*note- try to compare and contrast Hindu / Buddhist ideas to western idea and beliefs
C) Hinduism cont.
  1) Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu
    i) Ramayana (Rama)
     a) avatar of Vishnu
     b) mortal king
     c) main plot
       1) sends wife into exile for cheating
       2) she tries to prove her purity by having the earth swallow her up
     d) no historical event
       1) notice the difference between western (historical) vs. eastern (non historical)
  2) Ceremony
     i) relies heavily on ceremony s opposed to the west
     ii) Hindu relies on exact religious rituals
      a) Tapas - fasting, constant prayer, anything that is tough to do or painful has spiritual power
      b) by overcoming these things one gains spiritual power
D) Caste system
  1) four different castes (classes)
     i) rigid rules for each caste
      a) specific clothes
      b) diet
      c) professions
*west has moved to eliminate class differences while east further divides
   2) code of manu  - on outline for India / China, gives good examples of class differences
E) Women in India
   1) marriages
     i) arranged marriages
   2) women must worship men as gods / must be dependant upon men (code of manu)
   3) women are responsible for problems of men and women
* notice the difference between east problem makers (women) and west (men)
   4) women must be faithful even after the husband dies
     i) to prove faithfulness a widow must jump onto the funeral pire, and burn with her husband
     ii) if she doesn't do this voluntarily, uncles and brothers may throw her on the pire
   5) Infanticide
     i) boys are more desired than girls
     ii) so if a baby is born a girl, often she is killed
* the west did away with infanticide with the onset of Christianity, while the east still practices it
F) Reincarnation
  1) return to the world in a new body or form after you die
    i) according to karma (following the rules of your caste, religion)
    ii) can return as a rat or monkey is a person is bad
  2) response to the suffering of the world
    i) India believes all suffering is tied to bad karma
G) Jainism
  1) Response to opposition to karma / reincarnation
  2) these people want to make their karma so good they go to heaven instead of a new body
     i) they hurt no animal or people to achieve perfect karma
H) Buddhism
  1) Buddha
     i) 600 b.c. member of the highest caste
     ii) lived happy until he saw all the suffering (did not accept karma as a reason for suffering)
     iii) wanted to have suffering cease - went looking for an answer
     iv) found answer in form of 4 noble truths and 8 fold path
  2) four noble truths
     i) there is suffering in the world
     ii) we suffer because we don't have everything that we desire
     iii) to cease suffering you must cease desire
     iv) to cease desire follow the 8 fold path
  3) 8 fold path
     i) right to knowledge (know 4 truths)
     ii) right purpose (you have to want for no desires)
     iii) right speech ( speak only truths, no lies)
     iv) right behavior (don't kill, etc.)
     v) right livelihood (choose correct profession - monk was popular)
     vi) right effort (try your hardest to achieve no desire)
     vii) right awareness (figure out why you want something)
     viii) right meditation (just sit around and think about things / why desire)
*after one achieves no desire one also achieves Nirvana and the end to the reincarnation