Terms to learn Hinduism An Indian religion that follows the system of Dharma Samsara and moksha Caste System A social hierarchy that consisted of Brahmins priests Kshatriyas warriors Vaisyas merchants artisans and Sudras laborers farmers If you were born in a certain caste then that was your life long duty Dharma A concept in which duty is tied to your caste and if you fulfill Dharma you will be reborn into a higher being Samsara An endless cycle of rebirth in which the Soul Atman continues to reincarnate in the caste system Moksha Release from samsara which is the ultimate goal of hinduism Karma A concept of Hinduism which explains through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions Four Noble Truths Set of values in Buddhism that life is suffering desire is the cause of suffering you must get rid of desire to stop suffering There is a path away from desire and suffering Eight Fold Path Buddhism ideals that Right view right intention right speech right action right livelihood right effort right mindfulness and right concentration are the road to be reborn into a higher being Nirvana Similar to Dharma but you need to follow the Eight fold Path to be reborn into a higher being Ashoka Became Emperor of the Mauryan Empire by killing his brothers in the 2 year war of Succession but turned into a benevolent man after the war against Kalinga and dedicated the rest of his life trying to apply Buddhist principles to the administration of his vast empire Mahayana Buddhism A form of Buddhism that is popular in East Asia China and foreign rulers They have a belief in bodhisattva who are enlightened beings who have put off entering paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment On Buddhism 1 What are the Four Noble Truths life is suffering Desire is the cause to our suffering Get rid of desire to stop suffering There is a path away from desire and suffering 2 What does Dhamma aka Dharma mean Why do you think people were attracted to Buddhist teaching during this time in India You are duty tied to your original caste system for life but if a person achieves Dharma in their lifetime then they will be reborn into a higher caste system This would attract many of those who didn t want to remain in the same caste system for all of eternity like peasants 3 What is Nirvana What should one do to attain Nirvana Nirvana is eternal enlightenment Eightfold path and the Four Noble truths are the key to attaining Nirvana 4 What is the difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism The difference is that Mahayana includes the most less conservative practices and beliefs Theravada is the oldest and most conservative sector in Buddhism when it comes to their kind Theravada seems the strongest because it s the oldest its name was also known for its doctrine and of helping elders Mahayana nickname is Great Vehicle 1 Who was Asoka What was his title Use the source On Asoka s Edicts Asoka was India s great emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty of India who ruled from 268 232 BC He was the third ruler of the Mauryan Dynasty In the passage it is believed that he was India s greatest emperor 2 What does edict mean Asoka s edicts were written in what language Where were these edicts recorded An edict was an official order issued by a person in authority in this case that person of authority was Asoka These edicts were testimonies of India written on rocks and stone pillars Asoka s edicts were found scattered all around India Nepal Pakistan and Afghanistan which lead to them being written in many different scripts Most of them were written in Brahmi script while those found in the eastern parts of the subcontinent were in the language Magadhi which was probably the official language of Asoka s courts And lastly those found in western parts of India were written in Sanskrit although one bilingual edict in Afghanistan was written in Armaic and Greek 3 What did Asoka promote in his empire Use the concrete passages to explain your answer Throughout his remaining years as king Asoka would promote Buddhism after truly discovering it for himself and turning over a new leaf In the text it states He had a crucial part to play in helping Buddhism to spread both throughout India and abroad and probably built the first major Buddhist monuments These monuments being Asoka s edicts that were discovered around India and further Furthermore He went on pilgrimages to Lumbini and Bodh Gaya sent teaching monks to various regions in India and beyond its borders and he was familiar enough with the sacred texts to recommend some of them to the monastic community Strongly identified as a Buddhist Asoka clearly believed that the teaching of Buddhism should be taught to others and took it upon himself to spread the word 4 Does being a ruler agree with Buddhism Do you think Buddhist teaching is effective in building an empire Although we have no recordings of how effective Asoka s reforms were during his ruling or how long they lasted it can be said that other monarchs throughout the ancient Buddhist world were encouraged to look at his style of government as an ideal to follow A ruler does need to lead by example to earn the respect of the people or else you will be hated and that will raise difficulty in leading a prosperous empire Even so I do not think Buddhism would be an effective teaching in building an empire when you are faced with defending your country against another or expanding it While leading by example and having the respect of your people you will still need to potentially protect your empire from eminems who want to burn it down so to survive one must sometimes fight