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| the understanding of the nature of the universe |
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| the capacity for seeing things from another's perspective, and an important methodological approach for studying religions |
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| a dimension of religion that deals with how we are to act while living in the world |
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| experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and sometimes emphasizing personal trust |
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| the belief in only one god |
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| a category of religious experiences characterized by communing or uniting with the divine through inward contemplation |
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| a story (often recorded in scripture) that tends to answer questions of origins and serves as a source of sacred truth |
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| the belief that the divine reality exists in everything |
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| the transmission of the divine will or knowledge to human beings, typically through myths or some form of religious experience |
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| formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth |
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| the overcoming of the normal limitations imposed by the human condition, whether temporarily or abidingly |
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| supernatural beings who emerged and roamed the earth during the time of the Dreaming, giving shape to the landscape and creating various forms of life (Australian Aboriginal) |
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| common to many religions, an entity such as a mountain, tree, or pole that is believed to be connected to the heavens and the earth. it is sometimes regarded as the center of the world |
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| the use of various techniques, such as throwing bones or shells and then interpreting the pattern in which they fall, for gaining knowledge about an individuals future or about the cause of a personal problem |
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| ritual practitioners who specialize in the art of divination (very important among the yoruba) |
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| the mythic time of the Australian Aboriginal religion when the Ancestors inhabited the earth |
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| the hundreds of various Yoruba deities who are the main objects of ritual attention, including Orisha-nla (creator god) and Ogun (god of iron and war) |
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| Mesoamerican creator god worshiped at Teotihuacan and by the Toltecs; believed by the Aztecs to have presided over a golden age. |
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| ritual of the Lakota and other tribes of the North American Plains that celebrates the new year and prepares the tribe for the annual buffalo hunt; performed in the late spring or early summer in a specially constructed lodge |
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| a system of social ordering that dictates that specific objects and activities, owing to their sacred nature, are set aside for specific groups and are strictly forbidden to others |
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| capital city of the Aztec empire, believed to be the center of the world. home of the Great temple or Serpent mountain (present day mexico city) |
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| a natural entity, such as an animal or feature of the landscape, that symbolizes an individual or group and that has special significance for the religious life of that individual or group |
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| a type of supernatural being who tends to disrupt the normal course of life, found among many primal peoples |
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| a means of seeking spiritual power through an encounter with a guardian spirit or other medium, usually in the form of an animal or other natural entity, following a period of fasting or other forms of self-denial |
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| Lakota name for the supreme reality, often referring collectively to sixteen seperate deities |
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| material success and social prestige, one of the four goals of life (hinduism) |
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| one who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachments for the sake of spiritual advancement; common in Hinduism and many other religious traditions, notably Jainism |
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| the eternal self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman; often lowercase: the eternal self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman (hinduism) |
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| an incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose (hinduism) |
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| a short section of the epic poem Mahabharata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna about bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism's most popular sacred text |
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| the most popular of the three hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing loving devotion to one's chosen god or goddess |
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| the eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought (hinduism) |
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| the highest of four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests |
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| traditional division of Hindu society into various categories; there are four main varnas (classes): brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra; each class contains numerous subgroups, resulting in more than three thousand categories |
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| ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; also one of the four goals of life (hinduism) |
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| one of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation ("path of knowledge") |
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| pleasure, especially of sensual love; one of the four goals of life |
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| the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation |
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| one of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing performing right actions according to dharma ("path of works") |
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| the second of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of warriors and administrators (hinduism) |
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| cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power (hinduism) |
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| liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life (hinduism) |
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| the doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence (hinduism) |
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| a collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 bc or earlier; Hinduism's oldest sacred text |
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| a trancelike state in which self-consciousness is lost, and the mind is absorbed into the ultimate reality; the culmination of the eight steps of yoga (hinduism) |
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| the wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this-worldly realm in which rebirth occurs |
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| a system of hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, "the path of knowledge," asserting that reality comprises two distinct categories: matter and eternal selves |
