living religions chapter 3

asana

yoga posture

ashram

A usually ascetic spiritual community of followers gathered around their guru

atman

the individual soul

avatar

an incarnation of a deity

bhakti

intense devotion to a personal manifestation of supreme reality

brahman

the supreme reality

brahmin

priest or member of the priestly caste

caste

originally an occupational category; hereditary classes in which people are born

chakra

a subtle energy center in the body

dalit

"oppressed"; name used by some people formerly considered untouchables

darshan

visual contact with the divine

deva

a deity

dharma

moral order, duty, righteousness, religion

guru

spiritual teacher

kali yuga

the present degraded era

karma

our actions and their effects on this life and lives to come

mantra

a sound or phrase chanted to evoke sound vibration of one aspect of creation or to praise a deity

moksha

liberation

prana

the invisible life force

puja

ritual worship

reincarnation

after death, rebirth in a new life

rishi

a sage

shaiva

worshiper of shiva

shakta

worshiper of the divine in female form

samsara

the worldly cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

sannyasin

renunciate spiritual seeker

sanskrit

the ancient language of india

secularism

the constitutional principle of not giving favored status to any religion

shakti

feminine divine power

sutra

terse spiritual teaching

tantra

a sacred esoteric text with spiritual practices honoring the divine in female form

upanishads

the philosophical part of Vedas

vedas

revered ancient scriptures

yoga

practices for union with the true self