Exam 1 Flashcards
Ogala
Part of Teton Sioux, buffalo very important
Mana
free flowing power in the universe capable of either enhancing or diminishing life
Wakan
“great spirit,” “sacred,” “divine”
Brahman
Absolute, world-soul
Puja
worship
Atman
self
Brahman-Atman
sense of self with the higher feeling
Moksha
release, release from cycle
Brahma
Lord of all creature, society, nature
Vishnu
the preserver, controller of human fate; returns in times of moral decline to restore justice
Shiva
complex, loving, and full of grace; great ascetic, god of procreation. Source of good and evil
Avatar
manifestation of a deity
Krishna
avatar of Vishnu; hero, lover, warrior, king
Vedas
“sacred knowledge” Sacred text. Brahmins, four collections of hymns and ritual texts
Rig Veda
Agni, Indra, Varuna
Upanishad
“to sit down near”
Bhagavad Gita
“song of the lord”
Jhana yoga
Path of Knowledge
Bhakti Yoga
Path of Devotion
Dharma
Duty
Dharmashastras
Genre of Sanskirt text relating to religious and legal duties
Artha
Work
Kama
desire
Moksha
Release
Brahmacarin
pursuing sacred knowledge
Grishastha
householder
Vanaprastha
forest dweller
Sannyasin
renunciation
Caste System:
class structure determined by birth
Brahmins
priests
Kshatriyas
warriors, administrators
Vaishyas
belonging to the people, producers
Shundras
servants
Chandalas
untouchables
Acharya
The leading teacher of a sect or the head of a monastery
Advaita
Shankara’s school of philosophy, which holds that there is only one ultimate reality, the indescribable Brahman, with which the Atman or self is identical
Alvars
12 devotional poets in South India whose works are central to the bhkati tradition
Ashramas
4 stages in life of an upper-class male: student, householder, forest dweller and ascetic
Avatara
Descent or incarnation of a diety in earthly form
Bhagavad Gita
Conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, explains nature of God and human soul
Bhakti
Loving devotion to diety seen as a gracious being who enters the world for the benefit of humans
Brahmanas
Section of Vedas that concern ritual
Brahmin
Member of priestly class
Darshana
Seeing and being seen by the deity in the temple or by a holy teacher, the experience of beholding with faith
Deepavali
(Divali) Festival of light in Oct-Nov, lamps lit
Devanagari
Alphabet used to write Sanskirt, Hindi and Bengali
Jnana
Knowledge
Kshatriyas
Member of warrior class
Mahabharata
Very long epic poem
Moksha
Liberation from cycle of birth and death
Murti
Form or personification in which divinity is manifested
Navarati
Nine nights
Prasada
Gift from deity
Puja
Ritual household worship of deity
Puranas
old tales, stories
Rishis
Composers of ancient Vedic hymns
Sadhus
holy men
Sati
self sacrifice of a widow
Shruti
what is heard of sacred literature
Shudras
Members of lowest class, usually servants
Smrti
What is remembered
Tilaka
Dot on forhead
Upanayana
Initiation of a young brahmin boy into ritual responsibility
Upanishads
Philosophical texts in the form or reported conversations
Vaishyas
Members of the 3rd or merchant caste
Itihasa
Religious story that tells what happened in past. Includes, Ramayana, Mahbrharta, Bhagavad Gita
Vedanta
one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy
Ayurvedic
“knowledge of living” or the “science of longevity”, medicine
Dharana
Sixth stage
Dhyana
Seventh stage
Nirguna
eternal all-pervading and omnipresent divine consciousness
Samadhi
Intense concentration achieved through meditation, final stage in Hindu yoga, union with divine is reached before or at death
Abhidhamma
“Special Teaching,” basket 3rd
Arhat
Worthy one
Dhamma
teaching, path, way
Dukkha
the suffering
koan/gongan
A paradoxical thought exercise used in the Chan-Zen tradition to provoke a breakthrough in understanding by forcing students past the limitations of verbal formulations and logic.
Mara
Lord of Death
Sutra
a discourse of sermon attributed either to Shakyamuni himself or to an important disciple
Siddhartha
Leader of Buddhism
Mudra
a pose or gesture in artistic representations of Buddha figures; by convention, each mudra has a specific symbolic meaning.
Stupa
originally a hemispherical mound built to contain cremation ashes or a sacred relic; in East Asia the stupa developed into the tower-like pagoda
Zazen
Sitting meditation in Chan-Zen tradition
Anatman
No soul
Hinayana
Lesser vehicle
Mahayana
Greater vehicle
mandala
a chart-like representation of cosmic Buddha figures that often serves as a focus of meditation and devotion in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions
Nirvana
“blowing out,” end of the cycle of reincarnation, the state of bliss associated with final enlightenment; nirvana ‘with remainder’ is the highest level possible in this life, and nirvana ‘without remainder’ is the ultimate state
samadhi
a higher state of consciousness, achieved through meditation
Shunyata
The Emptiness that is held to be ultimately characteristic of all things, stressed especially by the Madhyamika school
Vajrayana
the tantric branch of Buddhism, which became established in Tibet and the Himalayan region and later spread to Mongolia and India
Vinaya
the rules of practice and conduct for monks; a section of the Pali canon
Dhammapada
a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures
Tanha
thrist, craving or desire
Tao Tsang
the Taoist canon
te
virtue, power, working
Chuang-tzu
the second most important book of the Taoist scriptures, stories, morals
Yijing
The Classic or Book of Changes, The Way of the Universe
Shujing
The Classic of Documents or Book of History, good and bad qualities of governments and institutions
Shijing
The Classic of Odes or Book of Poetry, 300 poems
Liji
The Records of Book of Rites, devotion, principles behind particular rites, caring for one’s family, philosophical discussions
Chunqiu
The Spring and Autumn Annals, chronicle of events in Confucius’s native state of Lu from 722 to 482 BCE, guide to moral laws and principles in the management of human affairs
Chung yung
Doctrine of the Mean—aspects of virtue: moderation, right conduct, decorum, sincerity; “keep to the middle” of emotional and intellectual extremes
Jungzi
“prince’s son”; “superior” person; peace, prosperity, and harmony; person committed to the development of Te, a person of exemplary or authoritative behavior
Hsiao
Filiality, living and dead ancestors; deference, obedience, faithfulness of one’s parents, actions and attitudes
Ren
“Humaneness,” “benevolence,” “compassion,” “goodness”—to describe virtues like respect, trustworthiness, earnestness, and kindness
Mencius
The second most prominent Confucian thinker, Master of Meng and Mengzi; he believed that human nature is inherently good.
Analects
a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been written by Confucius’ followers
Ta hsueh
the Great Learning—virtuous government—If the ruler is morally good then so will government and subjects
