What is Religion ? Religion is the belief in gods and the activities that are connected with this belief, such as rituals or prayers. In ancient India, China and Southeast Asia, religion was very important. The three religions had a great impact on life. The tree civilisations were Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. The well known religions in this world are, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christian and Catholic. What is Philosophy ? Other than religions, there are beliefs that do not involve a god or gods, which also guide people in their lives. These are called Philosophies. The three philosophies that had a great impact on life in ancient China is Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism. These three philosophies continue to have an impact on our lives today. Hinduism in India... Hinduism was the first religion to appear in India. Historians don’t really know how or when Hinduism started. However, by reading and understanding sacred Hindu texts. One of them was Vedas (collections of poems sung in praise of Aryan gods) and Bhagavad Gita (‘Divine song of God’). Hinduism is at least 3000 years old and is the oldest religion in India. Hinduism developed slowly over many countries through a mixing of the beliefs of the Aryans and the Indus people. The main features of Hinduism 1. The worship of many gods. The most impostant gods are Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). 2. The belief in non-violence. Hinduism teaches that all life is sacred. Therefore, humans and animals should not be killed. 3. The belief in reincranation.The Hindus believe when a person dies, his soul is reborn into a new body. This process of rebirth is called reincarnation. Impact of Hinduism The ancient Indians believed that the caste a person was born into was the result of his actions during his previous life. He would then try his best to be a good person so that he would be reborn into a higher caste. It was also believed that as divine rulers, Indian kings had to make sure that everyone followed the rulers of the caste system. Buddhism in India... Ancient India was also the birthplace of another important religion, Buddhism. Unlike Hinduism, whose origins and founder aren’t known. We know that Buddhism began over 2 000 years ago and was developed from the teachings of a prince called Gautama Siddharta. Gautama Siddhartha Gautama Siddhartha was born c. 566 BCE in North India. As a prince. When he was 29 years old, Gautama went outside the palace grounds and into the neighboring villages. For the first time in his life, he witnessed how people had suffered from illness, old age and death. Siddhartha left the palace to search for a way to end suffering and achive everlasting happiness. The moment that Gautama found the answer to his questions is called enlightment or true understanding. Gautama became known as the Buddha, which means ‘The Enlightened One’. Impact of Buddhism 1) Buddhism spread very quickly in ancient India. 2) Many Hinduism especially those from the lower castes, converted to Buddhism because it taught that all men are equal. 3) Centuries later, several powerful Indian rulers converted to Buddhism or were strongly influenced by Buddha’s teachings. 4) These rulers then helped to spread Buddhism throughout India and The rest of Asia. Confucianism... Confucianism was a philosopher who lived from 551 BCE to 479 BCE, during the period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-221 BCE). During the later years of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, wars were fought between the feudal lords as each tried to gain control over more land. Confucius was deeply troubled by the destruction caused by the wars. He wanted people to live in peace and harmony. Confucius belived that if people lived by a code of conduct or a set of rules in their relationships with others, there would be a peace and harmony. Impact of Confucianism 1) During his time, Confucius travelled to different parts of China to persuade rulers to practice his philosophy, but few were convinced. 2) His teachings became more widespread after his death. 3) Centuries after the death of Confucius emperors saw the value of his teachings and used his philosophy as guide for ruling. Legalism... Legalism is a philosophy of ‘good government’ rather than one that guides people in their daily lives. It was developed by some thinkers who believed that people are naturally selfish and weak. People who broke the law must be severely punished in order to discourage others from committing the same crimes. Qin Shihuang adopted Legalism during his reign. He used it to strengthen his rule and unify his empire. Under the influence of Legalism, people who broke law must received harsh punishments such as execution and forced labour. Taoism... Another philosophy that began during the Zhou dynasty was Taoism. An important Taoist thinker, Zhuang Zi, also contributed many of his own ideas to the teachings of Taoism. The teachings of Taoism are found in the Dao De Ching (‘Book of changes’). They teaches that there can be peace and harmony if people follow the Tao (‘Way’) of nature. Taoism also teaches that people can achieve inner peace and harmony by taking care of their health. Islam in Southeast Asia... The followers of Islam are known as Muslims. Muslims believe that their religion was revealed by Allah through the prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in Arabia in 570 CE. Muslims believe that in 610 CE, Muhammad received the first of several messages from Allah. In Arabic, Allah means ‘the one true God’. These messages were later written down to become the Qur’an, the holy book of the Muslims. The Qur’an states how Allah wants Muslims to live. The five pillars of Islam 1) Muslims must declare ‘There is no God but Allah, and Prophet Muhammad is his messenger’. This statement is also known as ‘Syahadat’. 2) Muslims must pray five times a day and when praying they must face the direction of Mecca. 3) Muslims must give zakat, which is an obligatory contribution to the poor and needy. 4) Muslims must fast between sunrise and sunset during the islamic month of Ramadhan. 5) Muslims must go on a pilgrimage to Mecca if they can afford it. This pilgrimage is called the haj.