Glossary of Dharma terms

Ahimsa (अहिंसा) · Hindu · Buddhist · Jain

Non-harm: refraining from injuring living beings in deed, word, and thought. Central to Jain ethics, the first of the Buddhist precepts, and the first restraint (yama) in the Yoga Sutras. Read more

Akal Takht · Sikh

The "Throne of the Timeless One" facing the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar; the highest seat of temporal authority for the Sikh community.

Amrit · Sikh

Sweetened water prepared with recitation and a double-edged sword, given at the initiation ceremony (Amrit Sanchar) through which a Sikh joins the Khalsa. Read more

Anatta (Pali; Sanskrit anatman) · Buddhist

Not-self: the teaching that no permanent, unchanging self can be found in body or mind. One of the three marks of existence. Read more

Anekantavada · Jain

The doctrine of many-sidedness: reality is complex, and any single viewpoint grasps only part of it. The basis of Jain intellectual humility. Read more

Anicca (Pali; Sanskrit anitya) · Buddhist

Impermanence: all conditioned things arise and pass away. One of the three marks of existence.

Arati (also aarti) · Hindu

Offering of light, usually a lamp waved in circles before the deity while a hymn is sung; often the closing act of puja. Read more

Artha · Hindu

Material well-being, wealth, and security; the second of the four aims of life (purusharthas). Read more

Atman · Hindu

The self or soul. In the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, the innermost self is ultimately identical with Brahman. Read more

Bhakti · Hindu · Sikh

Loving devotion to God. A path to liberation emphasized in the Bhagavad Gita and in the devotional poetry of saints whose verses also appear in the Guru Granth Sahib. Read more

Bodhisattva · Buddhist

A being on the path to full awakening. In Mahayana Buddhism, one who vows to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.

Brahman · Hindu

The ultimate reality in Vedantic thought: the ground of all being, described in the Upanishads as existence, consciousness, and bliss. Read more

Darshan (दर्शन) · Hindu

Seeing and being seen by the deity in a temple or shrine; the central act of Hindu temple worship. The same word also names the classical schools of philosophy. Read more

Derasar · Jain

A Jain temple, especially in Gujarat and among Svetambara communities. In South India a Jain temple is often called a basadi.

Dhamma / Dharma · All four

From the root dhṛ, "to uphold". In Hindu usage: cosmic order, duty, and right conduct. In Buddhism: the Buddha's teaching and the nature of things. In Jainism: also the principle of motion. In Sikhi (dharam): righteousness and faith. Read more

Digambara · Jain

"Sky-clad": one of the two main Jain communities, whose most advanced monks renounce clothing entirely. Read more

Diya · Hindu · Jain · Sikh

A small oil lamp, usually of clay, lit in large numbers at Diwali. Read more

Dukkha (Pali; Sanskrit duhkha) · Buddhist

Usually translated "suffering", more exactly the unsatisfactoriness of conditioned life. The subject of the first noble truth. Read more

Gurdwara · Sikh

"Door of the Guru": a Sikh place of worship where the Guru Granth Sahib is installed, open to all, with a free community kitchen. Read more

Gurpurab · Sikh

A festival marking the birth or martyrdom anniversary of a Guru. Read more

Guru · All four

A spiritual teacher. In Sikhi the title belongs to the ten Gurus and, since 1708, to the scripture (Guru Granth Sahib) and the community (Guru Panth). Read more

Ik Onkar (ੴ) · Sikh

"One Creator": the opening words of the Guru Granth Sahib and the most important Sikh affirmation. Read more

Jina · Jain

"Victor": one who has conquered inner passions and attained omniscience. The word "Jain" means a follower of the Jinas.

