JWL World Religion Glossary

Adi Granth Text formed by the nine gurus after Nanak that is the focus of Sikh worship
Abrahamic The three Religions which recognize Abraham as a central figure of faith.
Religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Ahimsa The principle of nonviolence
Allah Arabic word for God; originally, the high god over a pantheon of tribal gods,
became the one, true God with the teachings of Muhammad
Ambedkar Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is the founder of a social reform movement in
Maharashtra, in which Mahar caste groups, relegated to the bottom of the caste
system, convert to Buddhism enmasse, rejecting Hinduism and its
institutionalization of social inequality
Amitabha/Amida The name of a Buddha who created a Pure Land doctrine and practice that
featured chanting His name
Anatman “no-atman” or “nonself”; rejection of Hindu concept of atman, or an essential,
unchanging Interior entity at the center of a person
Arhat An enlightened disciple of the Buddha
Arya Samaj Organization founded in 1875 by the brahmin teacher Swami Dayananda, who
believed that Only the four Vedas were valid sources for true Hinduism
Ashkenazi Jews The second wave of Jewish immigrants to the United States began in the
nineteenth century Among the Ashkenazi, Jews of eastern Europe who were
fleeing persecution and pogrom
Ashoka Emperor in third century BCE, whose support of Buddhism made possible its
spread throughout India and beyond
Atman Individual soul
Augustinianism The view that the task of Christianity is to transform every society into a
Christian society Composed of two branches: church and state
Avalokiteshvara Most popular and universal celestial bodhisattva, who came to be known by
many other names including Guanyin in China and Kannon in Japan
Avatara Incarnations of Vishnu
Ayatollah A senior religious leader among Shiah Muslims
Bar Mitzvah Boy’s ritual, at age 13, that moves him into full membership of the religious
community and adulthood
Bar Mitzvah Boy’s ritual, at age, that moves him into full membership of the religious
community and adulthood
Bat Mitzvahs Extension of bar mitzvah ritual to females by the Conservative and Reform
Jewish communities
Bhagavad Gita A portion of the great epic, Mahabharata
Bhakti A form of yoga that emphasizes devotion; devotional faith
Bhikkhuni Buddhist nuns
Bida Deviation from past tradition
Bjp Political party controlled by members of the upper caste; wants to reverse the
secular state’s Efforts to promote low castes and introduce democratic elections
into India’s villages
Bodh Gaya Temple built at the site where the Buddha was enlightened under the bodhi tree

1
Bodhisattva Mahayana Buddhism’s model Buddhist will not attain final nirvana until all
beings are Enlightened
Brahman The unchanging spirit underlying reality
Brahmin A class consisting of priests
Brahmo Samaj All castes; influential for subsequent generations of Hindu reformers; their
writings were among the first to describe Hinduism to the West and reached
America and Europe Organization founded in 1828 by reformist Rammohan Roy,
with the goal of uniting Hindus of
Buddha One who has “awakened,” ended karmic bondage, and will not be reborn
Buddha A Mahayana school that said if nirvana and samsara cannot be separated, then
nirvana must interpenetrate all reality; therefore, all beings have a portion of
nirvana and so possess the Latent potential for its realization
Caitya A stupa or any Buddhist shrine
Caliph A successor to Muhammad who served as political and military head of the
community
Catholic One who believes that the way to know God is by faith and reason, scripture and
tradition, and guidance from papal authority
Ch’an A Mahayana school that had formed in China by 600ce and stressed meditation,
this-life realization, and self-power
Christ The anointed one, or messiah
Circumcision Ritual called Bris or Brit milah required for every male at 8 days old, when the
child is Circumcised and named
Constantinianism Constantine was the first monarch to legally permit Christianity; he created a
model in which the Church is ruled by the state, through the Christian emperor,
as the form Christian civilization should take
Covenant A mutual agreement between two parties that is both an expression of mutual
love and care And a legal agreement on the model of a marriage contract
Dana The first stage in punya, a merit-making donation, “dana” means “self-less
giving” to Diminish desire
Dar Al-Islam A vast land or region of Islam
Darshan The Jain term for viewing the divine, or complete intuition into the world’s
workings
Deism Belief that God made a perfect machine when he made the world and it runs on
its own without further assistance from God; God does not actively guide or
influence events in the world
Dependent Buddhist doctrine that views reality as an ongoing, impermanent, and
Origination interdependent flux in the form of a circle divided into twelve parts
Dharma The teachings of the Buddha
Dharma Duty in life according to caste
Dhimmi One of three choices given to conquered non-Muslims was to become
“protected people,” or dhimmi, by paying a special tax
Diaspora Jews who were dispersed in the Roman Empire
Dogen Japanese monk who instituted the Soto Zen school from China’s Ch’an, in the
1200s
Dual Torah The sacred oral and written teachings that established the covenant with Israel

