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The Aryans
1700 BCE-1500 BCE |
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Definition
| People who have settled in prehistoric times in northern Indian subcontinent. Their religion is known as the Brahmanism or Vedic religion (the religion based on Rig Veda), which was later superseded by Hinduism. |
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Rig Vedas/Vedas
1500 BCE, written down in 300 BCE |
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| The oldest of the sacred books of Brahmanism (also of Hinduism). Composed in an ancient form of Sanskrit. |
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| The Awakened One/ the Enlightened One |
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| Action in Sanskrit. A term used to refer to the doctrine of action and its corresponding fruition, according to which virtuous deeds of body, speech, and mind produce happiness in the future (in this life or subsequent lives), while non-virtuous deeds lead instead to suffering. |
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| In Sanskrit, “extinction.” The ultimate goal of the Buddhist path. The Buddha described human existence as qualified by various forms of suffering. In order to put an end to suffering, one must destroy its causes. If these causes could be destroyed, they would no longer have any effect, resulting in the cessation of suffering and thus ________ |
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| The modern place name for the location of the Deer Park where the Buddha is said to have first “turned the wheel of dharma (teaching),” in other words, delivered his first sermon. Considered one of the holiest sites in the Buddhist world and has long been an important place of pilgrimage. |
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| The modern Indian place name for the most significant site in the Buddhist world, renowned as the place where Shakyamuni Buddha (then still the Bodhisattva prince Sidhartha) became a buddha while meditating under the Bodhi tree at the seat of enlightenmen |
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Mahayana Buddhism
Four centuries after Buddha's death |
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| In Sanskrit, “great vehicle.” Time period marker through texts. Although ranging widely in content, these texts generally set forth the bodhisattva path to Buddhahood as the ideal to which all should aspire and described bodhisattvas and buddhas as objects of devotion |
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| A being who has resolved to become a buddha, but postpone his enlightenment for others. One of Mahayana Buddhist features |
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| A spiral of hair said to be infinite in length located between the eyebrows of a buddha. It is frequently depicted as a germ inlaid between the eyebrows on buddha and bodhisattva images |
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| The protuberance appearing on the brown of a buddha’s head, which is commonly depicted in buddha images. Endowed with a variety of magical powers. For example, it is said that it is impossible to see the top and divinities are unable to fly above it. Some texts mention the Buddha radiating light from his ______ |
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| In Indian mythology, a class of nature spirit, commonly serving as local guardians of the earth and of trees and the treasures hidden there. They possess supernatural powers (the ability to fly, to change their appearance and to disappear) which they can employ for good or for evil |
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| A structure, originally in the shape of a hemispherical mound, that contains the relics or possessions of the Buddha or a saint, often contained within a reliquary container. Not meant to be entered. |
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| common means of demonstrating reverence to a person, place, or sacred object in the Indian tradition, since it places the object of reverence at the center of one’s worship activity. Traditionally, circumambulation was performed in a clockwise direction with the worshipper’s right side facing the object |
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| “seeing” in Hinduism. In Hindu worship, the beholding of a deity (especially in image form), revered person or sacred object. The experience is often conceived to be reciprocal and results in the human viewer’s receiving a blessing |
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| The Hindu gods and goddesses are worshipped through Hindu worship. Involves the worship of images, prayers (chanting), and diagram of the universe. Central is the image, which can be worshipped at home or in the temple. |
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| An iconic object that symbolizes the god Shiva in Hinduism. It is a smooth cylindrical mass, often placed in the center of a lipped, disk-shaped object, the yoni, which is an emblem of the goddess Shakti |
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| The Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer |
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| One of the principal Hindu deities |
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A womb-chamber. The innermost sanctuary in a Hindu temple, where an image of the
primary deity is enshrined. |
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