The Development and Codifications of Religious and Cultural Traditions

Symbol

: yin- yang, a circle that illustrates that nothing is absolute.

Social harmony

: could be created by rulership and good behavior from below.

Vedism

was absorbed into a larger set of beliefs known as Hinduism.

Syncretism

: blending of old and new religious beliefs, mixing practices from more than one religion.

Greco Buddhist architecture

and sculpture: an example of cultural borrowing.

Order

and hierarchy are paramount, the well- being of the group comes before the individual.

China

Paper appeared in , along with woodblock.

Vishnu the Preserver

is a savior figure and a great friend to humanity.

Shakti

is the great mother goddess.

Upanishads

raised the possibility that people could liberate themselves from the cycle of life, death and reincarnation without relying on brahmins.

Analects

: Confucius teachings, compiled by his followers after his death.

Architecture

: Great Library of Alexandria, Hanging Gardens Of Babylon and the use of columns and domes.

Mahayana

: the newer school, involves motor ritual and symbology than what Buddha spoke of.

Shamanism

: attempted to heal the sick, prayed to the spirits for success in hunting, and enforced taboos, or forbidden behaviors.

Brahma

is the male personification of the World Soul.

Hinduism

inherited the concepts of karma, reincarnation and the caste system.

Sati ritual

: widows of certain castes were required to burn themselves to death on the funeral pyres of their deceased husbands.

Tanakh

: rabbis codified Jewish scriptures, which included the Torah.

Brahmins

taught that through unquestioned obedience worshippers could be reincarnated into better lives.

Theravada

: emphasizes the simplicity and meditation and remains closer to Buddhas actual teachings.

Empirical thinking

: means of systematic observation.

Shiva the Destroyer

, reflects the duality of life and death.