Hinduism and Buddhism Vocab

Hinduism (n.)

a major religious tradition in South Asia based on the Vedas

Dharma (n.)

a person's duties, social obligations, and the order that upholds the universe

Karma (n.)

the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences

reincarnation (Samsara) (n.)

the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth

Moksha (n.)

Freedom from the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth

Brahman (n.)

god or the Supreme Being; the ‘divine consciousness; a supreme, universal spirit that is eternal and unchanging

Vedas (n.)

a collection of ancient sacred texts in Hinduism, composed in Sanskrit and considered to be the foundational scriptures of Indian religious thought

puja (n.)

the act of showing respect to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals

temple (n.)

a building dedicated to religious worship or the worship of a god

yoga (n.)

a set of physical and mental exercises intended to give control over the body and mind, or a state of permanent peace

varna (n.)

each of the four Hindu castes

avatar (n.)

a deity manifesting in a physical, earthly form

ahimsa (n.)

respect for all living things and avoidance of violence toward others

atman (n.)

the eternal, innermost self or soul of a being

meditate (v.)

a disciplined practice of focusing the mind to achieve a state of mental clarity, emotional calm, and spiritual awareness

convert (v.)

change one's religious faith or other beliefs

tolerance (n.)

willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own

Buddhism (n.)

a major religious tradition in South Asia based on ending suffering by ending desire

Four Noble Truths (n.)

the essence of Buddha’s teaching; the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering

Eight-Fold Path (n.)

the Buddhist teaching of guidelines for achieving Nirvana; (1) correct view, understanding of the nature of things, (2) correct intention, avoiding attachment, hatred, and harmful intent, (3) correct speech, refraining from lying, divisive, harsh, and senseless speech, (4) correct action, refraining from bad behaviors, (5) correct livelihood, avoiding activities that hurt others, (6) correct effort, abandoning negative thoughts and sustaining positive thoughts, (7) correct mindfulness, awareness of mind and body, and (8) correct concentration, maintaining focus and clarity! 

Enlightenment (Nirvana) (n.)

the ultimate goal of enlightenment, representing a state of perfect peace and the end of suffering; freedom from the cycle of Samsara

Buddha (n.)

“The enlightened one” ; can refer to THE Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, or any person who has attained perfect spiritual enlightenment