| A | B |
|---|
| Bodhisattva | someone at the penultimate stage of existence who refrains of Nirvana out of compassion to save others |
| Buddha | The Enlightened One |
| Koan | a story, question, or phrase that seeks to express an inexpressible truth |
| Lama | teacher of Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism |
| Mandala | concentric diagram, often made of sand, used in prayers in Tibetan Buddhism |
| Mahayana | ‘Greater Vehicle,’ a version of Buddhism founded around 100 BCE and popular in Tibet, China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan |
| Monastery | a residence for monks |
| Monk | male member of a religious order |
| Nirvana | Enlightenment - the idea that all reality is an illusion |
| Nun | a female member of a religious order |
| Pali | ancient Indian language in which some of the oldest Buddhist sacred texts are written |
| Rinpoche | title used for senior Tibetan Buddhist teacher |
| Roshi | title used for senior Zen Buddhist teacher |
| Sangha | community of Buddhist monks or nuns |
| Sensei | title for Japanese Buddhist teachers, sometimes for those less senior than a roshi |
| Stupa | a mound like structure containing relics of a Buddha or a Buddhist saint |
| Theravada | the oldest version of Buddhism also called the Teaching of the Elders and especially popular in Ski Lanka and Southeast Asia. |
| Zendo | meditation hall for Zen Buddhism |
| Advent | a season in Christianity to prepare for Christmas |
| Apocalypse | Greek word ‘End of the World,’ |
| Apostle | (Greek) messenger, refers to one of Jesus’ first 12 followers |
| Ascension | when Jesus left the earthto return to Heaven after his Resurrection |
| Baptism | a ceremony using water in which someone becomes a Christian |
| Beatitudes | (Latin) ‘blessings’ referring to a series of blessings Jesus referred to in a famous sermon to his followers |
| Christmas | a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus |
| Congregation | term used by Protestant Christians referring to a local Christian community |
| Cross | a crucifix without the body of Jesus on it, symbol of Christianity used by Protestant Christians |
| Crucifix | a cross with the body of Jesus on it, a symbol of Christianity used by Roman Catholic Christians |
| Easter | a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus |
| Epistle | Greek for ‘letter’ referring to a series of letters written by Paul and collected into the Christian New Testament |
| Eucharist | a ceremony celebrating the last Seder eaten by Jesus before his death |
| Gospel | Greek for ‘Good News’ referring to ‘good news’ about Jesus. |
| Grace | an idea that God gives humanity the help needed to lead good lives |
| Holy Communion | a ceremony celebrating the last Seder eaten by Jesus before his death |
| Icon | a religious painting, usually of Mary, Jesus, or a saint, used by Orthodox Christians for prayers |
| Lent | a season to prepare for Easter |
| Lord's Prayer | a term used by Protestant Christians to a prayer Jesus taught his followers |
| Lord's Supper | a Protestant ceremony celebrating the last Seder eaten by Jesus before his death |
| Mass | a Roman Catholic ceremony celebrating the last Seder eaten by Jesus before his death |
| Messiah | Greek for ‘anointed one’ referring to Jesus by Christians and a future King of Israel by Jews |
| New Testament | a collection of 27 books Christians added to the Jewish Bible to form the Christian Bible |
| Our Father | a term used by Roman Catholic Christians to a prayer Jesus taught his followers |
| Parable | a very short story used to teach an ethical lesson |
| Parish | a term used by Roman Catholic Christians referring to a local Christian community |
| Pope | the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church |
| Priest | Christian clergy person with religious powers who leads a local community |
| Rosary | a string or beads used by Roman Catholic Christians for prayer, especially with a devotion to Mary |
| Ashrama | life stage |
| Atman | individual soul or the universal soul of all existence |
| Avatar | an incarnation of a spiritual being into material form |
| Bhagavad-Gita | part of the Mahabharata thought to contain the core ethical ideas |
| Brahma | one of the three main gods of Hinduism, the Creator |
| Brahman | ultimate ground of all reality and existence |
| Brahmin | a member of the priestly class in Hinduism |
| Deity | a god, spirit, non-material person, or divine being |
| Deva | Sanskrit word for god or deity |
| Dharma | Ultimate Law for all reality, including gods as well as humanity and nature |
| Diwali | holiday also called Festival of Lights, celebrating the victory of goodness over evil |
| Ganesh(a) | one of the most popular Hindu gods depicted with an elephant head |
| Guru | teacher of a yoga |
| Holi | Spring holiday also called Festival of Colors in Hinduism |
