World Religions Midterm

Flashcards for the World Religions Midterm, Spring Semester 2024 Includes terms from the Egyptian, Norse, Greek, and Roman religions, along with Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism.

Ankh

The Egyptian symbol - represents (eternal) life

Wadjet

Eye of Horus

Cartouche

An oval shape inside which a pharaoh's name is written for protection

White Crown

Worn by pharaohs to symbolize rule over upper Egypt

Red Crown

Worn by pharaohs to symbolize rule over lower Egypt

Double Crown

Red and White crowns combined; signifying rule of Upper and Lower Egypt

Crook and Flail

Egyptian symbol for Rule of Power

Feather of Ma'at

Egyptian symbol of justice and truth

Scarab

Egyptian symbol of resurrection - life after death

Horus

Egyptian god of the sky, war, and protection

Osiris

Egyptian god of the underworld

Toth/Thoth

Egyptian god of wisdom and writing - head of a ibis (bird)

Anubis

Egyptian god of the dead and embalming - head of a jackal

Odin

The All-Father

Thor

Wields a hammer

Frigg/Freya

Wife of Odin

Yggdrasil

The world tree (ash tree) in the Norse religion

Athena

Goddess of war and wisdom

Parthenon

Temple of Athena in Athens, Greece

Delphi

An ancient city in central Greece - site of an oracle of Apollo

Mount Olympus

Home of the Greek gods

Neptune

Trident-wielding god - Poseidon's Roman mythology counterpart

Sacred Om

Symbol of Hinduism

Varanasi

Holiest city of Hinduism, bank of the Ganges River

Ganges River

Holiest river in Hinduism. Bathing in this river will wash away sins

Mount Kailash

Home of Shiva, source of Ganges River

Shiva

The destroyer god - Hinduism

Brahma

The creator god - Hinduism

Vishnu

The preserver god - Hinduism

Kali

Shiva's consort - associated with time or death

Parvati

Wife of Shiva

Durga

Consort of Shiva (not as important)

Ganesh

Remover of obstacles - Hindu god, son of Parvati and Shiva

Three Main Incarnations of Vishnu

Buddha, Krishna, and Rama

The 4 Vedas

Primary holy texts of Hinduism

Bhagavad Gita

Sacred Hindu text about Arjuna and Krishna

Moksha

Enlightenment in Hinduism

Samsara (Hinduism)

Cycle of birth and rebirth

Mantra

Prayer

Yoga

Divine connection

Karma (Hinduism)

The moral law of cause and effect - determines the nature of one's reincarnation

Dharma (Hinduism)

Appropriateness

Atman

Soul in Hinduism

Dharmachakra

Symbol of Buddhism - 8 spoked "wheel of the law"

Samsara (Buddhism)

Wheel of life

Buddha definition

"Awakened" or "Enlightened" one

Gautama Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni

Other names of the Buddha

Bodhi Tree

The tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.

Diamond Sutra

Buddhist text - the earliest known printed book

Stupa

A Buddhist symbolic grave monument

Elongated earlobes

Often attributed to Buddha, depicts wisdom

The Four Noble Truths

Dukkha, Tanha, Nirvana, The Eight-Fold Path

Dukkha

Buddhist term that all existence is filled with suffering

Tanha

The craving or clinging that causes Dukkha in Buddhism

Nirvana

Buddhist enlightenment achieved when Dukkha ceases

The Eight-Fold Path

Eight steps to end suffering in Buddhism

The Three Jewels of Buddhism

Buddha, Dharma/Dhamma, Sangha

Dharma/Dhamma (Buddhism)

Buddha's teachings

Sangha

Buddhist community of monks

Apocrypha

"Hidden" or "Secret" - Writings not officially part of the accepted canon of Scripture

Name for followers of Jainism

Peaceful Liberators

Siddha

Liberated soul in Jainism - depicted as a silhouette of empty space

Digambara

Sky clad sect of Jainism with only men

Svetambara

White-clad majority sect of Jainism - wears mask to prevent inhaling bugs

Lord Bahubali

Only human to achieve liberation in Jainism

Khanda

Symbol of Sikhism

Sikh meaning

"disciple" or "learner"

Sikhism "motto"

Devotion to the Guru

Guru meaning

"The Weighty One"

Sat Guru

"True Teacher" - the one true God in Sikhism

Guru Granth Sahib

The holy book of Sikhism - designated the final guru (by Guru Gobind Singh), contains the texts of all past gurus

Guru Gobind Singh

The 10th and last human Sikh guru

Kam (Sikhism)

Lust

Krodh (Sikhism)

Anger

Lobh (Sikhism)

Greed

Moh (Sikhism)

Worldly attachment

Ahankar (Sikhism)

Pride

Khalsa

"pure ones," community of Sikhs

Narm Marg

A Sikh's daily devotion to God

Loka (Sikhism)

Nature of the universe

Harimandir

Golden Temple in Amritsar - surrounded by the lake of immortality (Sikhism)

Tao meaning

"The Way"

Lao Tzu (Laozi)

Founder of Taoism

Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing)

Text with proverbs attributed to Lao Tzu

Ch'i/Chi (Taoism)

The body's energy

The Eight Immortals

Popular Taoist deities who achieved immortality

Yin Yang

Cosmic currents - symbol of Taoism

Yin represents

Darkness, water, female

Yang represents

Light, activity, air, male

Ching

"Seminal essence" or "focused energy" - Taoism

Shen

"Spirit" or "consciousness" in Taoism

Wu-Wei

"Creative inaction" - Taoism

What qualities were tasted in the Vinegar Tasters allegory?

Confucius: Sourness

Buddha: Bitterness

Lao Tzu: Sweetness