Descriptionary

Trappist a strict order of monks, known for their fasting and extended periods of silence.

Trinity the Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Unification Church founded by Korean Sun Myung Moon in 1954, the church having a doctrine based on a conglomeration of Christian and Taoist ideas.

unitarian Church the church noted for its philoso­phy that all faiths lead to the same truth and for its readings from the sacred texts of various religions, including Christianity, at services.

vatican the palace home of the pope in Vatican City.

vestments ecclesiastical garments.

vicar in England, a priest who oversees a parish.

vicar of Christ the pope, as representative of Christ on earth.

Hinduism

Agni the god of fire.

ahimsa the doctrine of nonviolence held by many Hindu sects, epitomized by the Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi.

arti the sacred flame, offered in a lamp to the gods during services.

ashram a communal house where followers or stu­dents of a guru live.

avatar the incarnation of a god. Nine avatars are believed to have descended from heaven, including Rama and Krishna, to reestablish law and worship. One remains to come (Kalki), who will destroy the world.

avidya spiritual ignorance, a cause of much suffering.

Bhagavad Gita "the Song of the Lord," a highly influential book of 700 verses featuring the spiri­tual guidance given Prince Arjuna by his charioteer, Krishna (an incarnation of God), on the battlefield.

Bhagavan "Blessed One" or "Lord," referring to holy men or the god Vishnu.

bhakti knowing God through love and devotion.

Brahma the god of creation and the source of wis­dom. Brahma is usually portrayed as having four heads and often seated on a lotus or flying on a swan. He is not widely worshipped by Hindus.

Brahman the Universal Spirit in everyone and everything.

Brahmin the highly revered priestly caste of Hindu­ism. Brahmins carry out sacrifices and other ceremo­nies.

chakras places in the body other than the brain where consciousness resides, according to Hindu yoga; the genitals, the navel, behind the lower breast­bone, the throat, and between the eyebrows.

chela the student of a guru.

chit Hindu word for consciousness.

Deva "shining being," a god.

dharma caste duties and obligations.

Durga the greatly venerated wife of the god Shiva.

Durga Puja a main festival honoring the goddess Durga.

Ganesha the four-armed, elephant-headed god and son of Shiva, widely worshiped as a "remover of obstacles"; a symbol of luck and prosperity, especially in western India.

guru a spiritual teacher.

Hanuman the Hindu monkey god.

Indra god of rain, thunder, and war.

Janmashtami a festival celebrating the birth of Krishna.

Kalki the last avatar or incarnation of Vishnu; he is due to come in the future and destroy the world to make way for the creation of a new world.

Kamadeva god of love and desire.

karma the central Hindu belief that what goes around comes around; that is, one's fate in life is determined largely by one's behavior earlier in life or in a previous life and that bad karma can be reduced or eliminated by performing good works and living a moral life.

Krishna the widely popular black god and avatar of Vishnu. Many Hindus use Krishna as the name of God.

Kshatriya the warrior caste; the caste second only to the Brahmins.

lingam an erect phallus, the symbol of the god Shiva.

lotus position the yoga position in which the legs are folded tightly together, used in meditation.

mantra a word or phrase repeated continuously in meditation to clear the mind of all intrusive thoughts.

moksha "liberation"; the release from the bondage of endless reincarnation and karma, the highest goal of Hindus; it is achieved by living a good life and cre­ating good karma.

naman three vertical lines worn on the forehead of Vaishnavia, in Vaishnavism.

niyama purifying oneself through discipline, accord­ing to Hindu yoga.

om Sanskrit for "yes" or "so be it," a sacred word uttered before prayers.

puja worship; it is performed three times per day by Orthodox Hindus.

Rama the seventh avatar; an incarnation of Vishnu.

Sacred Thread Ceremony Hindu boy's initiation rite of second birth and passage to maturity.

sadhu an ascetic holy man.

sannyasin one who abandons all material things except for a pot, a loincloth (dhoti), and alms in an attempt, along with meditation, to achieve moksha; an ascetic.

Shaivism worship of the God Shiva.

Shiva the god of life, death, and rebirth, symbolized by an erect phallus.

Sudra the lowest caste of the Hindu caste system, specifically servants and peasants.