Classical+India+and+China

=Classical India and China by MW and TP = **Vocabulary:** //Isolationism-// a policy of avoiding political or military involvement with other countries //Monotheism-// the belief in one God //Polytheism-// the belief in many gods //Caste-// 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 //The Vedas-// four collections of sacred writings produced by the Aryans during an early stage of their settlement in India //Dynasty-// a series of rulers from a single family //Karma-// in Hinduism and Buddhism, the totality of ones good and bad deeds which determine their fate for rebirth //Dharma-// in Hinduism, the religious and moral duties of an individual //Reincarnation//- belief in continued rebirth until until you reach union with your eternal spirit //Ahimsa-// central idea in Hinduism, the belief in non-violence //Divali-// celebration during the winter in Hinduism representing good over evil //Puja-// a religious practice followed by Hindus which is a daily ritual of washing and prayer //Jainism-// belief originated from Hinduism in which everything in the universe has a soul and therefore should not be harmed //Holi-// celebration during the spring in Hinduism to purify the fields //Animism-// belief that animals carry spirits //Nirvana-// the final goal in Buddhism that is a union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth //Tripitaka-// the sacred text in Buddhism //Theravada Buddhism-// sect of Buddhism that closely follows the original teachings of Buddha, life is devoted to hard spiritual work, only the most dedicated (nuns and monks) reach nirvana, this spread to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia //Mahayana Buddhism-// sect of Buddhism that is easier for ordinary for people to achieve, it views Buddha as a compassionate god (Buddha forbid his followers to worship him), followers turn to Buddha and other holy spirits for help with daily problems, believe in afterlife filled with many heavens and hells, this spread to China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan //Filial Piety-// belief in Confuciusism that a person's most important duty is to respect you parents //Feudalism-// a political system in which lords are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king in return for their loyalty and military service to the king and people who live and work on the land are given protection //Mandate of Heaven-// in Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority

**Important Concepts:** 1). Buddhism was founded by Saddhartha Guatama, who later became Buddha. It originated around 566 B.C. Buddhism stresses moral principles such as honesty, charity, and kindness to all living creatures. The basic beliefs of Buddhism are the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The 4 Noble Truths are that all life is full of pain and sorrow, the cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, the only cure for suffering is to overcome ones desires, and the way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path. Following the Eightfold Path means you have right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation. By following this you can each nirvana, which is the final goal of Buddhism. When you reach nirvana you are in union with the universe and are released from the cycle of rebirth. Buddhists seek enlightenment through meditation. The sacred text for Buddhism is the Tripitaka (3 Baskets of Wisdom). Buddhism was popular in times of crisis because it emphasized personal salvation, offered hope of eternal peace, and had a kind "god" (Buddha told his followers not to worship him, but Mahayana Buddhists viewed him as one).  2). Hinduism originated around 1500 B.C. making it the world's oldest belief system. In India, it has 700 million followers, which is 85% of the population. It is a polytheistic religion. The primary gods are Brahma (the creator of the universe), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer of ignorance and evil). Hinduism originated from animism. Hindus believe in reincarnation (continued rebirth until you reach union with the eternal spirit), karma (the sum of passed lives that is carried with you), and dharma (duties in this life). There is also a caste system which is the belief each person is born into a social class which you couldn't change. You are born into a caste, marry within your caste, and die in the same caste. There are 5 levels, the Brahman (priests) is the highest caste, then comes the Kshatriya (rulers, warriors, and landowners), next the Vaishya (merchants), then the Shudra (artisans and farmers), and finally the untouchables. The caste system kept order among India's people Some of the central ideas of Hinduism are that daily life is sacred, Brahman (unchanging, all powerful, spiritual force), Ahimsa (non-violence to animals), and the unity of all life (everything is connected in a great chain of being). Some religious practices are Puja (daily washing and prayer), that upon death they are cremated and the ashes are thrown into the Ganges river, that they follow a diet, and that they honor the deities with offerings at temples. Hindus are vegetarians because when you eat meat you could be eating someone you knew in a past life. The most sacred animal is the cow. 3). Confuciusism is a philosophy largely present in China. It was started by Confucius, who was born in 551 B.C. and during his life wandered and taught. After his death his students created a collection of his sayings called the Analects. Confucius taught about the 5 Relationships: father to son, elder brother to younger brother, husband to wife, ruler to subject, and friend to friend. He also taught that filial piety (respect for one's parents) is a person's most important duty. It is taught that it is the responsibility of the leader to provide a good government and that the people will follow a educated and virtuous leader who leads by example. Important values of Confuciusism are honesty, hard-working, and concern for others. 4). Legalism, another philosophy in China, comes from the teachings of Hanfeizi, who died in 233 B.C. The beliefs of legalism are that people are naturally evil, goodness must be acquired, greed is the motive for most actions and the start of most conflicts, thpunishments, and that strength is a rulers greatest virtue. This was often used by feudal leaders and was the official policy of Quin emperors, who united China in 221 B.C.  5). Daoism (you guessed it, another philosophy in China) was founded by Lao Tze. He wrote __The Way of Virtue__, lived during the same time as Confucius, and sought to live in harmony with nature. Daoism teaches that government is unnatural, causes many problems, and that the best government is the one that governs the least. Daoists followed"The Way" by rejecting conflict and strife, ending the conflict between human desires and the simple ways of nature, yielding to pressure (flow like water), and some even rejected the unnatural ways of society. 6). Dynastic Cycle in China- A strong dynasty establishes peace and prosperity (it is considered to have the Mandate of Heaven). In time, the dynasty declines and becomes corrupt, taxes are raised, and their power grows weaker. Disasters such as floods, famines, peasants revolt, and invasions occur. The old dynasty is seen as having lost the Mandate of Heaven and rebellion is justified. The dynasty is overthrown through rebellion and bloodshed. A new dynasty then emerges. The new dynasty gains power, restores peace and order, and claims to have the Mandate of Heaven. MW

