History

1. Summarize the evolution of Ancient Indian civilization from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization through the so-called Vedic era. Be sure to include such societal developments as the caste system.

Ancient Indian civilization started around 2800 BCE. The first major civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization. This society was built around the flow of rivers, most notably the IndusRiver that flows through modern day Pakistan. The civilization was made up of multiple city-states along these rivers. The two most well known are Harappa and Mehenjo-Daro. Many of these cities were started for religious purposes and thus did not focus on military efforts, including protection against invaders. Instead they focused on technological advancement. An example of this is their multistory building and indoor plumbing. Around 2200 BCE this civilization started to fade. The population had grown too much and thus exhausted many of the natural resources around the area. At this point people started migrating to other areas. They kept the idea of living around rivers and many moved towards the Ganges River.
Around 2000 BCE Indo Aryans started invading India. These newcomers camefrom the north in areas such as Russia. They were a war like people who were light skinned and physically bigger people. They conquered the settlements around the Ganges River and began the rise of monarchies. Eventually they also had a large part in what became the caste system. As we learned in class, the originally word for caste was Varna, which translates to color. Therefore the caste systemwas originally put in place to discriminate against darker skinned people. To be a member of the first three castes you almost always had to be of Aryan descent, because you could not change castes in your lifetime.
The story of the Indo-Aryan invasion was detailed during the Vedic Period in a text called the Mahabharata. This text is the world’s longest epic poem. Originally this poem was passeddown through oral traditions but was written down during this time.

2. What is the main goal of Buddhist teachings? How do Buddhists achieve this goal?

The main goal of Buddhist teachings is to release yourself from suffering. To do this you must follow your Dharma and eventually leave Samara, the wheel of existence. When this is completed you then enter Nirvana and cease suffering.
Toreach this point of nirvana or enlightenment you must follow your Dharma, which translates to proper path. If you do not follow your Dharma you will never reach enlightenment. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism allows for good and bad karma. Good karma allows you to be closer to enlightenment. If you do not reach a point of enlightenment upon death you will be re-incarnated. If you received a lot of goodkarma in your previous life then you would have the opportunity to be re-incarnated in a higher caste, which meant you were closer to enlightenment. The opposite was true of bad karma.
The original Buddha thought of four noble truths that apply to the world. The first is that there is suffering in the world. The second is that suffering originates from excessive desire. The third is that thatsuffering can cease. The fourth is that there is a path out of that suffering. The path out of suffering includes the noble eight-fold path, which includes eight ways to follow your Dharma. Some Buddhists believe that one cannot achieve enlightenment if they do not devote their lives to becoming a monk.

3. Contrast Confucianism with Daoism. Be sure to consider whether or in which ways they wereproducts of China's political experiences in the 1st millennium BCE.

Some say that Confucianism and Daoism work together rather than being to completely different things. It is an example of yin and yang. Confucianism is a social philosophy. It was the first to say that humans could not possible know what came after life therefore we should concentrate on life here on earth instead. The...