festivals
-Hinduism has many festivals during the year
-calendar set their dates
-some festivals: pongal, shigmo, bihu, onam, holi
- Bolded Terms
- Brahma
-first God in the Hindu triumvirate
-God of creation
- Vishnu
-was a God in the Hindu triumvirate
-supreme god
-preserver of the universe
- Shiva
-another God in the Hindu triumvirate
-was the destroyer or transformer among the triumvirate
-all were responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the word.
- History
-oldest and most complex
-has no specific founder or theology so it’s hard to provide good history about it
-word Hinduism comes from the word Indus
-name of Indus river that existed about 5,000 yrs ago
-was influenced when Aryan Indo-European tribes invaded Northern India and attacked the Harappa people who lived there in 1500
- Hinduism has branched out and now has a lot of different religious beliefs and organizations
-Foundation of Transcendental Meditation and Buddhism
- Military
- Military Dynasty
- Nanda dynasty – 80,000 calvary. 6,000 war elephants. 200,000 infantry. 8,000 armed chariouts
- Maurya Dynasty
- Shishunaga Dynasty
- Satavahana dynasty
- Empires
-Gupta Empire: relied heavily on war elephants, infantry, archers, and they rarely used horses
-Kushan Empire: fought a lot on horseback and used a lot of war elephants and infantry. Many elephants were received from the Greeks.
- Weapons
-the bamboo longbow: made of a long piece of bamboo, didn’t warp as much composite bows of other cultures. Used by Sheva, fired metal tipped bamboo arrows. They were protected by light infantrymen
-The War Elephant: were used to charge, break enemy lines, and cause terror in the opponent.
-Catapult – capable of hurling large stones at the enemy.
- Tactics
-had various tactics that would uses, each for specific purpose.
-Krauncha Vyuha: crane – shaped formation of an army; forces are distributed to from spanning wing-sides with a formidable, penetrating centre depicting the crane’s head and beak
-Vyuha: a winding, ever rotating circular formation; considered impenetrable during the Mahabhatata age
- Buddhism
-What is it?
-Religion in the Indian subcontinent
-has a variety of beliefs, traditions, and practices based on Buddha
-two major branches – Theravada and Mahayana
- Theravada
-oldest surviving Buddhist branch. Means “The Ancient Teaching”
-most popular religion in Sri Lanka and Souheast Asia
-promotes Vibhajjavada, which means “Teaching of Analysis”
-Theravadins believe every individual is responsible for their own self-awakening and liberation
- Stupas
-a dome shaped structure erected as a Buddhist shrine. 5 types
-Relic – remains of Buddha and disciples
-Object – objects that belonged to Buddha and disciples
-Commemorative – events in the lives of Buddha and disciples
-Symbolic – aspects of Buddhist theology
-Votive – for visits and spiritual events
- Brahma
- In Buddhism in is the name for a type of exalted passionless deity
- -deity means God or Goddess
- The name originates in the Vedic tradition
- Brahmas and the Hindu ones
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