Changes

Little information survives concerning the history of ancient India.  There was a massive immigration into the country around 3000 B.C. by people who called themselves "nobles" or "Aryans", a term we explained in the prior lecture.  These immigrants spoke an Indo-European language which formed the basis for Sanskrit, which is the standard ancient language of India just as Latin is the standard ancient language of Europe.  Yet while Latin is a dead language today, Sanskrit is still an official language in India.  The scriptures of Hinduism are written in Sanskrit.  The most sacred of these scripts form the [[Vedas]] and [[Upanishads]], which are considered to have the most authority, importance, and antiquity.

Little information survives concerning the history of ancient India.  There was a massive immigration into the country around 3000 B.C. by people who called themselves "nobles" or "Aryans", a term we explained in the prior lecture.  These immigrants spoke an Indo-European language which formed the basis for Sanskrit, which is the standard ancient language of India just as Latin is the standard ancient language of Europe.  Yet while Latin is a dead language today, Sanskrit is still an official language in India.  The scriptures of Hinduism are written in Sanskrit.  The most sacred of these scripts form the [[Vedas]] and [[Upanishads]], which are considered to have the most authority, importance, and antiquity.

[[Image:India rel01.jpg|right]]

[[Image:India rel01.jpg|500px|right]]

=== Ancient India ===

=== Ancient India ===

=== Taoism ===

=== Taoism ===

Taoism (also known as Daoism) eventually caught on in China and Southeast Asia (e.g., Vietnam) more than other religion, probably due to its compatibility with the philosophical foundations laid by Confucius.  Taoism is significantly more philosophical than the world's largest religions of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.  The symbol for Taoism (see right) is the Taijitu or "Yin and Yang," in which a curved half of a circle divides a shaded from a clear region to represent a constant interaction in nature between two forces having opposite qualities: [[Image:Yin yang.jpg]]

Taoism (also known as Daoism) eventually caught on in China and Southeast Asia (e.g., Vietnam) more than other religion, probably due to its compatibility with the philosophical foundations laid by Confucius.  Taoism is significantly more philosophical than the world's largest religions of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.  The symbol for Taoism (see right) is the Taijitu or "Yin and Yang," in which a curved half of a circle divides a shaded from a clear region to represent a constant interaction in nature between two forces having opposite qualities. [[Image:Yin yang.jpg]]

The Yin (darker side) is passive or negative or feminine; the Yang (lighter side) is active or positive or masculine.  While western philosophy often views this dualism as a struggle, in China the goal is to harmonize these complementary forces.  Taoism and Confucianism strive to obtain harmony, though in Taoism the focus is on nature while in Confucianism the focus is on people.

The Yin (darker side) is passive or negative or feminine; the Yang (lighter side) is active or positive or masculine.  While western philosophy often views this dualism as a struggle, in China the goal is to harmonize these complementary forces.  Taoism and Confucianism strive to obtain harmony, though in Taoism the focus is on nature while in Confucianism the focus is on people.