Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Traditions and Encounters Vocab Chapter 9

Terms in this set (38)

Ahimsa
jain term for the principle of nonviolence to other living things or their souls
Artha
hindu concept for the pursuit of economic well-being and honest prosperity
Arthashastra
ancient Indian political treatise from the time of Chandragupta Maurya; its authorship was traditionally ascribed to Kautalya, and it stressed that war was inevitable
Ashoka
The grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who brought the Maurya Empire to it's height
Bhagavad Gita
"Song of the Lord", an Indian short poetic work drawn from the lengthy Mahabharata that was finished around 600 ce and that expressed basic Hindu concepts such as karma and dharma
Bodh Gaya
town southwest of Pataliputra in which Gautama (Buddha) received enlightenment while sitting under a bo tree
Bodhisattvas
Buddhist concept regarding individuals who had reached enlightenment but who stayed in this world to help people
Brahmins
Hindu caste of priests
Chandragupta Maurya
an ambitious adventurer who laid the foundation for the Mauryan empire, first state to bring centralized government to India
Charvaka
Atheist religious sect which dispelled the idea of god(s) and believed they were made up and challenged religious norms at the time, religion of equality
Deer Park of Sarnath
Park near the city of Benares where the Buddha publicly announced his doctrine in the year 528 bce
Dharma
Hindu concept of obedience to religious and moral laws and order; also, the basic doctrine of Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
the foundation of Buddhist thought: (1) life is pain, (2) pain is caused by desire, (3) elimination of desire will bring an end to pain, (4) living a life based on the Noble Eightfold Path will eliminate desire
Gandhara
Kingdom in modern Pakistan and Afghanistan established by the Persian emperor Darius in about 520 B.C.E.
Gupta dynasty
Indian dynasty (320-550 C.E.) that briefly reunited India after the collapse of the earlier Mauryan dynasty.
Hinayana Buddhism
Branch of Buddhism known as the "lesser vehicle," also known as Theravada Buddhism; its beliefs include strict, individual path to enlightenment, and it is popular in south and southeast Asia
Jainism
Indian religion associated with the teacher Vardhamana Mahavira (ca. 540-468 bce) in which every physical object possessed a soul; followers believe in complete nonviolence to all human beings
Jati
Indian word for a Hindu subcaste
Kama
Hindu concept of the enjoyment of physical and sexual pleasure
Kautalya
a careful and systematic advisor who devised procedures for the governance of Chandragupta's realm
Krishna
One of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, who appears in the Bhagavad-Gita as the teacher of Arjuna
Kshatriyas
Hindu caste of warriors and aristocrats
Kushan empire
Nubian African kingdom that conquered and controlled Egypt from 750 to 664 bce
Mahabharata
Massive ancient Indian epic that was developed orally for centuries; it tells of an epic civil war between two family branches
Mahayana Buddhism
The "greater vehicle," a more metaphysical and more popular northern branch of Buddhism
Mauryan dynasty
Indian dynasty (321-185 B.C.E.) founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its peak under Ashoka.
Moksha
Hindu concept of the salvation of the soul
Nirvana
Buddhist concept of a state of spiritual perfection and enlightenment in which distracting passions are eliminated
Noble Eightfold Path
Final truth of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths that called for leading a life of balance and constant contemplation
Pataliputra
thriving and cosmopolitan city where a central administration developed policies for the whole empire
Ramayana
Ancient Indian masterpiece about the hero Rama that symbolized the victory of dharma over adharma
Shudras
Hindu caste of landless peasants serfs
Siddhartha Gautama
Indian kshatriya who achieved enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
Stupas
Buddhist shrines
Vaishyas
Hindu caste of merchants, artisans, and cultivators
Vardhamana Mahavira
follower of Jainism that helped its popularity grow
Vishnu
Hindu god, preserver of the world, who was often incarnated as Krishna
White Huns
A nomadic people from central Asia who occupied Bactria (modern Afghanistan) in the 4th cent ce, and eventually crossed the Hindu Kush mountains into India
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...