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| a wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth and highest stage of life (hinduism) |
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| the traditional practice of burning a widow on her husband's funeral pyre; outlawed in 1829 (hinduism) |
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| the lowest of the four classes of Hindu caste system, traditionally made up of servants and laborers |
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| a collection of over two hundred texts composed between 900 and 200 bc that provide philosophical commentary on the vedas (hinduism) |
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| the third of the four classes of the hindu caste system, traditionally made up of producers (farmers, merchants, artisans) |
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| a system of hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, holding that all reality is essentially Brahman; most notable advocate is the medieval hindu philosopher Shankara |
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| a system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, seeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood |
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| one of the three marks of existence; the Buddhist doctrine denying a permanent self ("no self") |
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| one of the three marks of existence, the buddhist doctrine that all existent things are constantly changing ("impermanence") |
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| one who has become enlightened; the ideal type for Theraveda Buddhism ("worthy one") |
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| future Buddhas. as the ideal types for Mahayana Buddhism, beings who have experienced enlightenment but, motivated by compassion, stop short of entering nirvana so as to help others achieve it |
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| Siddhartha Gautama and all others who have by their own insight attained perfect enlightenment |
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| the spiritual leader of Vajrayana (tibetan) Buddhism, believed to be an incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara |
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| the teaching of the Buddha, and one of the three jewels of Buddhism |
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| the first of the four noble truths, the basic buddhist insight that suffering is part of the human condition |
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| the basic moral requirements that are binding for all buddhists |
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| the central teachings of buddhism: to live is to suffer; suffering is caused by desire; the cessation of suffering can be achieved; the solution is the noble eightfold path |
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| the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's rebirth |
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| the largest of Buddhism's three divisions, prevalent in China, Japan, and Korea; encompasses a variety of forms, including those that emphasize devotion and prayer to the buddhas and bodhisattvas |
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| patterned icons that visually excite; used in Vajrayana buddhism to enhance meditation |
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| phrases or syllables chanted to evoke a deity or to enhance meditation; used in hinduism and buddhism |
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| a basic buddhist teaching that rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a practical approach to a spiritual attainment |
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| choreographed hand movements used in the rituals of Vajrayana buddhism |
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| the ultimate goal of all Buddhists, the extinction of desire and any sense of individual selfhood, resulting in liberation from samsara and its limiting conditions |
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| the fourth of the four noble truths; defines the basic practices of buddhism that lead to nirvana |
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| an ancient language of india, similar to sanskrit but more commonly understood, and used in the writing of the earliest buddhist texts |
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| the wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this-worldly realm in which rebirth occurs |
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| the buddhist community of monks and nuns; one of the three jewels of buddhism |
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| the second of the four noble truths, selfish desire, which causes dukkha |
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| prevalent form of buddhism in cambodia, myanmar, sri lanka, and thailand; focuses on the earliest texts and emphasizes monastic lifestyle |
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| characteristics that summarize the changing nature of reality (anatta, anicca, dukkha) |
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| named for the Vajra, the buddha's diamond scepter; prevalent form of Buddhism in tibet; emphasizes the harnessing of sensual energies to attain nirvana |
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| the collected sayings of Confucius, one of the four books of confucianism |
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| the collected teachings of Mencius, one of the Four Books of Confucianism |
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| the mature person, an ideal human being with perfect moral character (confuc) |
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| Five Constant Relationships |
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| a doctrine summarizing the proper ethical principle for each basic human relationship, such as duty between ruler and subject (confuc) |
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| the supreme human virtue, doing one's best to treat others as one would wish to be treated (confuc) |
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| proper behavior in any given social circumstance, as if performing a sacred ritual (confuc) |
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| a major philosophical and religious tradition that developed around AD 1000 as a response to challenges facing confucianism from Taoism to Buddhism; |
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| Neo-confucianism's most important figure |
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| a basic principle of confucian ethics that says not to do to others what you would not want them to do to you |
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| for confucianism, the moral order that permeates the universe, the way that should be followed. sometimes the word Tao is lowercased to refer more generally to an individual tao or way |
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| virtue as shown through the power of example, an attribute of the mature person (confuc) |
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| the cultural arts, skills of behavior valued by confucius as being of moral benefit and as befitting the mature person |
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| the second foundation text of Taoism, containing teachings and anecdotes traditionally thought to have come from the sage Chuang Tzu, who lived in the fourth and third centuries BC |
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| assertions that seem illogical and contradictory on the surface, and yet contain deeper truths that are accessible more through intuition than through logical thinking |
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| for Taoism, the Way of nature, the ultimate source and the principle of order in the universe. when the word Tao is lowercased, it referes more generally to an individual tao, or way |
