Chapter 4 - Empires of India and China. (600 BC - AD 550).

(1) Hinduism and Buddhism.

(2) Powerful Empires of India.
(3) Pillars of Indian Life.
(4) Philosophy and Religion in China.
(5) Strong Rulers Unite China.

(1) Hinduism and Buddhism.

Vocabulary.
atman - essential self.
moksha - union with brahman.
reincarnation - rebirth of soul in another bodily form.
karma - actions in one’s life that affect fate in next life
dharma - wheel of fate.
ahimsa - nonviolence (moral principle of Hinduism).
nirvana - final Buddhist goal: union with universe.
sect - smaller group.

Beliefs of Hinduism.
Hinduism did not evolve out of one person’s ideas but out of a blend of Aryan traditions
and religious beliefs of peoples Aryans conquered in India.
No single founder.
Many gods: Brahma (creator), Vishu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer).
OR one god: Brahman - too complex .. so worship a lot of gods.
No single sacred text.
Sacred texts: Vedas and Upanishads
* Bhagavad-Gita (poem) in which - god Krishna instructs prince of importance of
duty over desire and ambition.
Goal of Life:
individuals free themselves from selfish desires to achieve ‘moksha’
or union with brahman .. a process taking more than one lifetime.
* Hinduism provides a guide for correct conduct. It encourages virtues
such as truth, respect for life, and detachment from the material world.

Karma and Dharma.

One attains union with brahman by obeying laws of karma (good behavior).
Karma are all actions in an individual’s life that affect fate in the next life.
Hindus believe that all existence is ranked; humans are closest to brahman.
In order: brahman>humans>animals>plants>objects like rocks and water.
Dharma are religious and moral duties of an individual.
Both karma and dharma ensure social order by supporting caste system!!!
Ahimsa is another moral principle of non-violence. Gandhi (1869-1948).

Opposition to Brahmins.
c. 600 BC. Brahmins or priests emerged as highest caste - performed rituals.
c. 500 BC. Jainism was new religion started out of Hindu traditions that
challenged Brahmins being only ones to perform sacred rites.
Jain teachings stress meditation, self-denial, ultra non-violence.
Gautama Buddha: The Enlightened One.
Another reformer was born in Nepal in the Himalayas founds new religion.
Early Life.
Siddhartha Gautama. (c.566 - c.483 BC). A prince of a rajah. High caste.
Traditions say mother had dream (white elephant): son becomes holy man.
Prince Gautama marries a beautiful woman, has a son, enjoys a happy life.
The Search.
One day Gautama is outside palace: sees sick person, old person, dead body.
For first time he became aware of human suffering .. and was disturbed.
He left wife and son in palace to discover life ‘without suffering or death.’
Wanders for years. Fasts. Sits under tree for 48 days. Meditates.
Gets up: he is no longer Gautama but the Buddha, or ‘Enlightened One.’
Suddenly thinks he understands cause and cure for suffering and sorrow.

Four Noble Truths.

(1) All life is suffering.
(2) Cause of suffering is desire for riches, power, long life.
(3) Cure for suffering is to overcome desire.
(4) Way to overcome desire is follow ‘Eightfold Path.’
Eightfold Path.
(1) Right views.
(2) Right aspirations.
(3) Right speech.
(4) Right conduct.
(5) Right livelihood.
(6) Right effort.
(7) Right mindfulness.
(8) Right contemplation.

Comparison.
Buddhism is same as Hinduism regarding
Nonviolence.
Karma and Dharma.
Moksha.
Reincarnation.
Buddhism is different from Hinduism regarding
No priests.
No rituals.
No gods.
No caste system.

Spread of Buddhism.
Buddha dies in his 80s. Eating spoiled food.
After death his teachings are put in ‘Three Baskets of Wisdom.’
Sects.
Splits: Theravada - Close to original Buddha teaching. Hard Life.
Mahayana - Easier for ordinary people. Who start to worship HIM!

Buddhism thrives in Asia but, eventually, in India it is merged back into Hinduism where
Buddha actually becomes a Hindu god.
 (2) Powerful Empires of India.

Vocabulary.
missionary - people on religious mission.
golden age - period of great cultural achievement.
decimal system - numbers based on 10.
stupa - large dome-shaped shrines.
mural - wall paintings.

Mauryan. Gupta.
Empire. Empire.
_____________ _______________
Golden Age.

Asoka.
268-232.
BC.

___________ _____________ ________________ ________________

483. 321. 185. 320. 550.
BC. BC. BC. AD. AD.
Buddha.
dies.