1). Be able to describe the rule of Chandragupta Maurya. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">2). Be able to describe the rule of Asoka. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">3). Know inventions from China <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">4). Under the Gupta Empire, India experienced its golden age 5). Under the Han Dynasty, China experienced its golden age 6). Buddhism spread from India to China and other areas in Asia 7). The geography of China isolated it and allowed it to develop untouched by the rest of the world 8).Legalism, Daoism, and Confuciusism are philosophies of China. 9). Hinduism is the world's oldest belief system 10). Know the Mandate of Heaven MW Below is a diagram showing the violent transition of power of ancient China:
 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">10 Things A Global Smarty Should Know: **
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Founder of the Mauryan Empire (northern India)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Written about by foreign diplomat in his court
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Ruled 324-301 B.C.
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">His method to conquer neighboring kingdoms was to have his armies harass outer areas of the kingdom, drain their strength and resources, and then move in and take over
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Strictly enforced harsh laws
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Had government officials direct economic activities and public works projects
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Feared assassination
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Abdicated throne to his son and became a monk
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Converted to Buddhism when he saw the horrific things in war
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Became ruler after long war where over 100,000 died
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Built hospitals, Buddhist shrines, roads, and rest houses for travelers
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Promoted religious tolerance
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Last great ruler of the Mauryan Empire
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Paper (105 A.D.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Movable type (1040 A.D.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">General anesthesia for surgery (202 B.C.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Method of weaving silk (2700 B.C.)
 * Mini DBQ:**

"....has taken place by two manners, by enforcing conformity to Righteousness, and by exhortation. I have enforced the law against killing certain animals and many others, but the greatest progress of Righteousness... comes from exhortation in favor of noninjury to life and abstention from killing living beings." //- Asoka// (written on stone pillar)

Below is a map showing the greatest extent of territory of four of the major ancient Chinese dynasty: [|Regents Prep] [|Caste System]**
 * Links: