| A | B |
|---|
| Vedas | collection of religious writings including poems, hymns, myths, and rituals that were written by Aryan priests |
| varnas | social divisions in Aryan society |
| Brahmins | priests; highest rank in the caste system |
| caste system | divided Indian society into groups based on a person's birth, wealth, or occupation |
| Hinduism | largest religion in India today; a blending of many religious traditions of Central Asia and India |
| polytheism | belief in many gods |
| Brahman | single universal spirit in Hinduism; Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu are important aspects |
| reincarnation | process of rebirth; Hindus believe souls are born and reborn many times |
| karma | effects that good or bad actions have on a person's soul |
| Ganges River | sacred pilgrimage site in northeast India |
| Siddhartha Gautama | a spiritual teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism |
| Kshatriya | a member of the warrior class in the caste system |
| enlightenment | in Buddhism, the highest spiritual state that can be achieved |
| fasting | going without food |
| meditation | the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas |
| Buddha | founder of Buddhism; the “Enlightened One” |
| Buddhism | a religion growing out of the teaching of Gautama Buddha that suffering is inherent in life and that one can be liberated from it by mental and moral self-purification |
| Four Noble Truths | four guiding principles at the heart of Buddhism [1. Suffering and unhappiness are a part of human life. 2. Suffering comes from our desires for pleasure and material goods. 3. People can overcome their desires and ignorance and reach nirvana. 4. People can overcome ignorance and desire by following an eightfold path.] |
| nirvana | In Buddhism, a state of perfect peace that frees a person’s soul from suffering and from the need for further reincarnation |
| Eightfold Path | in Buddhism, eight right ways leading to the ending of sufferings |
| moderation | an avoidance of extremes |
| Middle Way | in Buddhism, a path of moderation between human desires and denying oneself any pleasure |