2
 Dual Torah The sacred oral and written teachings that established the covenant with Israel
Eightfold Path Consists of eight ways of thinking and acting that can be categorized as Morality,
meditation, and wisdom
Eisai Japanese monk who instituted the Rinzai Zen school from China’s Ch’an, in the
late 1100s
Engaged A movement started by Thich Nhat Hanh that asserts that when faced with the
Buddhism inevitable Suffering in the world, Buddhists must take action and engage their
society
Enlightenment The elimination of ignorance, which completely clears the mind to see reality as
it truly is
Evangelical Form of pietist Christianity that emphasizes the centrality of the “born again”
experience of spiritual transformation rather than dogma as the key to Christian
authenticity and union Among Christians in all their diversity
Exodus The way of the people of Israel out of their Slavery in Egypt, as told in the book
Exodus in the Hebrew Bible.
Fatwa Official legal opinions or interpretations of Islamic law
Fiqh Literally, “understanding”; Muslim jurisprudence, or the human interpretation of
God’s divinely revealed law, sharia
Francis of Assisi Baptismal name Giovanni, informally named as Francesco (1181/1182–1226);
Italian Catholic friar, deacon, preacher, and saint1; abandoned a life of luxury for
a life devoted to Christianity to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty2;
founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans), the Order of Saint Clare, and
the Third Order of Saint Francis3
Four Good Deeds A doctrinal statement that provides guidance for how to live, aimed at the laity
Four Noble Truths A diagnosis of the human condition and a prescription for liberation, which
involves following the Eightfold Path
Fundamentalist Rejects modernism and believes in inerrancy of the Bible
Gandhi Visionary who led civil disobedience campaigns, helping bring South Asia to
independence; Believed that India should be a secular democracy
Gelug-Pa Also known as the Yellow Hats, is the youngest of the Tibetan schools, but the
largest and the most important, and is headed by the Dalai Lama
Gemara Commentary on the Mishnah that linked oral and written Torah
Gentile A non-Jewish person
Gospel Stories of the life of Jesus found in the New Testament, traditionally believed to
be written by apostles and disciples of Jesus, but in fact written over two to
three generations, with each Gospel beginning from shared oral traditions
Grace The undeserved gift of God’s acceptance of the sinner given through faith for
Protestants for Catholics it is an undeserved gift that transforms the sinner and
enables the sinner to Cooperate in God’s work of spiritual renewal of the
individual
Guanyin Elestial bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara as known in China
Guru Religious or spiritual teacher or master; spiritual guide

1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi
2
https://www.biography.com/religious-figure/saint-francis-of-assisi
3
Cf. https://www.bbkl.de/public/index.php/frontend/lexicon/F/Fr/franz-von-assisi-56333

3
Gurudwaras A Sikh temple
Hadith Tradition, narrative stories about what Muhammad said and did that make up
the Sunnah
Hajj Fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is physically
and financially able is expected to make at least once
Halakhah He premodern Talmudic tradition; Jewish law
Haredim Refers to eastern European Jews “of true piety”
Hasidism A movement marked by piety, great devotion, and expression of great joy in
response to God’s Presence, which is found everywhere in creation
Heresy A teaching that does not follow prescribed dogma
Hijab The headscarf worn by many Muslim women
Hijrah Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina in
Hindutva A call for the reform of Hinduism in national life and the reconstitution of India
as a Hindu state
Holocaust Literally means “burnt sacrifice”; long-standing Christian anti-Judaism, the rise of
secularism, and scientific-bureaucratic forms of social control all contributed to
Hitler’s attempt during World War II to rid the world of Jews
Homoousios From the Council of Nicaea, “same as,” that is, the Word through which all things
were created was the same as God
Hudud Quranically prescribed crimes and punishments
Ibadat He division (one of two) of Islamic law that concerns a Muslim’s duties to God,
consisting of obligatory practices
Ijma Consensus about an issue from the majority of religious scholars who
represented religious authority
Ijtihad A reinterpretation of Islamic law to meet the needs of the modern world,
promoted by Islamic modernist reformers
Imam One who leads the prayer and is paid to look after the mosque, generally at
larger mosques
Islam Literally means “submission” or “surrender”
Israel “wrestler with God”; Jacob renamed by God
Jain One of three major heterodox religions in South Asia that began the same time
as Buddhism, Around 2,500 years ago
Janam Sakhis The collection of spiritual experiences and moral teachings of Guru Nanak,
founder of Sikhism
Jihad Means to “struggle” or to “strive”; generally, means the obligation of all Muslims
to fulfill God’s will, as well as armed struggle to defend oneself, community, or
religion when under attack
Justification by Untouched by reason, became the central doctrine of the Protestant
Faith Reformation
Kabbalah Jewish mysticism, emerged in the late medieval period; defining work is the
Zohar, Book of Splendor
Kali Yuga One of the four eras of creation, according to Hindu cosmology; Kali Yuga is the
post-Vedic age In which human spiritual potential is declining
Karma A natural law that generally states that a person’s actions determine his or her
destiny
Karuna The Buddhist term for “compassion”

