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Challenging the Brahmins: Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism

I. Jainism

• A. Kind of protest religion against Brahmins
• B. Vardhamana Mahavira - Jina - d. 527 BC
• C. World is souls mixed with matter - need to free soul of matter
• D. Asceticism, avoidance of evil thoughts - rejection of all material things, total honesty
• E. Importance of developing a rational perception of the world
• F. Need for right faith, right knowledge, right conduct
• G. Life too sacred to destroy - do as little violence as needed (ahisma - non-violence; vegetarianism)

II. Buddhism

• A. Founded by Sidhartha Gautama--Buddha (563-483 BC)
  • 1. from leading caste of hill tribe in north, near Nepal
  • 2. becomes spiritually dissatisfied, begins life as a wandering student of religion
  • 3. comes to develop a new religious idea - Buddhism
• B. Related philosophy to Hinduism
  • 1. accepted ideas of world soul and desire for unity with it
  • 2. accepted reincarnation, and karma as well
  • 3. yet claimed that there was no real individual soul, only the World Spirit
  • 4. placed less emphasis on caste system--all could find Nirvana
  • 5. simplified Hinduism by getting rid of superfluous gods
  • 6. Emphasizes ahisma and compassion for all living things
• C. Four Noble Truths
  • 1. All life is dukkha - suffering
  • 2. Suffering comes from desire (impermanence of world makes fulfillment of desire impossible)
  • 3. Suffering ends with cessation of desire - No-self
  • 4. Nirvana is achieved by following the eight-fold path: right knowledge, right purpose, right speech, right conduct, right occupation, right effort, right awareness, right meditation.

III. Hinduism

• A. Developed from the Aryan Vedas, Brahminism and Dravidian religion, grew to be dominant religion in India
• B. Emphasis in sacrifice in Brahminism fades, replaced with greater spirituality, individual contact with gods
• C. Dharma, Karma, and Reincarnation central to Hinduism
  • 1. living the right way, the right dharma, helped to achieve the correct karma
  • 2. history was a series of reincarnations with different karma
  • 3. best karma would be to transcend earthly cares
  • 4. Unlike in Buddhism, the individual soul is real (some variation on this point in different schools of Hinduism)
  • 5. World is real, but without proper understanding, world we know is an illusion
  • 4. ultimate "heaven" would be achieving unity with the World Soul
    • a. individuals are but a spark of the world soul
    • b. final unity, no reason for individuality
    • c. able now to see how world is an extension of of the single, all-encompassing reality
• E. The Upanishads
  • 1. Commentaries on the Vedas, develop around 500s BC
  • 2. Partly a response to Buddhism
  • 3. Move away from emphasis on sacrifice
  • 4. Greater emphasis on meditation, spiritual knowledge, asceticism
• F. Searching for contact with the world soul led to:
  • 1. rejection of the idea that the Brahmins were the only way to spiritual union
  • 2. rise of asceticism (although the Brahmins were themselves ascetic)
  • 3. rise also of opposite of asceticism--desire for heightened sexual pleasure within marriage
  • 4. these were all ways of experiencing the World Soul

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