Student's Book – Dec 2009 (5.9mb) - The Curriculum Project

HinduismOrigins of HinduismHinduism was the first major religion in India. It is at least 3,000years old. It originated from Aryan traditional beliefs and legendsthat they brought to India. Hinduism developed over manycenturies from a mixing of beliefs of the various cultural groupsin India. Hindus worship many different gods and they believein reincarnation.Hinduism in Southeast AsiaHinduism was the first religion to come to Southeast Asia from outside. It was brought by Indiantraders in the 1 st century AD. The religion was adopted by many rulers of Southeast Asia. Someof the most important Hindu monuments are the Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Prambanantemple in Java. The only places in Southeast Asia where Hinduism survives today are theIndonesian island of Bali, and among minority communities of Hindu descent.BuddhismOrigins of Buddhism and Buddha’s LifeBuddhism began over 2,000 years ago in India and developedfrom the teachings of a prince called Gautama Siddhartha. Heleft his palace and travelled for many years. He wanted to findan answer to the question, ‘Why is human life full of sorrow andpain?’ After many years of searching, he realised the answer tothis question. Gautama became the Buddha, which means ‘TheEnlightened One’.He taught that all people are born equal and that everyone canattain enlightenment. After the Buddha’s death, some of hisfollowers raised him to the level of a god and Buddhism became areligion.Spread of Buddhism in Southeast AsiaBuddhism appeared in Southeast Asia around AD 300. It was brought by Indian and Chinesetraders as well as the Buddhist missionaries who traveled with them. Through them, Buddhismspread throughout Southeast Asia: Khmer Empire, Laos, Siam (Thailand), Burma, Vietnam, theMalay Peninsula and Indonesia.IslamOrigins of IslamPeople who believe in Islam are called Muslims. They believe that God revealed the religion tothe Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born in Mecca in Arabia in AD 570. In Arabic, Allahmeans ‘the one true God’. The messages that Muhammad received from Allah were written downand became the holy book of the Muslims, the Qur’an (Koran). The Qur’an states how Allahwants Muslims to live.Spread of Islam in Southeast AsiaHistorians believe that Islam came to Southeast Asia around the 11 thcentury AD. Islam was brought to the region by Muslim traders fromArabia, Persia and India. From the Malay Peninsula, Islam spreadto Siam, Sumatra and Indonesia. Many Muslim kingdoms, calledsultanates, emerged in these places. One of the famous sultanates wasthe sultanate of Malacca.31