4
 Khalsa Means “pure” and refers to the collective body of all baptized Sikhs; goes back to
Sikhs who underwent the sacred Amrit Ceremony initiated by the tenth guru,
Gobind Singh, in the late 1600s, becoming the political leader
Khutba Sermon that is a special feature of Friday prayer
Kingdom of God According to Christian canon, Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God, which is
completed at the Second Coming when all injustice is overcome and suffering
and death will be no more
Koan A paradoxical word problem given to disciples that can lead to small awakenings
or nirvana
Kosher Rules for dining
Linking Points Linking Points of Contact describe aspects of Religions which seem to be similar
and are compared to each other in interreligious dialogue, e.g. the role of Maria
in Catholic Faith and Kwanum Bosal in Buddhism.
Lotus Sutra Popular Buddhist scripture in East Asia, develops the Mahayana doctrine of
cosmic Buddhahood
Madhyamaka Deconstructive philosophically based school of thought founded by Nagarjuna
Maharishi Hindu guru who gave spiritual instruction to the Beatles
Mahesh Yogi
Mahavira An early Jain sage who is revered for attaining release from samsara by adopting
a rigorous Ascetic life
Mahayana Name given to the Great Vehicle division when the sangha aligned under two
main divisions After the death of the Buddha
Mahdi Divinely guided one; an eschatological figure who Muslims believe will usher in
an era of justice and true belief just prior to the end of time
Maitreya The name of the next Buddha, as believed in some Buddhist traditions
Maitri The Buddhist term for “loving kindness”
Majlis Al-Shura A consultative assembly of senior members to select leaders and governments
Mantra A short text or sound chain, known for its spiritual powers, and meant to be
chanted
Marranos In Spain in the late 1400s, 13,000 Jews, most of whom had been forcibly
baptized as Christians, were condemned as Marranos—Jews masquerading as
Christians while practicing their Judaism in secret
Masjid Literally means “place of prostration,” another term for mosque
Matha Hindu monasteries
Meditation The action or practice of profound spiritual or religious reflection or
contemplation4; a deepened consciousness of concentrated recollection, as
distinct from a person’s normal everyday consciousness5
Mi-Lo Fo Chinese name for the next Buddha
Minbar Pulpit that the Friday sermon is preached from
Mishnah The writings that form the core of the Talmud, primarily written by students of
Hillel
Mitzvoth Deeds of loving kindness

4
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/115756
5
https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-dictionary-of-religion/meditation-
COM_00276#d6562661e21

5
Mizuko Cult Japanese cult organized to seek the forgiveness of the spirits of aborted fetuses,
from Kannon Devotionalism
Moksha Release from the cycle of future rebirth and redeath
Monotheistic “Monotheistic conceptions of God, whose point of departure is the existence
Belief Concept and activity of one God, have dominated the religious understanding of Christian
and post-Christian Europe for long centuries. In view of the multiplicity of other,
especially polytheistic, religions, however, which premise a plurality of deities,
monotheistic forms present a special case in religious history. They are not
actually what seems from the Western standpoint to be the obviously ‘normal’
one.” [The Brill Dictionary of Religion. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics]
Mosque or Masjid “Place of prostration”
Muamalat The division (one of two) of Islamic law that concerns a Muslim’s duties to
others, including regulations governing public life
Muezzin The chosen person who calls the faithful to prayer five times daily from the
mosque’s minaret
Mufti An Islamic legal expert
Mujaddid Literally, a “renewer” of Islam; may be a caliph, saint, teacher, scholar, or
another influential person; one who practices tajdid
Muslim One who bears witness that “There is no God but the God and Muhammad is the
messenger of God”
Nichiren A Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism represented by Nichiren (1222 –
1282), a prophetic and charismatic monk who taught that the Lotus Sutra is the
only true Buddhist text
Nirguna Brahman “Without characteristics”
Nirvana The final state of liberation
Om Sacred sound made during chanting or meditation
Om-Kara Nanak’s term for the one God who is beyond form and human categories
Original Sin The will to do good in all human beings was corrupted by Adam and Eve when
they disobeyed God’s will
Pali Canon The only complete version of the Buddha’s teachings, recited and corrected at
the Fifth Buddhist Council in 1871
Pap “Demerit”
Pentecostal Form of Christianity that focuses on personal conversion and the ecstatic
experience of “speaking in tongues” as the signs of God’s gift of grace in the
Spirit
People of The Jews and Christians, as people who shared the same God as Muslims, were
Book automatically entitled to receive protective status (dhimmi) when their territory
was conquered by Muslims
Prajna The full development of prajna is essential to salvation
Prasad Remains of a puja offering, carrying an infusion of divine blessing
Protestant One who believes that the way to know God is through faith and study of
scripture, and no mediator such as the Catholic Church hierarchy is needed
Protestant Ethic A demand that one live simply and work hard, based on teachings of John Calvin
Puja Offerings to one’s chosen deity

