Key Terms-Hinduism

Rebirth of the inner self in another body

• Elevation

• Reincarnation

• Escapism

• Restarting

• Reanimation

Comes from a Sanskrit root meaning “to loose, set free, or liberate;” in Hinduism, the state of perfect understanding in which the inner self disappears to merge with the all-powerful spirit and is released from the cycle of reincarnation

• Moksha

• Varna

• Samsara

• Karma

• Dharma

A rigid social group, membership in which is determined at birth and never changes in a person’s life; in Hinduism, it is linked to religious purity

• Charge

• Caste

• Tradition

• Level

• Tier

Comes from the Sanskrit root meaning “to do or to act;” in Hinduism, the sum total effect of a person’s actions, both good & bad, which helps shape future experiences

• Varna

• Moksha

• Karma

• Dharma

• Samsara

Literally means “truth;” in Hinduism, the way in which all beings conform to the natural law that sustains the universe; ethical and religious duty; the set of duties & obligations required by each caste

• Varna

• Dharma

• Moksha

• Nirvana

• Samsara

Idea of the unity of the divine and all physical creation; a oneness is which everything is holy and there is no separation; the concept of the divine as a universal, omnipotent essence that is both immanent and transcendent

• Mergism

• Monism

• Transcendentalism

• Transubstantiation

• Harmonism

Literally means “dispeller of darkness [ignorance];” Hindu teacher or spiritual guide

• Guru

• Monarda

• Samsara

• Shaman

• Lama

Journey made to a sacred or holy place as an act of religious devotion

• Pilgrimage

• Jihad

• Nirvana

• Samsara

• Ordination

To engage in mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a state of spiritual awareness

• Meditation

• Transubstantiation

• Vedanta

• Melaleuca

• Aconitum

A spiritual community of followers gathered around their guru

• Ashram

• Monastery

• Congregation

• Brahman

• Mahabharata