World Religions Exam 1

Hinduism Main Points:

1) "Hinduism" is a 19th century term that perhaps awkwardly denotes diverse religious practices of a particular region. 2) A few core Hindu concepts can be pursued in a variety of life stages and religious paths. 3) Hinduism has several philosophical schools which differ primarily between monistic and dualistic viewpoints, and the relationship between atman and Brahman. 4) Devotional aspect of Hinduism (Bhakti) became increasingly popular and dominant, but there are diverse theological perspectives behind devotional practice. 5) Some Hindu intellectuals/leaders have tried to reform Hinduism in ways that would appeal to the West, representing Hinduism as tolerant and universal. 6) Well-known practices associated with class and gender have been subject to internal critique within Hinduism. 7) Hindu worship is a multisensory experience.

African Indigenous Religions Main Points:

1) A common theme in African myth is a High God who is separated from everyday life and physically distant from human beings. 2) In indigenous African myth, lesser divinities are often equated with natural phenomena and have positive, direct, intimate, and reciprocal relationships with particular humans. 3) There is a political dimension in choosing religious practices. 4) Indigenous African religions survive the Atlantic slave trade and the spread of universaling religions, often in hybridized forms. 5) Witchcraft can be a social tool; it symbolizes a powerful emotion, and ceremonies can combat jealousy.

North American Indigenous Religions Main Points:

1) Significant barriers such as language and cultural assumptions make Native American concepts difficult to access. 2) Telling and re-telling myths is a primary means of transmitting values in indigenous religious traditions of North America. 3) Federal recognition and accommodation of Native American religious practices has increased. 4) Humans' special responsibility to maintain ecological balance emerges as a unifying theme in Native American religious traditions.

American Indian Religious Freedom Act

1978 U.S. law to guarantee freedom of religious practice for Native Americans

Maji Maji

A 1905 rebellion against German colonizers in Tanganyika (today's Tanzania)

Bhikku

A Buddhist monk

Dama

A Dogon rite of passage marking the transition to adulthood and to the afterlife

Wovoka

A Paiute man whose visions started the Ghost Dance of 1890

Oshun

A Yoruba goddess

Mandala

A circular diagram representing the entire universe. Often used as an aid in meditation

Purana

A compendium of myth, usually with a sectarian emphasis

Shaiva

A devotee of Shiva

Vaishnava

A devotee of Vishnu and his avatars

Shakta

A devotee of the Great Goddess, Devi

Buddha

A fully enlightened being

Pantheon

A group of deities or spirits

Brahmin

A member of the priestly class of the varna or caste system

Vaishya

A member of the producer (farmer and merchant) class of the varna or caste system

Shudra

A member of the servant class of the varna or caste system

Kshatriya

A member of the warrior and administrator class of the varna or caste system

Hindutva

A modern term that encompasses the ideology of Hindu nationalism

Medium

A person who is possessed by a spirit and thus mediates between the human and spirit worlds

Upanishad

A philosophical text from the later period of Vedic literature, also called Vedanta

Mantra

A ritual formula recited to produce a spiritual effect

Hogan

A sacred structure of Pueblo peoples

Bori

A term for West African spirits

Zar

A term for spirits in East Africa

Witchcraft

A term used by Western scholars to describe the use of supernatural powers to harm others

Moran

A young man in Samburu or Maasai culture who has been circumcised and thus has special cultural and religious duties

Karma

Action; also the consequences of action

Mahayana

Also known as the "Great Vehicle," Mahayana is the form of Buddhism most prominent in China, Japan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea

Holy People

Ancestors to the Navajo people, described in mythic narratives

Quetzalcoatl

Aztec God and important culture hero in Mexico

Vedas

Broadly, all Vedic literature; narrowly, four ancient collections (samhitas) of hymns and other religious material

Varna

Caste or class; the four main classes form the basis of the traditional hierarchical organization of Hindu society

Dharma

Duty, righteousness, "religion"; basis for living in a way that upholds the cosmic and social order

Brahman

For monistic Hinduism, the supreme, unitary reality, the ground of all Being; for dualistic Hinduism, Brahman can refer to the supreme God (e.g., Vishnu)

Yoga

Generally, uniting of the self with God; sometimes used as an alternative to marga when referring to the three main paths to liberation; also one of the six philosophical schools, focusing on moral, physical, and spiritual practices leading to liberation

Puja

Generally, worship; usually the offering before an image of the deity of fruit, incense, or flowers

Peyote

Hallucinogenic cactus used in many Native American religions

Bodhisattva

In Mahayana Buddhism, one who has attained enlightenment but renounces nirvana for the sake of helping all sentient beings in their journey to liberation from suffering

Bodhichitta

In Mahayana Buddhism, the wise and compassionate intention to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all other sentient beings

Arhat

In Theravada Buddhism, one who has attained enlightenment

Lama

In Tibet, a teacher of the Dharma

Dhammapada

In the Buddhist context, a term referring both to Buddhist teaching and to Buddhism as a religion

Moksha

Liberation, the final release from samsara

Dalit

Marathi; self-designation of people who had traditionally been classified as untouchables or outcastes

Sun Dance

Midsummer ritual common to many Native American religions; details vary across cultures.

