Why Religion Matters Midterm

Atman

"Self, Soul." It is used in Hinduism where they believe the Atman dwells within each human body. It is believed to be connected to the Brahman (ultimate reality) and if you realized that they are the same you can achieve moksha (liberation).

Bhikkhu

a monk or ordained man. They are a part of the Sanga (monastic community) in Buddhism such as Svasti in Old Path White Clouds. These men have to follow 227 rules (Vinaya).

Bhikkhuni

A nun or ordained woman. They are a part of the Sanga (monastic community) in Buddhism such as Gotami in Old Path White Clouds. These women have to follow 311 rules (Vinaya).

Bodhisattva

"Enlightenment being, future buddha" They are dedicated to the enlightenment of all beings. They will postpone their own enlightenment until all have been liberated from Samsara (cycle of rebirth and death). They are part of Mahayana Buddhism, and they are continually reborn in order to assist others on their path to reach enlightenment.

Brahman

"Supreme essence, ultimate reality" It is a Hindu concept that is said to be the existential ground upon which everything stands. When one realizes that Braham and Atman are one and the same, they will reach moksha (liberation).

Covenant

"Formal agreement" In Judaism, it is believed that you need to have a conventional relationship with God. This is seen when God promises Abraham blessings, descendants, and land in the Hebrew Bible.

Dalai Lama

The leader of one of the main schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is considered the manifestation of a specific bodhisattva (enlightened one or future Buddha). Each one is the reincarnation of the previous one.

Epistle

Letter. Paul wrote letters to his community, which are seen in the New Testament. These letters were written to specific communities at certain times in history and were received and read aloud in the assembly.

Galatians

A book of the Bible in the New Testament. It is a letter (epistle) written to Christ-followers by Paul.

Genesis

"Origin, birth" In the Torah and the first book of the Bible which is used by both Christians and Jews. It consists of four different sources combined into one text such as J and P.

Gentile

Non-Jewish people. They do not participate in God's covenant with Abraham and do not follow Jewish law. Paul is questioning whether or not they can become Christ-followers.

Hadith

Record of the Prophet Muhammad's words and activities. This is a part of the Islam religion. It is used to interpret the meaning of Qur'anic verses.

Hebrew Bible

It consists of 24 books that tell the story of the Israelites. It is mainly called the Tanakh by Jews and is most in Hebrew. It has 3 sections the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.

J

Yahwistic source from the 10th century BCE. It is one of the four sources of the book of Genesis read by both Christians and Jews. YHWH means lord, which is where Lord is used in Genesis.

Jataka tale

Birth stories. These are stories of Buddha's past lives that are a part of the Three Buddhist Traditions. They are the Sutras which are a part of the Tripitaka.

laity

The laity are non-ordained men and women. The Laity is a part of the Sangha of Buddhism, and they follow 5 precepts. They often provide food, shelter, and other necessities to the monks and nuns.

Mahapajapati Gotami

The Buddha's mother and the first ordained Bhikkhuni. She pushed for the Buddha to ordain women and let them be a part of the Sanga (monastic community in Buddhism).

Mandala

A symbol used during meditation by Vajrayana Buddhists. These Buddhists destroy the mandalas after meditation to represent impermanence which is one of Buddha's teachings.

Middle Way

A basic Buddhist teaching that focuses on a path of moderation between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Following this path will eventually lead to Nirvana (enlightenment).

Moksha

"Liberation, release" This is a Hindu belief that once a person reaches Moksha they will be released from Samsara (the cycle of rebirth and death). This can be achieved when one realizes that Brahman (divine eternity) and Atman (soul, self) are the same.

New Testament

Collection of 27 texts of various genres that are later appended to the Hebrew Bible. One of these books is Galatians which is one of Paul's epistles.

Nirvana

"Enlightenment" This a term in Buddhism when one is liberated from Suffering. This is achieved while they are alive. It is the ultimate goal of Buddhists. Buddha was the first to be enlightened.

P

Priestly Source from 6th century BCE. It is one of the four sources that make up Genesis which is the first book of the Hebrew Bible read by Christians and Jews.

