RPE - Hinduism Terms

Brahman

The Ultimate Reality

Trimurti

The three main aspects of Brahman. These are manifestations/the 3 main forms of Brahman. They are known as:

1. Brahma- The Creator

2. Vishnu- The Preserver

3. Shiva- The Destroyer

Avatar

The human or animal incarnation of a God. The God Vishnu is believed to have 10 avatars. These include Krishna and Rama. Some Hindus believe the Buddha to be an avatar.

Samsara

The cycle of birth, life, death', rebirth, life, death, rebirth etc.

Atman

The soul, the spark of the Ultimate reality Brahman that resides in all of us

Moksha

liberation from the cycle of Samsara when your atman returns and unites with Brahman

Reincarnation

when the atman/soul migrates from one body to the next

Karma

your actions. This can lead to good or bad reincarnation

Dharma

Your duty. Your duty involves praying to and worshipping the gods, as well as being a good person. Hindus perform their dharma in different ways. You may wish to look at the 4 main types of yoga to help you with this.

Murti

a shrine, statue or image of a god/goddess that is used during worship

Puja

Worship. This can involve lighting incense, offering food, clothing or even money as offerings to the gods. The gods/goddesses are believed to encompass the murti when worship takes place.

Jnana Yoga

A disciplined type of yoga that is done by Hindus who have given up worldly possessions and want to focus on trying to be in unity with God. They try to connect themselves and the world with Brahman. They study the Hindu holy books to understand Brahman in more depth.

Raja Yoga

This is focused on antaryami, which means Brahman within humans. It is a meditation yoga that is mainly used by Hindu holy men, who complete mantras to focus on Brahman.

Karma Yoga

This type of yoga is about focusing on doing good things around you and helping others. The idea is to try not to focus on the material objects in life and instead focus on the spiritual. Doing good things will gain a person good karma and therefore help towards achieving moksha. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is an important Hindu holy book, Lord Krishna explains that selfless action is the best example of karma yoga.

Bhakti Yoga

This type of yoga is about worship and showing God love and devotion. This might be done through prayer to an image of a deity in the shrine at home. Hindus want to make it clear to Brahman that the most important being is Brahman. Bhakti yoga is about showing this through worship.