6
 Punya The merit system for measuring spiritual advancement
Puranas A new collection of Sanskrit texts that emerged during the classical age in which
devotional Faith, or bhakti, becomes the ideal model for human behavior
Purdah The seclusion of women
Pure Land A form of Mahayana Buddhism founded in India but spreading more widely to
China and then Japan; it promoted deferring enlightenment seeking from the
human state until rebirth in a heaven; must rely on “other power” of celestial
Buddhas to reach nirvana
Qiyas Analogical reasoning, the third source of Islamic law
Quran The Islamic book of scripture, as revealed to Muhammad over a period of
twenty-two years; Considered to be the very word of God; the primary material
source of Islamic law
Prayer A solemn request to God, a god, or other object of worship; a supplication or
thanksgiving addressed to God or a god6
Rabbinic The Judaism of the dual Torah under the leadership of the rabbis
Ramadanf The ninth month of Islam’s lunar calendar; the month-long fast is the fourth
pillar of Islam
Ramakrishna The first great global Hindu organization with a vision of ecumenical Hinduism as
Mission the savior of the world; founded by Vivekananda
Ramanuja Hindu theologian who linked scholastic theology with popular theistic practice by
emphasizing Vishnu as the form of Brahman most effectively worshiped
Rammohan Roy Regarded by some as “the father of modern India” because he was the first to
call for reform
Religious Experts Saint - A holy person; one of the blessed dead in Heaven; applied e.g. to persons
who are the objects of posthumous reverence in non-Christian religions7
Master - A person of whom someone is a disciple; the teacher or practitioner of
religion from whom a person has chiefly learned, or whose doctrines or example
a person follows. Also, more generally: a religious leader; a teacher of religion or
philosophy8
Prophet - A divinely inspired interpreter, revealer, or teacher of the will or
thought of God or of a god; a person who speaks, or is regarded as speaking, for
or in the name of God or a god9
Teacher - One who or that which teaches or instructs; an instructor10 [Definition
based in the field of religion]
Rig Veda A brahmanitic ritual text for the celebration of a ritual to the god of fire, Agni
(part of what is called today Hinduism).
Rss Political group that wants to establish India as a Hindu nation
Sacraments In Catholicism, seven sacraments are believed to be outward and visible signs of
God’s inward, invisible grace; can only be administered by ordained clergy
Protestantism reduced the number to two: baptism and communion

6
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/149435
7
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/169847
8
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/114751
9
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/152691
10
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/198350