| Karma | the idea that all actions result in consequences |
| Krishna | an avatar of Vishnu |
| Mahabharata | the longest poem in the world of 200,000 lines, an epic about Krishna, |
| Moksha | Release from the Cycle of Rebirth |
| Pandit (or Pundit) | religious scholar |
| Puja | a religious ritual performed to show respect for a god |
| Puranas | a group of texts narrating folk tales about the gods |
| Ram (Rama) | an avatar of Vishnu and key historical figure in the Ramayana |
| Ramayana | an epic telling the story of Rama |
| Rig Veda | the oldest of the Vedas |
| Sadhu | a holy man; an ascetic or practitioner of yoga |
| Sanskrit | language in which the Vedas are written |
| Shiva | one of the three main gods of Hinduism, the Destroyer |
| Shruti | revealed literature from the gods |
| Smriti | wisdom literature written by humans |
| Sutra | Sanskrit for ‘thread’ or ‘rope’ referring to an aphorism |
| Varna | social caste |
| Vishnu | one of the three main gods of Hinduism, the Preserver |
| Yoga | pathway to Moksha |
| Yogi | practitioner of a yoga |
| Allah | Arabic word for ‘God’ |
| Halal | something that is permissible to use, usually referring to food |
| Islam | Arabic for ‘submission,' referring to submitting or obeying |
| Mosque | a center for prayer and community activities for a Muslim community |
| Ramadan | a month in the Muslim lunar calendar in which Muslims are expected to fast from dawn to dusk |
| Sunna (h) | the deeds of Mohammad, often seen as a role model for Muslims |
| Caliph | a secular and religious leader of the Muslim community |
| Hadith | collections of passages of the sayings and deeds of Mohammad |
| Koran | an alternative, less preferred, spelling of ‘Qur’ān’ |
| Muslim | Arabic for ‘one who submits’ referring to one who obeys God |
| Saint | a holy person |
| Sura (h) | Arabic for ‘chapter’ |
| Eid | Arabic for ‘festival’ |
| imam | Arabic for ‘teacher’ who also leads prayers in a mosque |
| Imam | when capitalized, refers to the primary teacher of the Muslim community, according to Shi’a Islam |
| Masjid | Arabic for ‘mosque’ |
| Prophet | a messenger of God who speaks on behalf of God, e.g., Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Mohammad is the last prophet. |
| Shari'a | a code of religious and secular law in Islam used in the Muslim community |
| Ummah | Arabic for the worldwide, global Muslim ‘community’ |
| Gabriel | the angel who gave the Qur’ān to Mohammad |
| Minaret | tall, thin tower attached to a mosque, usually used for the call to prayer |
| Qur'an | the main book of Islam, means “Recitation or Reading” revealed by God to Mohammad by the Gabriel in the early 7th century |
| Sufi | a member of a Muslim mystical religious order |
| Ark | a term referring to both the container for the Torah in a synagogue |
| Angel | a messenger from God to humanity |
| Babylonian Exile | a period of 40 years when the Jewish people were exiled from Jerusalem and sent to Babylon |
| Exodus | both a book in the Torah in the Jewish Bible and also an event when the ancient Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt |
| Haggadah | a book used with the prayers for the Seder |
| Hanukkah | Festival of Lights, an 8 day holiday commemorating the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in 2nd century BCE. |
| Kosher | Term in Hebrew referring to something that is permitted, usually referring to food |
| Minyan | a quorum needed for public prayers |
| Mishnah | 6 part book containing the Oral Law written circa 200 CE |
| Passover | a 7 day holiday celebrating the freedom of Jews from Egypt |
| Patriarchs | the founders of a family; In Judaism, these would be Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph |
| Pentateuch | Greek for ‘5 books,’ referring to the Torah or the ‘Five Books of Moses’ |
| Pesach | Hebrew for Passover |
| Rabbi | Term for teacher in Hebrew who also leads prayers in Judaism |
| Rosh Hashanah | a holiday beginning the Jewish New Year |
| Seder | a meal during Passover to remember the Exodus |
| Shema | a short prayer that contains the key ideas of Jewish ethics considered by some as the most important prayer |
| Synagogue | a place for public prayers, education, and community center in Judaism |
| Talmud | two versions of a 6 part book containing the Oral Law circa 500 CE; based on the Mishnah plus additional rabbinic commentary |
| TANAKH | Acronym for the Jewish Bible: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (or Torah, Nebiim, Ketubim) Also Tanak and Tenakh |
| Torah | The core of Jewish law, the first and most important part of the Jewish Bible; the Five Books of Moses |
| Yarmulke | a skull cap worn by Jewish men in a synagogue for public prayers |
| Yom Kippur | a holiday also called the Day of Atonement in which repentance and prayer are central |
