REL 210 - All Final Exam Vocab Words

NCSU

Polytheism

Worship of Many Gods

Monotheism

Worship of 1 (ONLY 1 that exists)

Henotheism

Worship of 1 (Other Gods Exist)

Monism

God = Universe; All made of 1 substance

Dualism

Universe is the product of two opposing forces (Ex: Good v. Evil)

Pantheism

God is EVERYTHING; Not a person or outside being.

Atheism

No God Exists.

Pluralism

All Religions have some truth to them; NO MONOPOLY!

Theodicy

“Vindication of God”; Pardoning God for allowing the existence of evil

Numinous

The feeling of the presence of divinity.

Prophet

Individual in contact w/ “God”

Orthodoxy

Generally accepted belief; literally means “correct belief”

Orthoproxy

Purity of Action; Literally means “Correct Practice”

Hagiography

Writing about the lives of Saints & Prophets

Exegesis

Interpretation of a text

Canon

List of agreed books by a community

Intersubjective

Exists shared between people

Atman

The Eternal, Individual “Soul”

Brahman

Source of all Existance

Samsara

The Cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth

Karma

Moral Cause & Effect

Maya

“Illusion”; The Power that Veils the True Nature of Reality

Moksha

Liberation from Samsara

Sanatana Dharma

“Eternal Law”

Rta

The Cosmic Order; Ensures all is regulated in the universe

Dharma

DUTY.

Caste System

Social Hierarchy

Brahmin

Priests/Scholars

Four Stages of Life

Brahmacharya (Student) → Grihasha (Householder) → Vanaprastha (Retirement) → Sannyasa (Renunciate)

Vedas

Oldest & most authoritive scripture; Heard ancient

Upanishads

Late Vedic texts; Focuses on Brahman & Atman

Mahabharata

Epic Poem covering the Great War; Includes the Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita

Dialogue between Arjuna & the God Krishnu; All about DUTY and how important Dharma is.

Ramoyana

Prince Rama & his quest to rescue his wife Sita from Ravana

Marga

The three main “paths” to liberation: Karma (Action), Jnana (Knowledge), and Bhakti (Devotion)

Tantra

Diverse set of traditions; Includes ritual, meditation, and use of the material world.

Puja

The Act of Ritual Worship

Darshan

“Seeing” and being seen by a deity

Aniconic

Represents a deity w/o a human-like image.

Avatar

The “descent”/incarnation of a deity into an earthly form (Think Krishna & Vishnu)

Yoga

Spiritual & Physical disciplines intended to unite a person w/ the “divine”

Trimurti

The “three forms” of the divine; Brahma/Creator, Vishnu/Preserver, and Shiva/Destroyer

Shakti

The Feminine Cosmic Energy; “Divine Mother”

Mahadeva

“Great God”; Associated w/ Shiva

Shaiva

Follower of Shiva

Shakta

Worshiper of Shakti

Dukha

“Suffering”

Four Noble Truths

1) Life is Dukkha

2) Cause = Craving/Attachment

3) There is an end to Dukkha (Nirvana)

4) The Path to Nirvana = The Eightfold Path

Eightfold Path

The way to end suffering;

• View

• Intention

• Speech

• Action

• Livelihood

• Effort

• Mindfulness

• Concentration

The Middle Way

Path of Moderation; Between extreme self-indulgence and extreme self-denial (asceticism)

Nirvana

“Extinguishing”; The ultimate goal !

Anatman/Anatta

“No-Self”; The concept that there is NO permanent, unchanging soul.

Impermanence

The realization that all things are in a constant state of change; NOTHING LASTS FOREVER !

Theravada

“Way of the Elders” Conservative, focus on individual monastic discipline (Has the Pali Canon/Tripitaka)

Pali Canon/Tripitaka

The Standard Collection of Scriptures

Mahayana

“Great Vehicle”; Focus on Compassion for ALL beings

Bodhisattva

A person who is at the brink of enlightenment, but stays in this world to help others

Vajrayana/Tibetan

“Diamond Vehicle”; Uses rituals and visualizations (Has the Dalai Lama/Leader)

Pure Land

A devotional branch of Mahayana; focuses on being reborn in a “Pure Land” where achieving enlightenment is easier.

Shinran

Japanese Monk who founded the “Pure Land” school, emphasizing total reliance on the grace of Amida Buddha.

