World Regligion Vocab

the understanding of the nature of the universe

a dimension of religion that deals with how we are to act while living in the world.

experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and sometimes emphasizing personal trust

formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth

the belief that the divine reality exists in everything

the overcoming of the normal limitations imposed by the human condition, whether temporarily or abidingly

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; common to many primal peoples, including the Australian Aborigines

a natural entity, such as an animal or a feature of the landscape, that symbolizes an individual or group and that has special significance for the religious life of that individual or group

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 individual's future or about the cause of a personl problem. important in Yoruba

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

a short section of the epic poem Mahabharata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna aboou bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism's most sacred text

the eternal essence or reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought

the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation

liberation or release of the individual self, atman, form the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life

the wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this-worldly realm in which rebirth occurs

a system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, the path of knowledge, seeking to free the eternal self form the bondage of personhood, culminating in the experience of samdhi; lowercase: physical and psychological techniques for spiritual advancement

Priests, highest class in Caste system

Warriors and administrators; 2nd class in Caste system

farmers, merchants; 3rd class in Caste system

servants and laborers; 4th and lowest class in Caste system

student, householder, forest-dweller, sannyasin

sensual pleasure; one goal of life in hinduism

material success; one goal of life in hinduism

karma marga

jnana marga

bhakti marga

Siddartha Guatama and all others who have by their own insight attained perfect enlightenment

The spiritual leader of Vajrayana Buddhism

the teachings of buddha and one of the three jewels of buddhism

the first of the four noble truths, the basic buddhist insight that suffering is part of the human condition

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

buddha, dharma, sangha

solution to suffering, path to a good life

the situation of jews living away from their home land,

Judaism's basic statement of monotheism

written down in about AD 200; contains teaching of the rabbis of the preceding four centuries along with the Talmud, is the most important text of the oral Torah

generally, the revelation of God's will to the people' more specifically, the divine law, especially as contained in the first five books of the bible

originally, the movement arising in the late nineteenth century that sought to re-establish a Jewish homeland; since 1948, the general support of the State of Israel

yam kippur (day of atonement), rosh hashanah (new year), passover (8 day festival commemorating the exodus of jews from egypt

birth, coming of age, marriage, death

• orthodox- follow all 613 laws in torah
• reform- jewish with modern changes and accommodations
• conservative- in the middle

5th of the 5 pillars; journey to Mecca that all muslims are to make at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it and are physically able

the emigration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina; the founding event of the muslim community

the general spiritual struggle to be a devout muslim. in a more narrow context, jihad reffers to armed struggle (holy war) for the sake of islam

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

the muslim place or building of worship

Islam's primary sacred text, regarded by muslims as the direct word of Allah, revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel

the ninth month of the islamic calender, a period during which muslims fast

the divine law, derived from the koran and the sunna, encompassing all and setting forth in detail how muslims are to live

the division of islam dominant in iraq and iran, originating as a result of an early dispute over leadership; distinguishable form the sunni islam mainly by its figure of the imam and strong messianic expectations

the teaching and actions of muhammad recorded in writings known as hadith, which provide the model for being muslim; islam's second most important authoritty

the division of islam practices by most muslims, named after the sunna.

the community of all muslims

division of Buddhism, "way of the elders", focusses on buddhist teachings, monastic life, wisdom

division of buddhism, "great vehicle", biggest, focus on person of buddha, compassion, gods and goddesses

division of buddhism, "vehicle of the diamond", smallest, focus on meditation:sand paintings, chants. leader: Dalai Lama.