Changing Woman

Mythic ancestor of the Navajo people who created the first humans

Holy Wind

Navajo conception of a spiritual force that inhabits every element of creation

Candomblé

New World religion with roots in West Africa - particularly Yoruba culture - which is prominent in Brazil

Santeria

New World religion with roots in West Africa; prominent in Cuba

Vodou

New World religion with roots in West Africa; prominent in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora

Jati

One of thousands of endogamous groups or subcastes, each equal in social and ritual status

Kachina

Pueblo spiritual beings

Ghost Dance

Religious resistance movements in 1870 and 1890 that originated in Nevada among Paiute peoples

Jump Dance

Renewal dance of Yurok people

Sannyasi

Renouncer in the fourth sage (ashrama) of life

Kinaalda

Rite of passage for young Navajo women

Vedanta

Synonym for Upanishads; prominent Hindu philosophical school

Tantra

System of ideas and practices that potentiates sudden liberation from samsara; also a form of sacred text detailing the ideas and practices

Shruti

Term denoting the category of Vedic literature accepted by orthodox Hindus as revealed truth

Smriti

Term denoting the vast category of Hindu sacred texts that is not shruti

Orisha

Term for lesser deities in Yoruba religion

Impermanence

The Buddha's doctrine that all phenomena are in a constant state of change

Noble Eightfold Path

The Buddha's prescription for a way of life that leads to enlightenment. Based on the principle of the Middle Way, it is also defined by eight virtues.

Middle Way

The Buddha's principle of the path between extremes of asceticism and self-indulgence that leads to enlightenment

Chan/Zen

The Chinese and Japanese names for the "meditation" school of Buddhism that values meditative experience far and above doctrine

Amma

The High God of the Dogon people

Popol Vuh

The Quiche Mayan book of creation

Divination

The attempt to learn about events that will happen in the future through supernatural means

Samsara

The continuing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; also the this-worldly realm in which the cycle recurs

Ifa

The divination system of the Yoruba religion, believed to be revealed to humanity by the gods

Anatman/No-Self

The doctrine that there is no independent, eternal self or soul underlying personal existence

Interdependent Origination

The doctrine, also known as Dependent Origination, that reality is a complex of interrelated and interdependent phenomena in which nothing exists independently; instead, the origination of all things depends on other things

Atman

The eternal self or soul that is successively reincarnated until released from samsara through moksha

Tripitaka

The first canon of Buddhist texts consisting of three "baskets" or collections of sutras

Four Noble Truths

The four truths that form the basis of the Dharma: Suffering is inherent in human life, suffering is caused by desire, there can be an end to desire, the way to end desire is the Noble Eightfold Path

Parinirvana

The full entry into nirvana that occurs at the death of one who has achieved nirvana in his or her lifetime

Odu

The original prophets in Yoruba religion

Bhakti Marga

The path of devotion

Jnana Marga

The path of knowledge

OM

The primordial sound through which the universe is manifested

Nirvana

The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice: the extinguishing of desire and the suffering it causes

Dukkha

Usually translated as "suffering," it can also be understood as the anxiety, unease, and dissatisfaction caused by desire

Darshan

Worship through simultaneously seeing and being seen by a deity in the presence of its image

Arati

Worship with light, involving the waving of a lamp in front of the deity.

Avatar

a "descent" of God (usually Vishnu) to earth in a physical form with the specific goal of aiding the world

Native American Church

a church founded in early twentieth century based on peyote religion

Trickster

a common figure in North American mythologies; trickster tales often teach important moral lessons

Sand Painting

a painting made with sand used by Navajo healers to treat ailments

Vision Quest

a ritual attempt by an individual to communicate with the spirit world

Sweat Lodge

a structure built for ritually cleansing and purifying the body

Tipi

a typical conical structure of the tribes of the Great Plains which is often constructed with a sacred blueprint

Two Spirit

an additional gender identity in many Native North American cultures; often thought to have special spiritual powers

Maya

in the Vedas, the magical power the gods used to create this world; in Vedanta philosophy, illusion that veils the mind

Rites of Passage

rituals that mark the transition from one social stage to another

Rites of Renewal

rituals that seek to enhance natural processes, like rain or fertility, or enhance the solidarity of a group

Chantway

the basis of Navajo ceremonial practice; includes chants, prayers, songs, and other ritual practice

Karma Marga

the path of ethical and ritual works, or "action"