Hinduism

HINDUISM KEY TERMS:

  * Adharma – Opposite of dharma; all that is bad, wrong, wicked.
  * Ahimsa – Non-violence.
  * Androgynous – Reflecting both male and female characteristics; either a mix of, or neither, masculine and feminine.
  * Animism – Primitive or tribal religion; the belief that spirits inhabit all objects and have influence on people and natural events.
  * Arati – Hindu fire ritual, waving the flame before the images of the gods.
  * Aryans – An early Europeans people who are thought to have invaded India several thousand years ago.
  * Ascetic – Someone who practices severe self-discipline and possibly retires into solitude in order to achieve this.
  * Atman – Hindu ‘self’, similar to the concept of the individual soul.
  * Avatars – Forms or manifestations of the Hindu gods, especially Vishnu.
  * Bali – An evil god in Hinduism.
  * Bhakti Movement – Devotional movement in Hinduism.
  * Brahman – Concept of the ultimate god, sometimes called ‘the great world soul’.
  * Dalit – An ‘untouchable’, an outcast; someone Hindus believe has no Varna.
  * Dharma - Right way of living, righteousness.
  * Dhyana – One method of yoga expressed in meditation.
  * Karma – The effects of one’s actions on life, good or bad; the natural consequences of actions.
  * Lingam – Phallic symbol associated with Shiva in Hinduism.
  * Moksha – Release from the cycle of rebirth; reunification of atman with Brahman.
  * Monotheism – Worship of only one god.
  * Om – The sound with which creation began; the symbol for Hinduism and a common expression for a mantra.
  * Puja – Worship rituals may be carried out at a public temple or in the home.
  * Puranas – A body of Hindu sacred writings that mainly tell legends about the Hindu gods.
  * Sannyasi – One who renounces life and dedicates themselves to strictly spiritual pursuits.
  * Sanskrit – Ancient sacred language of India.
  * Shiva – One of the three chief Hindu...