Page 1 : ee ete, The term Upanishad means'to sit at the feet of the teacher to receive the teachings (ypa means near, ni means, down and shad means to sit, so the term Upanishad literally means to sit down near’). The Upanishads are a, set of books composed in Sanskrit. They are conversations between the teacher and the student, which are, presented in the form of dialogues., , The Upanishads are more spiritual and philosophical than the Vedas. They do not give much importance to, rituals and sacrifices. They emphasize on the rewards of labour, generosity, compassion and bravery among, people., , ‘According to the Upanishads, the atman can gain moksha (freedom from the cycle of life and rebirth) by, uniting with the brahman (the universal soul). This can be achieved through proper and right conduct,, knowledge and belief., , Most of the Upanishadic thinkers were men. Many of these thinkers were Brahmins and kings. Occasionally, there is mention of women thinkers such as Gargi, a very learned lady who participated in debates held in, royal courts. There were also poor people such as Satyakama Jabala, who participated in the philosophical, discussions. Satyakama Jabala was a very learned and intelligent philosophical thinker, who was the son, of a low caste woman called Jabala. He was accepted as a student by sage Gautama., , 2. Buddhism was promoted by the Buddhist monks after the death of the Buddha. It spread to different parts, of India. Later, it also spread to other countries, such as Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Myanmar, Tibet, Thailand, and Indonesia., , , , , , , , Buddhism received a lot of patronage from rulers, the most famous being Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan, dynasty. Buddhist monuments and sculptures are found in many places. Stupas are hemispherical dome, like structures which contain the sacred remains of the Buddha and various Buddhist monks. The stupas at, Sanchi, Bharhut and Amravati are some of the important examples., , Jainism spread to different parts of india. It became popular in Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kamataka, Andhra, Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Nepal., , Jainism received a lot of patronage from rulers such as Bimbisara and Chandragupta Maurya (the founder, of the Mauryan dynasty). Jain art, architecture and literature flourished in their time. Many Jain temples, were built such as the Dilwara Temple in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, and Adinath Temple in Ranakpur, also in, Rajasthan. The huge statue of the Jain monk Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola in Kamataka is a wonderful, , , , , , , , , , , , , , example of Jain art., , 3. The main teachings of the Buddha are the ‘four noble truths’ and the ‘eightfold path: The four noble truths, of the Buddha are:, , + The world is full of suffering., , + All suffering is caused by our desires., , + To end suffering, one must overcome or get rid of desire., , + The way to end suffering is to follow the eightfold path., , ‘According to the Buddha, the eightfold path consisted of right action, right meditation, right livelihood, right, mindfulness, right speech, right intention, right view and right effort., , ‘The Buddha taught that life is full of sorrow and suffering because we all have desires which often remain, unfulfilled. We are never satisfied with what we have and want more in life. The Buddha described this as, tanha (thirst)., , The Buddha also preached ahimsa (non-violence), respect for all living beings, even animals, and equality, of all human beings. He condemned animal sacrifices and the rigid caste system, and emphasized moral, values such as kindness, honesty, etc. He believed that the results of our karma (actions) determined our, destiny and affected not only our present life but also our next life., , Mahavira advocated triratnas (three principles or three jewels) as they are referred to. They are right belief,, right knowledge and right action. He believed in leading a simple life. He advocated ahimsa (non-violence), towards all living things., , Mahavira did not believe in religious rituals, sacrifices and ceremonies. He also opposed the caste system, and considered all people to be equal. According to him, a person's karma (actions) in this life decide how, his life would be in his next birth. Through a simple, disciplined and balanced life, one could attain freedom, from the cycle of birth and rebirth., , , , , , , , , , , , His followers had to give up all their possessions and take to a life of accepting alms. The men were not, , even allowed to wear clothes., , After the death of Mahavira, Jainism branched into two groups. They are the Digambars (sky-clad), who, , id not wear any clothes and followed the original teachings of Mahavira, and the Svetambars (white-clad),, , who wore white clothes and did not lead a life of hard penance., , The four noble truths of the Buddha are that, all the world is full of suffering, all suffering is caused by, , ‘our desires; to end suffering one must end or overcome desires; the way to end suffering is to follow the, , eightfold path. Triratna of Mahavira are, right belief, right knowledge and right action., , 2. After the death of Mahavira, Jainism split into two branches, the Digambars (sky clad) who did not wear, any clothes and followed the original teachings of Mahavira and the Svetambars (white clad) who wore, white clothes and did not lead a life of penance., , 3. Chaityas are prayer halls while viharas are monasteries or places where the monks and nuns resided., , 4, After the death of the Buddha, Buddhism split into two branches: Hinayana who worshipped the Buddha, through symbols and Mahayana who worshipped images or idols of the Buddha., , , , , , , , ee a eae a eee eee a