Southern and Eastern Asia Culture part 2

Terms	Definitions
Hinduism	A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms
Brahman	the universal spirit (supreme being) of which all gods and goddesses are different parts
polytheistic	Belief in many gods
reincarnation	the belief that the human soul is reborn again and again in different bodies rebirth
karma	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
Moksha	The Hindu concept of the spirit's 'liberation' from the endless cycle of rebirths.
Ganges River	Located in India, this river is considered sacred to Hindus and is used for spiritual cleansing, funeral rites, and other Hindu rituals.
Caste system	traditional division of Hindu society into various categories; there are four main varnas; or classes:Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra; each class contains certain subgroups, resulting in more than three thousand categories.
Islam	A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.
monotheistic	Belief in one god
Five Pillars	Basic rules of Islam. 1. Profession of faith 2. Pray five times a day 3. Give alms (give money) 4. Ramadan fast 5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Shintoism	the ancient indigenous religion of Japan characterized by worship of nature spirits and of ancestors.
Kami	gods or nature spirits of Japanese religion, which lived in all things, such as waterfalls, sand, and great trees
Confucianism	A philosophy based on the ideas of Confucius that focuses on morality (proper conduct), family order, social harmony (golden rule), and government.