REL1300 Intro to World Religions Final Exam Study Guide Part One Terms and Ideas Festivals and Groups Sects Deepvali Known as the Festival of lights a five day Hindu festival which starts on either October 15 or November 15 celebrates Krishna and Narakasura and is like the New Year complete with fireworks dressing up etc Moksha Liberation from samsara the cycle of death and rebirth Harappa Culture Existed from 2750 1750 BCE an urban civilization with heavy fortifications city planning brick houses writing system Disappeared in 1750 possibly due to Indo European invasions Vedanta A school of philosophy originally used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known as the Upanishads Atman Anatman Anatman is the doctrine that there is in humans no underlying substance that could be called the soul Atman means self or the true essence of an individual A human must acquire self knowledge Yoga A philosophical system Generic term for the physical mental and spiritual disciplines which originated in ancient India Original meaning was to detach the which is to realize that one s true self atman is indentical with the transcendent self Brahman Brahman and Brahma Brahman is the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world and the ultimate essence of material phenomena including the original identity of the human self Brahma is the name of the creator deity Karma action rewards punishment s actions consequenc es mind from external stimuli Tantrism Hindu Tantric ritual seeks to access the supra mundane through the mundane identifying the microcosm with the macrocosm the sublimate rather than to negate relative reality Bhakti Southern India in the 5th century CE wandering poet saints called Alvars Open to everyone not caste conscious Tamil heritage Poems often refer to Ramayana Mahabharata and the Puranas Puja A religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities distinguished persons or special guests In Hindusim it is done on a variety of occaisions and settings from daily puja in the home to temple ceremonies Tilaka and bindi Forehead decoration represents the third eye Can be used for festivals such as Holi Can be used to focus meditation Samsara Reincarnation cycle of death and rebirth Syllable Om Hindus believe that as creation began the divine all encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound om The vibration symbolizes the manifestation of God in form and the reflection of absolute reality Naga Brahmins Priestly caste Dharma The law that upholds supports or maintains the regulatory order of the universe Linga A representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples Caste System Laws of Manu 1st Century CE Brahmin priests Kshatriya rulers Vaisyas Vaisya One of the four varnas of Hindu social order duties includes cattle rearing and other pastoral tasks productive labor agriculture and trade and commerce North Indian Bhakti Tantra tantrism Numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy Ayurvedic Medicine System of traditional medicine native to the Indian merchants Shudras servants Yoruba subcontinent and a form of alternative medicine Navarati Festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga Literally means nine nights Holi Feast of love honors youthful Krishna 3 days of citywide play throwing colorful dye at each other Last day there is a bonfire to consume evil Ashramas p 280 One of four stages of an age based social system laid out in the Manu Smriti and later Classical Sanskrit texts Includes Brahmacharya student life Grihastha household life Vanaprastha retired life and Sannyasa renounced life Three Ways to Liberation The Karma yoga the path of work The Jnana Yoga the path of Hindu gurus A respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his or her disciple an educator Sati Practice of a widowed woman settling herself on fire on her husband s funeral from whom one receives the iniatory mantra and one who instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies knowledge and The Bhakti yoga the path of devotion pyre Derived from the original name of the goddess Sati also known as Dakshayani who self immolated because she was unable to live with her father Daksha s humiliation of her living husband Shiva Shudra Servants peasants under the Laws of Manu Lowest caste Triple Gem of Buddhism Buddha the enlightened one Dharma the teaching path to enlightenment Sangha the community of those who have attained enlightenment Theravada Oldest surviving Buddhist branch literally means teaching of the elders Mostly closely resembles early Buddhism and is still a major Buddhist school today Believes you must be a monk in order to attain enlightenment and involves popular support of the monastic sangha through donations Enlightenment through monastic discipline Enlightenment comes only through personal effort no supernatural help Mahayana Lay people can attain enlightenment and liberation heaven dwelling Bodhisattvas saints help those seeking enlightenment and liberation Greater vehicle developed in 1st century CE 1 cosmic reality that manifests itself in heavenly beings and humans Vajrayana Diamond vehicle Himalayan Buddhism spread in 8th century CE Wheel of Dharma A symbol that has represented dharma the Buddha s teaching of the path to enlightenment Parinirvana The complete nirvana which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening Part of Mahayana Buddhism The Four Sights Buddhism Siddharta Gautama saw four men on his journey outside the palace Old man sick man dead man Nirvana Profound peace of mind that is acquired through moksha State of being free from suffering In Hindu Merged with Tibetan folk and magic traditions Include mandalas sacred geometric designs and mantra sacred chants Dana Ritual enlightened man philosophy it is union with Brahman Part of Zen Buddhism meditation on paradoxes illogical riddles Four Noble Truths 1 Existence is suffering 2 The origin of suffering is attachment or desire 3 The cessation of suffering is attainable 4 The way to overcome suffering is to follow the eightfold path Stupas Pagodas A structure containing Buddhist relics typically the ashes of deceased used by Buddhist as a place of meditation Pagoda Eightfold Path The way leading to the cessation of suffering and the achievement of self awakening Used to develop insight
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