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| Taoism's foundation text, tradtionally thought to have been authored by Lao Tzu in the seventh or sixth century BC; sometimes called the Lao Tzu |
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| the supreme Taoist virtue, rendered in English variously as "actionless activity", "pure effectiveness," "yielding to win" etc. to practice wu-wei is to be so perfectly in harmony with nature that nature's energy infuses and empowers the individual |
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| the positive, active, masculine, heavenly compound of the universe, characterized by light and strength; complements yin |
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| the negative, passive, feminine, earthly component of the universe, characterized by darkness and weakness; complements yang |
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| the chinese sect of Buddhism that focuses on the experience of enlightenment; it began to flourish under the direction of hui-neng in the seventh century AD; the japanese equivalent is Zen |
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| a periodic meeting with the master during which the disciple offers an answer to an assigned koan (zen bud) |
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| a verbal puzzle designed to short-circuit the workings of the rational, logical mind; used especially in Rinzai Zen as a means of triggering satori |
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| the school of sudden awakening, brought to Japan in the twelfth century AD by eisai; one of the two major sects of Zen |
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| zen masters who are deemed competent to teach others |
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| the zen experience of enlightenment, a flash of insight in which the true nature of one's being is known directly |
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| the school of gradual awakening, brought to Japan in the thirteenth century AD by dogen; one of the two major sects of Zen |
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| the basic method of zen meditation, traditionally practiced while seated in the lotus position in a meditation hall |
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| the extinction of one's sense of separate existence before achieving union with Allah; the aim of sufi mystics |
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| the military and politcal leaders of the muslim community who succeeded Muhammad after his death |
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| specific religions and ethical requirements for Muslims: shahada (confession of faith), prayer or worship, fasting during Ramadan, wealth sharing, and hajj (pilgrimage to mecca) |
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| the fifth of the five pillars; the journey to Mecca that all muslims are to make at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it and are physically able |
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| the emigration of muhammad and his followers from mecca to Yathrib in AD 622; the founding event of muslim community |
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| the leader of the friday worship service who directs the prayers and delivers a sermon |
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| For Shi'i Islam, an early successor to muhammad and leader of Islam, believed to have special spiritual insight |
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| sometimes counted as the sixth pillar of islam, the general spiritual struggle to be a devout muslim. in a more narrow context, jihad refers to armed struggle (holy war) for the sake of Islam, which the Qur'an supports only if it is carried out in self-defense |
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| the stone cubical structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Mecca, believed to have been built by abraham and regarded by muslims as the sacred center of the earth |
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| the muslim place or building of worship, traditionally including a prayer hall and courtyard, with towers called minarets at the corners |
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| Islam's primary sacred text, regarded by muslims as the direct words of Allah, revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel |
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| the ninth month of the islamic lunar calendar, a period during which Muslims fast, in accordance with the third of the five pillars |
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| the confession of faith, the first of the five pillars and central creedal statement of islam: "there is no god except God. Muhammad is the messenger of God" |
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| the divine law, derived from the Qur'an and the Sunna, encompassing all and setting forth in detail how muslims are to live |
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| a teacher and master in islam, such as the leader of an order in Sufism |
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| the division of Islam dominant in Iraq and Iran, originating as a result of an early dispute over leadership; characterized by strong messianic expectations and the figure of the Imam |
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| an adherent of Sufism, the form of Islam characterized by a mystical approach to Allah, who is experienced inwardly |
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| the teachings and actions of Muhammad recorded in writings known as hadith, which provide the model for being Muslim; Islam's second most important authority |
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| the division of islam practiced by most Muslims, named after the sunna |
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| the community of all muslims |
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| Truth is multilingual. Can see the value found in the heritage of ALL approaches. External authority source |
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| truth is found through attaining harmony with nature or spiritual exploration. rejects both the post modern and the modern, and longs for a return to a golden age. internal authority source |
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| truth found through methodical, disciplined inquiry. conservatively attempts to pull back from post-modernity. seeks to hold onto values of a modern civilization, even though its beginning to look shaky. external authority source |
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| truth is socially constructed. "leading edge". internal authority source |
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| multiple right ways. branch of postmodernism |
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| irony is more an attitude than an intellectual position. branch of postmodernism |
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| not all can be true, so all are wrong. branch of postmodernism. |
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| no choice available (isolation) |
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| no choice necessary. our way or highway |
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| Mortality Salience Hypothesis |
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| if people are reminded of their death, they will feel closer to people with similar beliefs and vice versa |
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| charismatic leader who, filled with the spirit of the Yahweh, would rally the people against their enemies |
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1. there is peace and prosperity in the land for Israelite tribes
2. the tribes turn to canaanite gods
3. Angry Yahweh allows canaanites/philistines to defeat and subjugate israel's tribes
4. the people cry out to yahweh who 'raises up a judge' to defeat their enemies
5. peace and prosperity returns and the cycle repeats |
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| last judge/prototype king |
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