| A | B |
|---|
| sacred | Worthy of or regarded with religious worship, and/or respect. |
| Samsara | In Hinduism, the term given to the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. |
| Shaman | Somebody who communicates with the spiritual realms on behalf of the living. Seen in many Animistic types of belief systems. |
| Shinto | Shinto, which means "Way of the Gods," is the traditional religion of Japan that focuses on nature. Many consider Shinto to be a form of Animism due to the many similarities found between them. Shinto teaches that there is a sacredness of the whole universe and that humans can be in tune with this sacredness. Every mountain, river, plant, animal, and all the diverse phenomena of heaven and earth have spirits, or kami, which inhabit them. Reverence is paid to the ancestors through the practice of ancestor worship. |
| Shiva | Hindu god called the Destroyer. Shiva is the third member of the triad that includes Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the Preserver. |
| subcontinent | Large area that is a separate part of a continent. The area encompassing India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are considered to be a subcontinent of Asia. |
| Talmud | The collection of Jewish writings that is the basis of Jewish religious law. |
| Taoism / Daoism | The Chinese philosophy of Taoism (or Daoism) developed in the latter part of the Chou Dynasty, during a period of turmoil in which it was not clear that Chinese civilization would survive. It represents a naturalistic ideal of how one should live their life. The Chinese term Tao can be translated into English, meaning "the way." It is a philosophy which teaches that nature has a "way" in which it moves, and that people should passively accept the "way" of nature, rather than resist it. One concept related to this is that of wu-wei, which means "not doing." This means that people should not act unnaturally by doing things, but rather should openly accept the natural way. An emphasis is placed on the link between people and nature. Taoism teaches that this link lessened the need for rules and order, and leads one to a better understanding of the world. |
| Tao-te-Ching | Collected teachings of Chinese philosopher Lao Tze, the founder of Taoism/Daoism. |
| Ten Commandments | The ten laws given to Moses by God, according to the Bible. |
| Torah | The holy book of Judaism. It describes the creation of the world, the history of ancient Israel, the Ten Commandments, and contains the Psalms and the prophetic books. |
| Torri | The red gateway entrance to a Shinto shrine. |
| tradition | A long-established custom or belief. |
| Tripitka | The collection of religious writings by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. |
| Untouchables | Members of Hindu society thought to have been removed from the Caste System, with no hope of returning to it, due to their misdeeds in previous lives. Work that is deemed unclean for all other Hindus is reserved for these Outcasts. After winning its independence from Great Britain in 1947, India adopted a national constitution which stated that "Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden." Since that time many Caste reforms have been enacted to diminish discriminatory practices in India. Today, the Caste System still exists in practice, despite the many laws designed to legally abolish it. |
| Upanishads | Hindu holy book from the 8th century BCE. |
| Vedas | A Hindu holy book which is a collection of Aryan hymns that were transmitted orally before being written down in the 6th century BCE. |
| Vishnu | Hindu god called the Preserver. Vishnu is the second member of the triad that includes Brahma the Creator and Shiva the Destroyer. |
| Wheel of Life | important symbol of Buddhism. It represents the endless cycle of life through reincarnation. |
| Yin and Yang | Symbol used to illlustrate the natural harmony that exists in the world. Everything must have an opposing force that allows the harmonious universe to exist. |
