India and China

what is the goal of confucianism?

to have good moral character

filial piety

children show respect to elders and family; superior guides subordinate, teaching them virtues

five key relationships

1. ruler and subject
2. husband and wife
3. parent and child
4. elder brother and younger brother
5. friend and friend

what is the goal of daoism?

the universal force “Dao” guides all things

wu wei

non-doing or ‘doing nothing’

yin-yang

yin: all that’s cold, dark, soft and mysterious

yang: warm, bright, hard and clear

Shi Huangdi

first emperor; halted internal battles of China, wanted to unify china; split China into 36 districts

autocracy

government that has unlimited power

legalism

rewards for doing jobs; harsh punishment

dynasty

ruling family; passed down from generation to generation

dynastic cycle

the rise, fall and replacement of dynastic families

mandate of heaven

power of the dynasty comes from God

silk road

network of routes China used to trade with many other civilizations- most valuable item was silk

bureaucracy

system of appointing officials to rule

samsara

the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation

karma

sanskrit work for action

moksha

sanskrit word for release; liberation from samsara; ultimate goal of hinduism

vedas

holiest, oldest, and most sacred texts of hinduism

bhagavad gita

epic tale that tells the creation of the universe

caste system

social hiearchy

four different castes

brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras

who are the untouchables?

not considered a class; does the dirty work

brahma

main god the Hindus worshipped; believed to created the universe

shiva

god that destroys the universe; source of good and evil

vishnu

the god that helps preserve the universe and people; believed to save followers by appearing through avatars

what are the goals of buddhism?

to achieve enlightenment and be free from samsara

four sights

old age, sickness and disease, death, a mendicant

mendicant

a holy man

middle path

path to enlightenment is not one of asceticism or hedonism

asceticism

a life based denying your physical needs to grow spiritual needs

hedonism

a life based on pleasure and avoiding pain

four noble truths

all life is suffering (dukkha); the origin of suffering is desire; there can be an end to suffering; the path to end suffering is the 8 fold path

tahna

craving the desire to want something

Siddhartha Gautama

6th cent. BC; first buddha; went from a life of hedonism to asceticism

how was china unified?

built highway networks; set same laws, writing, currency and measurements; created irrigation projects

warring state period

ending of the Zhou dynasty; inspired Confucius to live a harmonious society

what did the han dynasty do (3rd cent ad)?

decreased punishment and lowered taxes

what harsh things did the qin dynasty do (3rd cent. bc)?

increased taxes, forced peasants to labor, jailed anyone who disagreed with them