| A | B |
|---|
| Subcontinent | – a large land mass that forms a distinct part of a continent. |
| Monsoons | a wind that shifts in direction at certain times of each year |
| Mandate of Heaven | a Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority. |
| Dynastic Cycle | the historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties. |
| Aryans | – an Indo- European people who, about 1500 BC, began to migrate into the Indian subcontinent |
| Brahimns | in Aryan society, members of the social class made up of priests. |
| Castes | one of the four classes of people in the social system of Aryans who settled in India- priests, warriors, peasants or traders, non-Aryan laborers or craftsmen. |
| Mahabharata | an Indian epic poem reflecting the struggles of the Aryans as they moved South into India |
| Reincarnation | in Hinduism and Buddhism, the process by which a soul is reborn again and again until it achieves perfect understanding. |
| Karma | in Hinduism and Buddhism, the totality of the good and bad deeds performed by a person, which is believed to determine his or her fate after rebirth. |
| Enlightenment | – in Buddhism, a state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe |
| Nirvana | in Buddhism, the release from pain and suffering achieved after enlightenment. |
