Comprehensive Study Guide: Buddhism, Daoism, Indigenous Religions, Ancient Cultures, and Early Monotheism

Who was the Buddha and what triggered his quest for enlightenment?

Siddhartha Gautama; he saw four sights—an old person, a sick person, a dead person, and a monk.

What is the Middle Way?

The balanced path between extreme self-indulgence and extreme self-denial.

What are key Buddhist teachings?

Suffering (dukkha), desire as cause of suffering, mindfulness, impermanence.

Who was Ashoka?

Indian emperor who spread Buddhism after converting.

Theravada

Theravada = early, monastic, strict;

Who is the Dalai Lama?

Spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

What is Pure Land Buddhism?

Devotion to Amitabha Buddha for rebirth in the Pure Land.

What is a Zen koan?

A paradoxical riddle used in Zen meditation to break rational thought.

What is the Dao?

The natural way/order of the universe.

What are Yin and Yang?

Opposing but complementary forces that create harmony.

What is the popular sector of healthcare?

Non-specialists, mostly family—70-90% of healing.

What is the folk sector?

Shamans, herbalists, ritual healers.

What is the professional sector?

Biomedicine practiced by trained clinicians; small in many countries.

What is a personalistic medical system?

Illness caused by persons or spirits (gods, demons, witches); treated by magic or shamanism.

What is a naturalistic medical system?

Illness caused by imbalance of impersonal forces (hot/cold, yin/yang, humors).

What is animism?

Seeing animals, plants, and natural features as persons with spiritual agency.

What is Cahokia?

A major pre-Columbian city near modern East St. Louis.

What is a vision quest?

Ritual to obtain a guardian spirit through fasting, isolation, and meditation.

Who is Mourning Dove (Christine Quintasket)?

Salishan author who described guardian spirits, shamans, puberty rituals, and love-charm magic.

Who began the first Ghost Dance and when?

Wodziwob, a Paiute shaman, in 1869.

What did the Ghost Dance aim to achieve?

Return of ancestors, restoration of lands, removal of white colonizers.

What event did the 1890 Ghost Dance contribute to?

The Wounded Knee massacre of 250-300 Lakota.

What are jinn?

Spirits in Islamic tradition—powerful but unreliable or dangerous.

What is a trickster?

A deceptive, shape-shifting figure (e.g., Coyote, Anansi) with both good and bad traits.

What did Durkheim argue about gods?

Gods reflect a society's morals and reinforce social norms.

What did Norenzayan argue about gods?

Small societies have helper gods; large societies develop "big gods" who enforce morality.

Name major ancient goddesses.

Ishtar (Mesopotamia), Isis (Egypt), Kali (India).

What is secondary burial?

Body reburied after defleshing.

What is endocannibalism?

Ritual consumption of the dead by relatives.

What is sky burial?

Exposing bodies to vultures (Tibetan).

What does archaeology say about early Israelites?

They were mostly indigenous Canaanites who formed a new identity ca. 1200-1000 BCE.

Were early Israelites monotheists?

No—polytheistic; worshipped El, Baal, Asherah, etc.

What is Asherah?

A major goddess represented in pillar figurines and tree imagery.

When did monotheism likely emerge?

Persian period (ca. 540-330 BCE).

What is the Septuagint (LXX)?

Greek translation of Hebrew Scriptures (ca. 250 BCE).

What is assimilation?

Adopting dominant culture so fully that distinct identity fades.

What is accommodation?

Adapting religious practices to fit foreign culture.

What is resistance?

Opposing foreign rule using apocalyptic and revolutionary ideas.

What was the Maccabean Revolt?

Jewish revolt (168-165 BCE) against Antiochus IV; origin of Hanukkah.

Who was Paul and why is he important?

Jewish apostle who created a Judaism for Gentiles, removing Law requirements like circumcision.

What is the earliest Gospel?

Mark (70s CE), heavily influenced by Paul.

What is midrash?

Creative reinterpretation of Scripture to apply it to new contexts.

What does Plaskow argue?

Women should be read back into biblical stories through feminist midrash.

RISE

When did Muhammad receive his first revelation?

610 CE.

When was the Hijra?

622 CE.

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

Creed, prayer, almsgiving, fasting in Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca.

What are Sunni and Shia?

Early sects divided over political leadership after Muhammad's death.

What is the Pre-Pottery Neolithic?

8500-6000 BCE, early farming period.

What is the Iron Age I?

1200-1000 BCE, formation of Israelite identity.

What is the Persian Period?

539-332 BCE, rise of Jewish monotheism.

Mahayana

Broader, includes bodhisattvas who help others achieve enlightenment