Parinirvana

"Final Nirvana or Liberation" This is achieved when an enlightened being dies. Moksha (liberation in Hinduism) was changed to Parinirvana for the Buddhists by Buddha (he reached Parinirvana when he died).

Paul

A Jewish Christ follower who traveled and spread the early Jesus movement. He produced the earliest New Testament writings and wrote epistles (letters; one of which became the book of Galatians) to communities he would visit.

Prophet Muhammad

He is chosen by the Angel Gabriel to be a messenger for God. He is very important to Islam because the Hadith (records of the Prophet's words and activities) is used to interpret the meaning of the Qur'an.

Qur'an

A revelation of the divine word of God to the Prophet Muhammad. It is written in a specific form of Arabic and the traditional way to analyze the Qur'an is verse-by-verse (Tafsir).

Samara

The cycle of rebirth and death. This occurs when the atman (self, soul) enters a new body. This can be broken when one attains Moksha (liberation) in Hinduism.

Shruti

"That which is heard" The Vedas (knowledge) are a part of Shruti which are read aloud during Hindu practices.

Siddhartha Gautama

The Buddha. He leaves his palace in search of enlightenment (now called nirvana). He is the originator of Buddhism and stories of his past lives (sutras) are taught to Buddhists.

Sura

"fence" This is a Chapter of the Qur'an which is read by Muslims.

Svasti

An untouchable ordained monk. He was one of the young children that met Buddha on his path to find enlightenment (nirvana) which is seen in Old Path White Clouds.

Tafsir

Traditional Quranic exegesis. To understand the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam) a Muslim needs to analyze verse-by-verse.

Tathagata

"One who has gone" to enlightenment (nirvana); A term for the Buddha in Buddhism

Veda

"knowledge" Oldest existing Hindu Texts that are composed in Sanskrit and recited during rituals (Shruti).

Yasodhara

The wife of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). She later becomes a Bhikkhuni (ordained nun) alongside her Mother-in-law (Gotami) and son (Rahula).

Three Buddhist Traditions

Theravada (way of the elders), Mahayana (Greater Vehicle), Vajrayana (Diamond or Thunderbolt vehicle)

Three Marks of Existence

Dukkha (suffering), Anitya (impermanence), Anatman (Non-self)

Three parts of the Tanakh

Torah (Laws and Teachings), Nevi'im (Prophets), Ketuvim (Writings)

Tripitaka

Sutra (stories and poems describing Buddha's Teaching), Vinaya (monastic rules), and Abhidharma (philosophical explanation of Buddhist teachings)

Triple Gem

Buddha (enlightened one), Dharma (Buddha's teachings), and Sanga (the monastic community of Bhikkhu's, Bhikkhuni's, Lay's, and Laity's)

Four Noble Truths

There is suffering, There is an origin to suffering, There is an end to suffering, The eight-fold path.

Four Sights of Buddha

old man, sick man, dead man, Ascetic

Four Vedas

Rig Veda (hymns), Sama Veda (Songs), Yajur Veda (Ritual instructions), and Atharva Veda (Spells, incantations)

Close reading

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at figurative language, how a text begins and ends, treats the text as a whole, and reading slowly.

Feminist Criticism

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at how women at being portrayed and believes gender is a social concept

historical-grammatical exegesis

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at a text according to the natural meaning of the words and what they likely meant at the time.

Redaction Criticism

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at how the various editors put together their sources and arranged them

Rhetorical Criticism

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at the original situation and events of the text and the intended effects on the audience

Source Criticism

This method is a method of interpretation that looks at sources that were used and combined to produce a text

Textual Criticism

This method is a method of interpretation that attempts to reconstruct the original text by reading different manuscripts

Israelites form a kingdom with Jerusalem as capital

1000 BCE

New Testament canon is finalized

4th century CE

Pali canon is first committed to writing in Sri Lanka

1st century BCE

Paul's letters are composed

1st century CE

Priestly source is composed

6th century BCE

Prophet Muhammad is born

570 CE

Rig Veda is first revealed

1500 BCE

Siddhartha Gautama is born

6th century BCE

Yahwistic source is composed

10th century BCE