Chan/Zen

Direction Experience & Meditation > Scripture

Koan

“What’s the sound of 1 hand clapping?”; Paradoxical anecdote used in Zen B. to provoke enlightenment

Avalokiteśvara

The Bodhisattva of Compassion, often depicted w/ many arms to reach out and help all suffering beings.

Sangha

The Buddhist Community, traditionally consisting of monks & nuns, along w/ practitioners.

Samatha

Form of Meditation; Calming/Concentration

Vipasssana

Form of Meditation; Insight into the nature of reality

Mandala

Sacred geometric maps of the universe; Used as tools in meditations & rituals.

Jiva

The individual soul/living essence; LITERALLY EVERYTHING has it.

Ahimsa

Non-Violence; 1 of 3 AAA’s

Asceticism

Severe Self-Discipline; Avoidance of ALL forms of indulgence

Kevala

The highest state of perfection and omniscience (All-Knowing); Think like Nirvana for Jains.

Samyak Darshana

“Right Faith/Vision”; First step on the spiritual path where a soul realizes the true nature of Jain teachings.

Gunasthanas

14 Stages of Spiritual Developments; Path to get to Kevala !

Tirthankaras

“Ford-Makers”; 24 great spiritual teachers who have crossed the “river” to rebirth, showing other the way.

Jina

“Conqueror”; Given to someone whose conquered their inner enemies (greed, pride, anger) and achieved liberation.

Mahavira

24th and FINAL Tirthankara of our current time cycle; Revitalized Jainism, establishing the monastic community we see today.

Shramana

“Seeker”/ “One who Strives”; Refers to non-Vedic movements (Jainism & Buddhism) that rejected the authority of the Brahmins in favor of individual ascetic effort.

Universal History

Jain concept of time/the universe; A series of upwards and downwards cycles (NO beginning/end)

Digambara

“Sky-Clad”; More Conservative, monks get nothing (the naked ones)

Shvetambara

“White-Clad”; Monks & Nuns wear simple, white robes (WOMEN CAN BE LIBERATED!)

Mahavratas

Five Great Vows; Taken by Jain monks and nuns:

• Ahimsa (Non-Violence)

• Satya (Truthfulness)

• Asteya (Non-Stealing)

• Brahmacharya (Chastity)

• Aparigaha (Non-Possession)

Three Core Practices (AAA)

Ahimsa (Non-Violence), Anekantavada (Non-Absolutism), Aparigraha (Non-Attachment)

Whisk

Broom-like tool used to gently sweep the ground before they sit/walk to avoid accidentally stepping on or harming insects.

Swastika

An ancient Jain symbol representing the four possible realms of rebirth

• Heavenly Beings

• Humans

• Hellish Beings

• Animals/Plants

Agamas Canon

The primary collection of Jain scriptures based on the teachings of Mahavira

Purva

Set of 14 Ancient Jain texts; Considered lost

Scripture of Six Parts

Another term for specific canonical divisions within Jain literature, often associated w/ the Sakhandagama.

K’ung-fu tzu

Latinized name for Confucius; 6th Century BCE philosopher w/ teaching emphasizing social order and personal virtue.

Mencius

Most famous follower of Confucius; Argued human nature is inherently good & rulers should govern w/ compassion

Analects

Primary collection of short saying & ideas attributed to Confucius & his contemporaries; Compiled by his students after his death.

Ren

“Benevolence” / “Humaneness” / “Human-Kindness”; The inward feeling of empathy and ultimate goal of Confucian self-cultivation (INTERNAL)

Li

“Ritual” / “Etiquette” / “Propriety”; Refers to the outward formal behaviors that maintain social order. (EXTERNAL)

Filial Peity (Xiao)

Virtue of respect for one’s parents, elders, and ancestors; Considered the root of all other virtues.

Silver Rule

“Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.”; Negative version of the Golden Rule

Junzi

“Exemplary Person” / “Gentleman”; Ideal person!

Five Relationships

1) Ruler/Subject

2) Father/Son

3) Husband/Wife

4) Older Brother/Younger Brother

5) Friend/Friend

Rectification of Names

Social disorder comes from people failing to live up to their titles.

Tian

“Heaven”; An impersonal cosmic force that governs the universe.

Mandate of Heaven

The divine right to rule; Granted by Tian.

Laozi

Legendary “Old Master”; Author of the Daodejing & Founder of Daoism