Sacred Glossary

The belief that all things — animals, plants, rivers, mountains, storms — possess a spiritual essence or soul. The oldest known form of religious belief.

A divine revelation, particularly one concerning the end of the current age and the establishment of a new order. Derived from the Greek word for 'unveiling.'

The individual self or soul in Hindu philosophy. In Advaita Vedanta, atman is ultimately identical with Brahman — the universal consciousness.

The period roughly 800–200 BC when, simultaneously and independently, transformative philosophical and religious movements emerged in China, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean.

Enlightenment or awakening in Buddhism. The state of perfect understanding and liberation from the cycle of suffering (samsara) attained by the Buddha.

The ultimate, unchanging reality in Hindu philosophy. The ground of all being — not a personal God but the impersonal absolute from which all existence arises.

A binding agreement between God and a people or individual in the Abrahamic traditions. The central structuring concept of the Hebrew Bible.

One of the most complex and untranslatable concepts in Indian philosophy. Depending on context: cosmic order, moral law, religious duty, the teachings of the Buddha, or the nature of a thing.

The first of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths: the pervasive unsatisfactoriness of conditioned existence. Often translated as 'suffering,' but more precisely the quality of impermanence and instability in all conditioned phenomena.

The branch of theology concerned with the final events of history — death, judgment, the afterlife, and the ultimate destiny of humanity and the cosmos.

Direct, experiential knowledge of the divine — as opposed to belief (pistis) or rational knowledge. The central concept of Gnosticism and a recurring theme in mystical traditions across all religions.

The recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. Together with the Qur'an, the hadith form the primary sources of Islamic law (Sharia) and theology.

The quality of being present within and throughout the world. A theology of divine immanence holds that God is present in all things — as opposed to transcendence, which holds that God is wholly other and beyond the world.

Striving or struggle in the way of God. In Islamic theology, the 'greater jihad' is the internal struggle to overcome one's own ego and moral failings; the 'lesser jihad' is external struggle, including armed defense of the community.

The principle of moral causation: actions have consequences that shape future experience, including future lives. A central concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

A paradoxical question or statement used in Zen Buddhist training to exhaust the rational mind and provoke direct insight into the nature of reality.

The divine reason or principle that orders the cosmos. In Stoic philosophy, the rational principle immanent in the universe. In the Gospel of John, identified with Jesus Christ: 'In the beginning was the Word (Logos).'

The ancient Egyptian concept of truth, justice, cosmic order, and balance. Personified as a goddess with an ostrich feather. The weighing of the heart against Ma'at's feather determined the fate of the soul after death.

An impersonal supernatural force or power that can reside in people, objects, or places. A concept found across Polynesian, Melanesian, and many other indigenous traditions.

In Advaita Vedanta Hinduism, the cosmic illusion that makes the one Brahman appear as the multiplicity of the world. The veil that conceals the true nature of reality.

In Judaism, the anointed king who will restore Israel and usher in an era of peace and justice. In Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth, understood as the fulfillment of this hope and the savior of all humanity.

Liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara) in Hindu philosophy. The ultimate goal of human life — release from karma and union with Brahman.

The ultimate goal in Buddhism: the extinguishing of craving, aversion, and delusion, and the liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth. Not annihilation, but the cessation of conditioned existence.

Correct or authorized belief, as defined by an authoritative body. The opposite of heresy. In Christianity, orthodoxy was established through ecumenical councils; in Islam, through consensus (ijma) of scholars.

The belief that God and the universe are identical — that everything is God and God is everything. Associated with Spinoza in Western philosophy and with many indigenous and mystical traditions.

The sacred scripture of Islam, believed by Muslims to be the direct word of God (Allah) as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over approximately 23 years (610–632 AD).

The cycle of death and rebirth in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cosmology. The conditioned world of suffering and impermanence from which liberation (moksha/nirvana) is sought.

Islamic law — the comprehensive system of religious law derived from the Qur'an, the hadith, and scholarly interpretation. Covers ritual practice, family law, commercial law, and ethics.

A practice in which a practitioner (shaman) enters altered states of consciousness to interact with the spirit world on behalf of the community — for healing, divination, or mediation with nature spirits.

The fundamental principle underlying the universe in Chinese philosophy — the way things are, the natural order, the ineffable ground of being. Central to Taoism and influential in Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism.

The attempt to reconcile the existence of a good and omnipotent God with the existence of evil and suffering in the world. One of the central problems of monotheistic theology.

The Eastern Orthodox Christian doctrine that human beings can become 'partakers of the divine nature' (2 Peter 1:4) through union with God. The ultimate goal of the Christian life in Orthodox theology.

In its narrowest sense, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (the Pentateuch). In its broader sense, the entire body of Jewish teaching and law — written and oral.

A system of belief in which a group of people identifies with a particular animal, plant, or natural object (the totem) as their ancestor, protector, or spiritual emblem.

The quality of being beyond and independent of the material universe. A theology of divine transcendence holds that God is wholly other — not contained within or identical with the world.

The global community of Muslim believers, transcending national, ethnic, and tribal boundaries. One of Islam's most powerful and distinctive concepts.

The Taoist principle of acting in accordance with the natural flow of the Tao — effortless, spontaneous action that does not force or resist. Not passivity, but action without ego-driven striving.

The practice of seated meditation in Zen Buddhism. The primary practice of the Soto school of Zen, which holds that zazen is itself the expression of enlightenment, not merely a means to attain it.