Maurya Empire. (321 BC -185 BC).

321 BC. Chadrupta Maurya gains power in Ganges, then north India.
(Mauyra dynasty will rule over largest empire in India.)
Well-run bureaucracy. Decentralized.
Capital was moated city: wooden palace, schools, library.
Specially trained women warriors guarded the palace.
Chadrupta maintained order. But his effective rule was harsh.
Secret police report on corruption, crime, dissent (opposing ideas).

268 BC. Asoka, Chad’s grandson, becomes most honored emperor.

He is one to expand Maurya Empire to its largest size.
But he is more famous for becoming a Buddhist convert.
He is horrified at seeing 100,00 dead on battlefield.
Stops conquests. Rejects violence. Becomes Buddhist.
Exports Buddhism to Asia (Sri Lanka) via missionaries.
Erects stone pillars across India announcing laws et cetera.

185 BC. Asoka was dead about 40 years when Maurya Empire died.
Rival princes again battled each other on northern plains.
Disunity, not unity, is common throughout India’s history.

Kingdoms of the Deccan.

Tamil kingdoms ruled in the south.
Favorable to women. Queens ruled on occasion.
Golden Age of Guptas.
Next dynasty to unite India is Gupta that comes 500 years after Maurya.
Guptas ruled between AD 320 to 550 in what is called a ‘Golden Age.’
It is becoming a new empire at the same time Roman empire is falling.
It is ‘golden age’ because it was a period of great cultural achievement.

Religion.
Hinduism dominated Indian life under Guptas. Buddhism had some
effect but by this time was gradually being absorbed into Hinduism.
Revival of Hinduism meant revival of power of Brahmins (priests).

Peace and Prosperity.

Gupta rule was looser than Mauyra. Decentralized. Local village rule.
Text does not mention rulers listed below:
Chandra Gupta I. (AD 320-325).
Samudra Gupta. (AD 335- 376).
Rama Gupta. (assassinated).
Chandra Gupta II. (AD 376-412).
Trade and farming flourished across Gupta empire.
Prosperity contributed to flowering of the arts. (Key to golden age!)

Advances in Learning.
Students were educated in religious schools but not only about religion.
Subjects: Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Language, Literature.

Mathematics:
- Devised numbers we use today. (1,2,3 etc.).
Called Arabic numbers: Arabs took them east in 700s AD.
Really Hindu-Arabic numerals.
- Originated the concept of zero.
- Developed decimal system based on number 10.
Medicine:
- Used herbs to treat illness.
- Surgeons set bones. Performed facial surgery.
- Started vaccination v. smallpox 1000 years ahead of Europe.
Architecture:
- Buddhists built stupas, large dome-shaped shrines.
- Buddhist artists painted rich murals, wall paintings.
Example is cave temples at Ajanta.
Literature:
- Writers collected and recorded fables and folk tales.
- Greatest Gupta playwright, Kalidasa, wrote “Shakuntala.”

Decline.
Gupta India declined due to weak rulers, civil war, foreign invasions.
From central Asia came White Huns who overran the Gupta empire.
 (3) Pillars of Indian Life.

Vocabulary.
joint family - extended family.
dowry - payment to bridegroom.

Setting the Scene.

Most Indians knew nothing of the dazzling courts of Mauyras or Guptas.
The majority of people were peasants who lived in countless villages.
In Gupta times, as today, the caste system ensured stability and order.
Everday life revolved around rules and duties associated with:
caste.
family.
village.

Complex Caste System.

Remember: Aryans had divided society into four occupational classes with non-Aryans
considered the outcasts and the ones to hold the lowest jobs.
Many Castes.
By Gupta times, many additional castes evolved to absorb invaders and
other castes grew out of new occupations and religions.
By modern times, there were hundreds of major castes and thousands of subcastes.
Complex Rules.
Caste was closely linked to Hindu beliefs that a high caste person (Brahmin) was purer,
therefore, closer to moksha, than a low caste person.
To ensure spiritual purity complex caste rules governed every aspect of life:
where one lived.
what one ate.
how one dressed.
how one earned a living.
marrying within caste.
The lowest ranked caste was the ‘Untouchables’ who got “impure” jobs like digging graves,
cleaning streets, or turning animal hides into leather.
c. AD 320 Gupta had restrictions for contact with untouchables.
Untouchables had to live apart and make noise to warn of their approach.

Effects.
Despite its inequalities, the caste system ensured a stable social order.
People believed that the law of karma determined their caste in this life.
People had to wait for the next life (reincarnation) for upward mobility.