Jiva · Jain · Hindu

A living soul. In Jain thought, countless eternal jivas are bound by karmic matter and can be freed through right faith, knowledge, and conduct. Read more

Kama · Hindu

Desire and pleasure, including love and aesthetic enjoyment; the third of the four aims of life. Read more

Karma · All four

Action and its consequences. Hindu schools often link it to divine justice; Buddhism stresses intention; Jainism treats karma as subtle matter binding the soul; Sikhi pairs it with divine grace. Read more

Khalsa · Sikh

The community of initiated Sikhs, founded by Guru Gobind Singh at Vaisakhi in 1699. Read more

Kirat karni · Sikh

Earning an honest living; one of the three pillars of Guru Nanak's teaching, with naam japna and vand chhakna. Read more

Langar · Sikh

The free community kitchen of every gurdwara, where everyone eats together as equals, traditionally seated on the floor. Read more

Mahavrata · Jain

The five great vows of Jain monastics: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possession. Lay Jains keep lighter versions (anuvratas). Read more

Mantra · Hindu · Buddhist · Jain

A sacred sound, word, or verse repeated in worship or meditation, such as Om or the Jain Navkar Mantra.

Metta (Pali; Sanskrit maitri) · Buddhist

Loving-kindness; the wish for all beings to be well, cultivated in a well-known form of meditation. Read more

Moksha · Hindu · Jain

Liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth and death; the fourth and highest aim of life in Hindu thought. Read more

Murti · Hindu

A consecrated image of a deity, treated in worship as a real presence of the divine rather than a mere symbol. Read more

Naam japna · Sikh

Meditative remembrance and repetition of God's name, such as Waheguru. Read more

Nirvana (Pali nibbana) · Buddhist

"Blowing out" of greed, hatred, and delusion; the end of suffering and of rebirth, and the goal of the Buddhist path. Read more

Prasad · Hindu · Sikh

Food first offered to the deity (or, in a gurdwara, the sweet karah prasad) and then shared as a blessing. Read more

Puja · Hindu · Jain

Worship: a sequence of offerings such as water, flowers, incense, food, and light, performed at home or in a temple. Read more

Purushartha · Hindu

The four aims of human life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. Read more

Samsara · All four

The round of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma, from which the traditions seek liberation. Read more

Samvatsari · Jain

The last day of Svetambara Paryushana, when Jains ask forgiveness of all beings with the words "Micchami Dukkadam". Read more

Sangat · Sikh

The congregation gathered in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. Read more

Sangha · Buddhist · Jain

The community of practitioners: in Buddhism, one of the Three Jewels; in Jainism, the fourfold community of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Read more

Seva · Sikh · Hindu

Selfless service offered without expectation of reward, from cooking langar to cleaning a temple. Read more

Shruti and smriti · Hindu

"What is heard" (the Vedas and Upanishads, regarded as revealed) and "what is remembered" (epics, Puranas, law books). The two carry different kinds of authority. Read more

Stupa · Buddhist

A dome-shaped monument housing relics, circled clockwise by pilgrims; Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh has some of the oldest. Read more

Sutra / Sutta · Hindu · Buddhist · Jain

Literally "thread": a concise aphorism or a text made of them (Yoga Sutras, Tattvartha Sutra), or, in Buddhism, a recorded discourse of the Buddha. Read more

Svetambara · Jain

"White-clad": one of the two main Jain communities, whose monks and nuns wear simple white garments. Read more

Three Jewels · Buddhist · Jain

In Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, in which a Buddhist takes refuge. In Jainism: right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. Read more

Tirthankara · Jain

"Ford-maker": one of 24 enlightened teachers who show the way across the river of rebirth. Mahavira is the 24th. Read more

Upanishad · Hindu

Philosophical texts at the end of the Vedas exploring atman, Brahman, and liberation; the foundation of Vedanta. Read more

Vand chhakna · Sikh

Sharing what one has with others, especially those in need; the third pillar of Guru Nanak's teaching. Read more

Vihara · Buddhist

A Buddhist monastery or temple where monastics live and lay people come to practise and make offerings. Read more

Yoga · Hindu · Jain · Buddhist

Discipline that "yokes" body and mind toward liberation. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras describe eight limbs, of which physical postures are only one. Read more

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