LECTURE OUTLINE: HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, CONFUCIANISM

1. Hinduism:

"Every acceptable philosophy should aid man in realizing the Puruṣārthas, the chief aims of human life.” (Puligandla, Ramakrishna (1997), Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy)

TENETS OF THE FAITH

A. THREE ANCIENT HINDU PERIODS:

1. The Vedic Period—(3000-800 BCE)

2. Pre-Epic Period—(Upanishads) (800-500 BCE)

3. The Epic Period (500-200 BC)

The Mahabharata

Bhagavad Gita

Ramayana

WHAT TYPE OF SOCIAL ORDER WAS BUILT? WAS IT RELATED TO THOSE BELIEFS?

B. CASTE SYSTEM: dates from 2000 BCE

1. Brahmin

2. Kshatriyas

3. Vaisyas

4. Shudras

The world was formed from Purusha whose body is described as follows:

"The brahmin was his mouth, his two arms became the kshatriyas, his thighs are the vaisya, and from his feet the shudra was made."

C. DHARMA: "Duties and obligations of the individual toward himself and the society as well as those of the society toward the individual"’

Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, talks to the warrior Arjuna

“Having regard to your own duty also, you ought not to falter, for there is nothing better for a Kshatriya than a righteous battle.”

Krishna, in the Bhagavat Gita, talks to the warrior Arjuna

“Having regard to your own duty also, you ought not to falter, for there is nothing better for a Kshatriya than a righteous battle.”

E. SAMSARA, MOKSHA, AND KARMA

SAMSARA…(the cycle of rebirth)

MOKSHA…(release from the cycle)

KARMA…(the universal law of cause and effect)

What is the advantage of a caste system?

What are the problems of a caste system?

2. Buddhism:

WHO WAS THE BUDDHA?

Born in 560 BCE in Northern India, most thought he would either be a universal savior or a king and conqueror.

The four passing sights:

1. An old man: the fact of old age.
2. A body racked with disease: the fact of illness.
3. A corpse: the fact of death.
4. A monk with a shaven head: the fact of withdrawal from the world. 

TENETS OF THE FAITH

1. First Noble Truth: Life is dukkha--usually translated as "suffering" although it is much more than this.

2. Second Noble Truth: The cause of life's dislocation is tanha: the desire to private fulfillment.

3. Third Noble Truth: If the cause of life's dislocation is selfish craving, then its cure lies in the overcoming of selfish craving.

4. Fourth Noble Truth: The program offering specific steps to overcome tanha are given as the Eightfold Path.

WHAT TYPE OF SOCIAL ORDER WAS BUILT? WAS IT RELATED TO THOSE BELIEFS?

Mauryan Dynasty from 321-185 BCE

King Asoka, 269 BCE to 232 BCE.

H.G. Wells has written: "Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history ... the name of Asoka shines, and shines almost alone, a star."

“Here (in my domain) no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. Nor should festivals be held… Formerly, in the kitchen of Beloved-of-the-Gods, hundreds of thousands of animals were killed every day to make curry. But now with the writing of this Dhamma edict only three creatures, two peacocks and a deer are killed, and the deer not always. And in time, not even these three creatures will be killed… To do good is difficult. One who does good first does something hard to do. I have done many good deeds, and, if my sons, grandsons and their descendants up to the end of the world act in like manner, they too will do much good. But whoever amongst them neglects this, they will do evil. Truly, it is easy to do evil.”

3. Confucianism:   (儒敎)

TENETS OF THE FAITH

WHAT TYPE OF SOCIAL ORDER WAS BUILT? WAS IT RELATED TO THOSE BELIEFS?

CONCLUSION…

“If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between ‘for’ and ‘against’ is the mind’s worst disease.

--Sent-ts’an, c700 C.E.