Hinduism

Ahimsa

Avoiding malicious intents and actions and overcoming negative emotions.

Atman

soul

Avatar

A representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal form.

Bhagavad Gita

The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit.

Bhakti Yoga

Path of devotion, when people connect and love God with no other expectations. Can be done through prayer or puja.

Brahman

A single spiritual power that Hindus believe lives in everything, God

Dharma

One's duty or mode of conduct (how we act)/being that helps spiritual advancement. Guide and foundation for all aspects of life.

Jnana Yoga

Path of Spiritual knowledge, self-realization through intellectual pursuit of spiritual knowledge. Three steps: Shravana, intensive study. Manana, deep contemplation. Nididhyasana, experiencing the divine.

Karma

The effects of a person's actions that determine their destiny in their next incarnation

Karma yoga

Path of Selflessness and Righteous Action: Performing actions for God, not so that you gain something from it. Any action can be considered, seva, or selfless service, if it is done with lack of demand for anything in return.

Mahabharata

the longest single poem in the world, about a war fought between two branches of the same family. One of India's greatest epics written between 1000 and 700 BC

Maya

Maya is based on an individual's deluded belief that they are the only person, and their actions are separate from everyone else's. This mistaken belief drives people to act selfishly that generates karma, which is tied to samsara.

Moksha

Ultimate goal in life. When a soul has a completely balanced karma, by reaping the consequences of all actions, it can attain moksha. Liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. One with God, no more samsara, perfect understanding of all things.

Murti

an image or statue of a Hindu god in which the god is thought to actually be present

Puja

Hindu devotional worship of deities at home or in a temple

Puranas

popular epics, collections of stories and poems about favorite sectarian gods and sages

Raja yoga

Path of Physical Discipline: Components to finding ethical behavior, stabilizing the body, and controlling breathing to steady the nervous system. Even though it can be difficult, it helps one control their mind enough to gain moksha.

Ramayana

A Hindu epic written in Sanskrit that describes the adventures of the king Rama and his queen

Reincarnation

In Hinduism, the process by which a soul is reborn continuously until it achieves perfect understanding

Samsara

The endless cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth

Shruti

A canon of Hindu scripture, it is from a word that means "what is heard" (from God)

Smriti

term denoting the vast category of Hindu sacred texts that is not shruti (memory, used to remember shruti)

Upanishads

Interpretations of the Vedas

Varnashrama Dharma

Duties performed according to the system of four varnas (social divisions) and four ashrams (stages in life, student, family, retirement, renunciation). Everyone is equal.

Vedas

Early Indian sacred 'knowledge'-the literal meaning of the term-long preserved and communicated orally by Brahmin priests and eventually written down.