Religion's Role In The Classical And Post-Classical Era
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Religion played a major role in the classical and post-classical era. It affected government, decision-making, and everyday life. Two major religions during this era were Hinduism and Buddhism. While Hinduism stayed in India, Buddhism continuously spread across Asia. There were key differences that caused this to happen. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism spread to many different regions because of its ability to fit well with other Asian cultures, its claim to end suffering, and the fact that it didn't have a caste system. Buddhism hugely focuses on wisdom, and it doesn’t require the belief in a god. This is very similar to the main “religion” in China, Confucianism. Confucianism was a way of life that did not involve a belief in a god, and it hugely focused on wisdom and education (304-306 Chan). The ultimate goal in Buddhism is nirvana, which is a basic wisdom and understanding of the universe. Because this ultimate goal was wisdom, it automatically appealed to Chinese culture Birth of Buddhism Salem Press). The ultimate goal in Hinduism is moksha, which…show more content… A caste system is very limiting when it comes to spreading a religion. A caste system requires whatever society/country it’s spreading to, to have the same social structure, and social structures vary greatly between societies. Buddhism has no social structure; therefore it can fit into any society. Hinduism caste system has religious figures on top, then warriors, then merchants, peasants, and at the bottom, the untouchables (Rosinsky 15-17). The religion is so specific to Indian culture that it doesn’t fit in any other society. Because of Hinduism’s specificity to India, it was very popular there, but the religion didn’t translate well into other cultures. Buddhism’s simplicity and lack of specificity to any culture allowed it to spread all across Asia. Specificity restricts a religions spread and