Mandala a sacred geometric design that illustrates the Vajrayana tantras which classify the may buddhas and bodhisattvas in various families For example the head of the family will occupy the place of honor in the center of the design B Atman Anatman anatman is the concept of no self that draws attention to the psychological implications of that existential impermanence The term anatman means without Atman Atman represents the eternal self or soul in humans and is related to Brahman the underlying energy of the universe B For Hinduism Atman is the human soul Anatman no soul the doctrine that the human person is impermanent a changing combination of components Brahman and brahma B brahman is the underlying energy of the universe B Brahman is the Supreme Being It pervades human though and the universe itself To know Brahman is to enter a new state of consciousness Brahman is the hidden controller of the human soul and the frame over which the universe is woven H Brahma Hinduism a creator god not to be confused with brahman Brahman Hindu The world soul sometimes understood in impersonal terms Karma Buddhism The energy of the individual s past thoughts and actions good or bad it determines rebirth within the wheel of samsara or cycle of rebirth that ends only when parinirvana is achieved Good karma is also called merit Karma Hindu action good and bad as it is believed to determine the quality of rebirth in future lives Samsara The continuing cycle of re births H Brahmin a member of the priestly class H Dharma H Religious and social duty including both righteousness and faith Dharma B In Buddhist usage teaching or truth concerning the ultimate nature of things Caste System caste is used as a shorthand term to refer to the thousands of social and occupational divisions that have developed from the simple fourfold structure laid out in the humn to the Supreme Person priests rulers merchants and servants Bhakti Loving devotion to a deity seen as a gracious being who enters the world for the benefit of humans H Holi spring festival celebrated by throwing brightly colored water or powder H Gurus a spiritual teacher H Triple Gem of Buddhism the heart of Buddhism are the three elements known as the Three Jewels or the Triple Gem the Buddha the dharma teachings and the Sangha congregation Buddhists express their faith in these elements by taking refuge in them Wheel of Dharma The Four Sights Buddhism When Siddhartha learns the bitter truth of life s sorrows he sees four sights that will alter the course of his life The first three are a sick man a suffering old man and a dead man The fourth and final sight is a monk whose aura of tranquil detachment from the world suggests that there is a way to overcome the suffering of life after all Koan a paradoxical thought exercise used in the chan zen tradition to provoke a break through in understanding by forcing students past the limitaitons of verbal formulations and logic B Stupas originally a hemispherical mound built to contain cremation ashes or a sacred relic in East Asia the stupa developed into the tower like pagoda B Pagoda a multi story tower characteristic of southeast and east Asian Buddhism that developed out of the south Asian mound or stupa b Tanta Buddhist a tantrism is the esoteric mysterious element in some branches of Buddhism especially Vajrayana and Shingon a tantra is a tantric text Some tantric texts suggest that since the world is bound by lust it must be released by lust Mantra an expression of one or more syllables chanted repeatedly as a focus of concentration in devotion H Murti a form or personification on which divinity spirituality is manifested established H Mudras a pose or gesture in artistic representations of Buddha figures by convention each mudra has a specific symbolic meaning a number of hand gestures that are classic postures for Buddhist iconography B Vedanta the most important school of philosophy end of the Vedas refers to systems of thought based on a coherent interpretation of the Upanishads together with the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras H Yoga a practice and discipline that may involve a philosophical system and mental concentration as well as physical postures and exercises H Tantrism Hindu tantra in Hindu means an esoteric school outside the Vedic and brahminical tradition which emerged around the fifth century and centered on a number of controversial ritual practices some of them sexual developed its own forms of yoga Bhakti loving devotion to a deity seen as a gracious being who enters the world for the benefit of humans H Syllable Om a syllable chanted in meditation interpreted as representing ultimate reality or the universe or the relationship of the devotee to the deity H Naga one of the earliest symbols in the Hindu tradition in many villages there are sacred tree surrounded with images of intertwined snakes women come to these open air shrines to worship at particular times of the year or when they want to make a wish regarding a matter such as childbirth also important in the iconography of shiva and Vishnu H Linga a conical or cylindrical stone column representing the creative energies of the god Shiva H Bindi the red dot made of kumkum powder traditionally worn by married women on the forehead h Navarati Nine nights an autumn festival honoring the Goddess H Puja Ritual household worship of the deity commonly involving oil lamps incense prayers and food offerings H Sati The self sacrifice of a widow who throws herself onto her deceased husband s funeral pyre fire H Shudra A member of the lowest of the four major classes usually translated as servant though some groups within the shudra class could be quite prosperous H Parinirvana The ultimate perfection of bliss achievable only on departing this life as distinct from the nirvana with remainder achievable in the present existence B Nirvana The state of bliss associated with final enlightenment nirvana with remainder is the highest level possible in this life and nirvana without remainder is the ultimate state B Four Noble Truths the truths about suffering Noble Truth of Suffering Noble Truth of Origin Noble Truth of Cessation Noble Truth of the Eightfold Path Eightfold Path how to overcome suffering the eight principles that make up the Eightfold Path are not sequential they must work together in concert like the petals of a flower unfolding Sangha The congregation or community of Buddhist monks and nuns in some contexts the
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