Family Life.
The ideal family was the ‘joint family’ (extended) living in common dwelling.
The Indian family was patriarchial with father as the head of household.
Property however belonged to the whole family.
Widow become a ‘sati’ by joining dead husband on funeral pyre.

Village Life.
Villages were self-sufficient, producing food and clothing that they needed.
 (4) Philosophy and Religion in China.

Vocabulary.
philosophy - system of ideas.
filial piety - respect for parents.

Laozi.
(Lao-Tse.)
________________
c. 600. ?
BC.
Daoism.
(Taoism).
Dao=‘the way’. Hanfeizi.
Confucius. (HanFei-Tsu.)
__________________ ________________
551. 479. ? 233.
BC. BC. BC.
Confucianism. Legalism.
“The Analects.”

Confucius: A Great Teacher.

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was the most influential Chinese philosopher.
His name K’ung (family name) Fu-Tse (master of philosophy) is pronounced ‘Confucius’
which is his Western name for Kong Fuzi (Master Kong).
Scholar. Minor government job. Became teacher to sons of noble families.
Lived through the troubled times of the Zhou dynasty: constant civil wars.
Lived at same time as Buddha and Socrates - all who never wrote anything.
Dates: Buddha (c. 566 BC- 483 BC); Socrates (c.470 BC-399 BC).
After his death his students collected many of his sayings in “The Analects.”
Unlike Buddha, Confucius had no interest in religious matters, like salvation.
He instead was interested in a philosophy (system of ideas) of worldly goals,
especially on how to ensure social order and good government.
His ideas on a moral code of conduct took hold slowly after his death.

Five Relationships.
Confucius says that harmony results when people accept their place in society.
He stressed five relationships: father to son, elder brother to younger brother, husband to
wife, ruler to subject, and friend to friend.
He preached inequality: elders superior to youth and men superior to women.
He stressed that correct behavior by all would bring order and stability.
Government.
A ruler had responsibility to provide good government.
A subject in return had to show respect and loyalty.
The best ruler was a virtuous one who led people by good example.

Spread of Confucianism.
Rulers relied on Confucian ideas and chose Confucian scholars as officials.
Confucian emphasis on filial piety bolstered traditional customs (ancestors).
Confucian ideas spread from China to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Legalism.
Hanfeizi (d. 233 BC) follows Confucius (200 years). Different philosophy.
He developed a philosophy called Legalism since it derives from strict laws.
* Philosophy is derived-word: ‘philos’=love;’sophos’=wise.
Legalism stood in stark contrast to Confucianism (ethical conduct). It was an authoritarian
philosophy about unquestioning obedience to authority.
Legalism says in effect rule of law is superior to the rule by good example.
Hanfeizi says ‘the nature of man is evil and his goodness is acquired.’ Greed, he concluded,
is motive for most actions and cause of most conflicts.
The Qin ruler (first emperor) unites China in 221 BC and adopts Legalism.
His laws were so cruel (lasts 14 yr.)that later generations despised Legalism.

Daoism: The Unspoken Way.

Laozi (b. 600 BC), the ‘Old Master,’ was 50 years older than Confucius.
He wrote “The Way of Virtue,” a book with great influence on Chinese life.
Daoism is not like Confucianism or Legalism that brought order to humans.
Daosim is instead a philosophy about living in harmony with nature.
Seeking ‘the Way’.
Laozi looked beyond everyday cares to focus on the ‘Dao’ or ‘the way’ of the universe. How
does one find the Dao? “Those who know the Dao do not speak of it,” Laozi. “Those who
speak of it do not know it.” Okay. Maybe.
The goal of life is to be attuned to the ‘dao’ or universal force (undefined).
Not in text: the ‘dao’ also means the way of the road to reach that goal. Person reaches
harmony with nature not with reason - with contemplation.
Daoists turned from ‘unnatural’ ways of society to become hermits, artists.
Government.
Daoists saw government as ‘unnatural’ and, thus, cause of many problems.
 To Daoists, the best government is the one that governed the least!

Blend of Ideas.
Daoism is a philosophy but it evolved into a religion with gods, goddesses
and magical practices. Daoist priests had charms to protect from calamity.

Buddhism in China.
AD 100 Missionaries and merchants brought Buddhism from India to China. Chinese
initially had trouble with Buddhist religion:
Chinese tradition valued family life.
But.
Buddhism honored monks and nuns who gave up
benefits of family life for a life of solitary meditation.

Chinese later took to Buddhist religion because it offered personal salvation.

