DSST Introduction to World Religions key terms

The belief that natural objects, animals, plants, and places are inhabited by spirits or possess a life force. Common in primal religions and often contrasted with belief in distant, transcendent gods.

An impersonal supernatural power or energy believed to reside in certain people, objects, or places. A person or thing with much mana is considered powerful or sacred.

A prohibition on touching, eating, or approaching something regarded as sacred or dangerous. Breaking a taboo is believed to bring misfortune, illness, or spiritual pollution.

A religious specialist who enters altered states of consciousness to contact the spirit world. Shamans typically heal the sick, guide souls, and serve as mediators between the community and spirits.

A prescribed sequence of symbolic actions performed in a religious context. Rituals mark life transitions, express beliefs, and reinforce community bonds through repeated, formal behavior.

A distinction, associated with scholar Mircea Eliade, between things set apart as holy and powerful and the ordinary, everyday world. Religions organize space and time around this contrast.

A sacred narrative that explains origins, the nature of the world, or the deeds of gods and ancestors. Myths convey a community's worldview and are often reenacted in ritual.

A religious or philosophical account of how the universe is structured and how it came to be. It may include stories of creation, layers of heavens and underworlds, and the place of humanity.

The belief in and worship of a single supreme deity. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the classic examples, each teaching that this one God is creator and ruler of all.

The belief in and worship of many gods, each with distinct powers and domains. It appears in ancient Greek, Roman, Hindu, and many primal traditions.

The worship of one god as supreme while acknowledging that other gods exist. The term describes traditions in which a worshipper exalts a single deity above a wider pantheon.

In Hindu philosophy, the innermost self or soul of a person. Advaita Vedanta teaches that Atman is ultimately identical with Brahman, the universal reality.

In Hinduism, the ultimate, unchanging reality underlying all existence. It is described as infinite and impersonal in much philosophy, though devotion may personify it as a supreme deity.

The principle that actions produce consequences that shape future experiences, including rebirth. In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism it is a moral law governing the cycle of existence.

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma. Liberation from this cycle is the central goal of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

In Hinduism, liberation from samsara and from the suffering of repeated rebirth. It is achieved through paths such as knowledge, devotion, and selfless action.

The hereditary social order of traditional Hindu society, classically divided into four groups plus those outside the system. Caste has shaped marriage, occupation, and ritual status in India.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the moral duty, law, or teaching appropriate to one's role and stage of life. It can also mean the Buddha's teaching or the underlying nature of reality.

The Buddha's core teaching that life involves suffering, suffering arises from craving, craving can cease, and the Eightfold Path leads to that cessation. They form the foundation of Buddhist doctrine.

The Buddhist program of practice leading to liberation, comprising right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. It develops wisdom, ethics, and mental discipline together.

In Buddhism, the extinguishing of craving, hatred, and delusion, ending the cycle of rebirth. It is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice and is described as peace beyond suffering.

The Buddhist teaching that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul. What we call a person is a temporary collection of changing physical and mental elements.

The school of Buddhism dominant in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, emphasizing monastic discipline and the Pali scriptures. It focuses on individual liberation and the historical Buddha's teachings.

The major Buddhist branch found in East Asia, emphasizing compassion and the bodhisattva ideal. It teaches that many beings can attain enlightenment and that lay practice is a valid path.

In Mahayana Buddhism, a being who seeks enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings and postpones final nirvana to help others. Compassion is the defining virtue of this path.

A school of Mahayana Buddhism, influential in Japan, that emphasizes meditation and direct insight over doctrinal study. It uses koans and sitting practice to awaken insight into one's true nature.

The Confucian virtue of humaneness, benevolence, and care for others. It is the central ethical quality cultivated through relationships, ritual, and self-improvement.

In Confucianism, the proper conduct, ritual, and etiquette that maintain social harmony. It covers ceremony, manners, and the respectful behavior owed within relationships.

The Confucian duty of respect, obedience, and care toward parents and ancestors. It is treated as the foundation of social order and a model for loyalty in wider relationships.

The Confucian ideal of the noble or exemplary person, defined by moral character rather than birth. Such a person practices virtue consistently and serves as a model for others.

In Taoism, the underlying, ineffable principle or way that generates and governs all things. The term also denotes the path of life that aligns with nature's spontaneous order.

The Taoist principle of acting without forcing, through spontaneous and effortless action aligned with the Tao. It encourages non-interference and avoidance of contrived, aggressive striving.

Complementary forces in Chinese thought, often represented as dark and light, receptive and active. Their balance and interaction are believed to produce harmony in nature, health, and society.

In Judaism, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses and containing law and teaching. It is the central text read in synagogue worship and study.

A binding agreement between God and a people, central to Jewish identity. The covenant with Abraham and the covenant at Sinai establish the relationship between God and Israel.

The commandments or religious obligations of Jewish law, traditionally numbering 613. Observance of these duties shapes daily life, worship, diet, and ethics.

The Christian doctrine that the one God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons in one divine essence. It is defined in the creeds and central to most Christian theology.

The Christian belief that God the Son became human in Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human. It is celebrated at Christmas and taught as essential to salvation in mainstream Christianity.

A Christian ritual believed to convey divine grace, such as baptism and the Eucharist. Most traditions recognize at least these two, while some count seven.

The core obligations of Islam: profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting during Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Together they structure Muslim devotional life and community identity.

The Islamic profession of faith declaring that there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger. Reciting it sincerely is how a person enters the Muslim community.

The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, required once in a lifetime for those able to make it. It takes place in the twelfth month and includes rituals at the Kaaba and nearby sites.

In Shinto, the sacred spirits or divine powers that inhabit natural places, ancestors, and important figures. Kami are honored at shrines with offerings, prayers, and purification rites.

A traditional Japanese gate marking the entrance to a Shinto sacred space. Passing through it symbolizes leaving the ordinary world and entering a purified realm.

In Shinto, a state of ritual cleanliness and freedom from pollution, essential for approaching the kami. Purification rites such as washing and sprinkling restore this state.

The twelve major deities of ancient Greek religion, such as Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Apollo, said to dwell on Mount Olympus. Their myths and cults shaped Greek and later Roman religion.

Ancient Greek and Roman cults offering secret initiation and promises of a blessed afterlife, such as the Eleusinian and Mithraic mysteries. They emphasized personal experience over public civic ritual.

The Roman virtue of dutiful respect toward the gods, family, and state. It expressed proper religious and social obligation and was central to Roman civic identity.

In Scientology, a counseling process in which a person recalls and addresses past experiences while connected to an E-meter. It aims to relieve spiritual difficulties and improve awareness.

In Scientology, the immortal spiritual being that is the true identity of a person, distinct from the body and mind. Clearing aims to free the thetan from harmful past impressions.

The system of mental and spiritual improvement developed by L. Ron Hubbard, published in 1950, that preceded and underlies Scientology. It focuses on clearing the mind of painful recorded impressions.

A sacred story explaining how the world, humanity, or particular peoples came into being. Such stories establish a community's sense of purpose and its place in the cosmos.