7
Saguna Brahman Relating to Brahman as a personal divinity with characteristics such as power
and grace
Salat Prayer or worship five times a day, the second pillar of Islam
Samsara Introduced in the Upanishads, means “the world,” in which all phenomena are
really only secondary appearances
Sangha Buddhist monastic community
Satyagraha A principle, “grasping the truth,” developed by Gandhi with roots in the doctrine
of nonviolence, or ahimsa
Second Coming When Christ will return to raise the dead and judge the heavens and earth
Sephardic Jews The first wave of Jewish immigrants to the United States, starting in 1654, were
the Sephardic Jews, of Spanish or Portuguese extraction, seeking religious
freedom
Shahadah “to witness or declare”; first pillar of Islam, confession of faith, “There is no God
but the God and Muhammad is the messenger of God,” allows one to become a
Muslim
Shaivite One whose chosen deity is Shiva
Shakyaditya Organization formed in 1987 by 150 women, dedicated to the restoration of full
Ordination of theravadin nuns
Shankara Brilliant religious philosopher who is responsible for the Advaita Vedanta school
of monism Having a central place among Hindu philosophies
Sharia Islamic law
Shaykh A teacher in the Sufi tradition, whose authority is based on direct personal
religious experience
Shema Judaism’s creed that states, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”
Shiah Followers of Ali, fourth caliph and Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law; this
major branch of Islam was a minority from its beginning and operated from a
worldview based on suffering, oppression, and being victims of injustice;
believes that the imam or leader must be a direct descendant of Muhammad’s
family and is a religiopolitical leader
Shramana A person who pursues ascetic practices in seeking enlightenment
Shuran A traditional Islamic concept of consultation
Skandha The five aggregates making up a human being
Son Of God To explain the uniqueness of Jesus, and after debate at the Council of Nicaea in
325 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, it was decided that in the one person
of Jesus there were two natures, divine and human, united yet distinct
Sthaviravadins Predecessors of today’s Theravadins
Stupa Relic mound shrines, eight of which contain ashes of the Buddha
Sufi One who practices Islamic mysticism, a major religious movement within Sunni
and Shii Islam
Sufism Islamic mysticism; began as a reform movement to counter a trend of the
Umayyad caliphs to Live lavishly
Sunnah The second source of Islamic law, the example of Muhammad, what he said and
did, who serves as a living model for Muslims to follow
Sunni The majority branch of Islam, 85 percent today, believes that the caliph is the
selected or elected successor of Muhammad, not as prophet but as political and
military leader

8
Surah Muslim scripture consisting of chapters (surahs) of 114, 6,000verses, arranged by
length, not chronology
Synagogue House of study and prayer
Syncretistic Some beliefs and practices of a religion are Christianized versions of indigenous
pre-Christian religious elements
Tajdid The Arabic word for “renewal”; in Islamic context, refers to the revival of Islam in
order to purify And reform society
Talmud Insights of the oral tradition written down, from second to fifth centuries,
initiated by the Pharisees; emergence of rabbinic judaism
Tanak Jewish Bible that came into existence at end of first century; called the Old
Testament by Christians
Tannaim “Those who study”
Tantra An innovative Hindu tradition that weaves together teaching and texts into an
esoteric teaching Offered only to those deemed capable; sees the human body
as a microcosm of the universe And by harnessing bodily energies, individuals
can have transformative religious experiences
Tariqah The interior path or way of Sufi mysticism
Tattvabodhini An influential, revivalist group in nineteenth-century Calcutta, made up of
Sabha middle-class and upper-class elites, associated with the teachings of Rammohan
Roy
Tawhid The oneness or unity of God, monotheism
Temple Center of Jewish life until its destruction in 70ce
Torah The first five books of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible.
Theravada Name given to the elder traditionalists, or Sthaviravadins, when the sangha
aligned under two main divisions after the death of the Buddha
Tisha B’av The day of mourning for commemorating the historical tragedies of Judaism,
especially the fall of the first and second temples
Tm: Mantra-centered meditation movement started by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi that
Transcendental has taken Hindu traditions across the globe
Meditation
Tzaddik Hasidic term for a righteous man
Ulama “Learned ones,” religious scholars
Ummah Muslim community
Upanishad Tracts of teachings that began to be appended to the Vedic hymns
Vaishnavite- One whose chosen deity is Vishnu
Vedas A collection of over a thousand hymns of praise and supplication addressed to
the gods; existed Over 2,000 years in oral form
Vishva Hindu Founded in 1964, the organization views Hinduism as declining and seeks its
Prisad (Vhp) roots in the earlier texts, particularly the Bhagavad Gita
Vivekananda Vivekananda- the first great missionary representative of Hinduism on the global
stage
Wali Sufi saints, who are said to have had the power to bilocate, cure the sick,
multiply food, and read minds
Wonhyo Zen “Wonhyo (617-686 CE) was one of the most important Buddhist philosophers of
Master his time and a highly influential scholar whose works impacted a wide array of

9
 philosophers and writers who came after him. He is highly regarded as the
greatest thinker of his time and a prolific writer, producing almost 90 works
of philosophy in his lifetime, many of which still exist in whole or in part.”
[Mark, E. (2015, August 30). Wonhyo. Retrieved from
https://www.ancient.eu/Wonhyo/]
Yoga Yoga- a discipline practice through which one realizes the atman within
Yoga Sutras Yoga Sutras- a compilation of yoga practices for the spiritually advanced elite,
attributed to the sage Patanjali
Zakat Almsgiving, the third pillar of Islam
Zionism Form of nationalism that returns Israel to Jews exclusively
Zohar Most important Kabbalistic work, also called Book of Splendor

10