Neither Daoism nor Confucianism offered any hope of eternal happiness.

AD 400. Buddhism spread throughout China.

Buddhist monasteries became important centers of learning.
Buddhism absorbed many Confucian and Daoist traditions.
Chinese Buddhist monks stressed filial piety and honored Confucius.
 (5) Strong Rulers Unite China.

Vocabulary.
monopoly - complete control of product by one group.
expansionism - increasing territory.
warlord - local military ruler.
acupuncture - needles at specific points to relieve pain.

Qin dynasty. Han dynasty.

(Ch’in).
HanWudi.
_____________
141. silk. 87.
BC. road. BC.
______________ ______________________________________________
221. 207. 206. 220.
BC. BC. BC. AD.

First emperor. Expanded borders.

Legalism. Started Civil Service exams.
Burned books. Confucian scholars=officials.
Great Wall. Uniform writing system.

Introduction.
The word ‘king’ in Chinese has three horizontals (heaven, earth, humanity) with one
vertical (king) line. The Zhous (1027--256 BC) used this symbol.
But Shih Huang Ti (259-210 BC), founder of Ch’in dynasty is ‘emperor’.
The word ‘Ch’in’ is root of word ‘China’ but is referred in text as ‘Qin.’

Shi Huangdi.
He spent 20 years at war before becoming ‘emperor’ of newly-united China.
Centralized power with Legalist advisers: authoritative government of Qin.
Unity Imposed.
Emperor Shi Huangdi abolished feudalism with military districts loyal to him.
Sent inspectors to spy on his officials. Forced nobles to live in castle with him.
Redistributed lands of nobles to peasants but peasants had to pay high taxes.
Promoted unity with standard weights and measures .. and fixed Qin coinage.
Had scholars create uniformity in Chinese language.
Had workers extend roads and canals to improve transportation system.
*Required (by law) cart wheels be same size to run in same ruts on roads.
Crackdown on Dissent.
Harsh treatment of critics. Jailed. Tortured. Killed those opposing his rule.
Burning of books of literature & philosophy (not medicine and agriculture).
The Great Wall.
Biggest achievement: Great Wall (1400 mi.) 25 feet high; completed 214 BC.
Collapse.
Emperor said Qin empire would last forever .. but it lasted only 14 years.
Emperor dies 210 BC >revolts over high taxes, forced labor, cruelty.
Han Dynasty.
Liu Bang, illiterate peasant leader, defeats Qin army. Founds Han dynasty.
He claims (like earlier Chinese leaders) to have ‘Mandate of Heaven’.
He took new name Gao Zu (text) or Han Kao-tsu. Ruled 207 to 195 BC.
He scraps Legalism. Favors Confucian scholars to run government.

Emperor Wudi.
Wudi (text) or Han Wudi is most famous Han emperor (141-87 BC).
The ‘Warrior Emperor,’ he expanded China’s territory through war.
Helped economic growth by improving canals and roads.
Established a government monopoly (one control) on iron and salt.
Silk Road.
Opened Silk Road (trade route) that linked China to West for centuries.
Eventually, the Silk Road stretched for 4000 miles, used by traders.
Scholar-Officials.
Han emperors made Confucianism the official belief system of the state.
Well educated scholars were expected to run bureaucratic state.
Civil Service Exams.
Han emperors decided to select government official on merit, not family.
Civil service exams based on Confucianism were set up. To reward merit.
But only the sons of wealthy could study years for exam. Reward the rich.

Collapse.
The Han empire lasts 400 years (206 BC - AD 220) but China breaks up.
Weak emperors could no longer control powerful warlords (local rulers).
Invaders also poured over the Great Wall to add to the disorder.

Han Golden Age.

Han China was truly a ‘golden age’ of many achievements.
Science.
Astronomers work led to improved calendars and better timekeeping devices.
One scientist established time frame for comets and eclipses.
Medicine.
Physicians diagnosed diseases. Used herbs. Developed anesthetics.
Explored use of ‘acupuncture’ or use of needles to relieve pain or illness.
Technology.
Invented paper out of wood pulp.
Invented the rudder to steer ships.
Invented bronze and iron stirrups, fishing reels, wheelbarrows.
Invented suspension bridges and chain pumps.
The Arts.
Artisans produced jade and ivory carvings .. and ceramic figures.
Ban Zhao wrote handbook (AD 100) titled “Lessons for a Woman.”

Recap.
The Qin and Han dynasties forged a vast and varied land into united China.
During Han officials established pattern of government to survive til 1912.