GAQ BP 102 - 10th January 2012 (Tuesday)

• Lay Hoon contact (98585777) and email (layhoon48@gmail.com)
• Did course and lesson overview
• Society and culture of ancient India before Buddha is good to understand as it helps to understand the context of His teachings better
• Misunderstandings may occur
• Indus Valley - original inbitants were Dravidians
• Aryan invasion and its significance - may not be Aryans -> shift Blacks downwards - also maybe because of natural disasters?
• Caste system
• 2 main thoughts made the caste system
• Divine will (natural order)
• Purity (emphasize on the purity of rituals)
• Aryans form the top 3 castes
• Lowest Suddas are the Dravidians
• Brahma originated the 4 caste is a belief.
• Ancient Aryan religion is the Vedic religion
• Different stages of religious development
• Polytheism (many gods)
• Henotheism (one god is the most powerful at one time)
• Monotheism (one creator god)
• Monism (universal principle Brahman (soul); unify attman with Brahman)
• Early Vedic period (1500 BC - 1000 BC) & Late Vedic period (1000 BC - 500 BC)
• Samhitas (Vedas) -> Brahmanas (Commentaries) -> Aanyakas (Texts of Forest Truth-Seekers) -> Upanishads (Secret Teachings)
• Sramana movement. Many were ascetics and had wierd practices before the time and during the time of the Buddha (This section is important !!!!)
• Sramanas and ascetics reject the authority of the Brahmins and their cultural concepts