Religions

—Brahman

• ◦Infinite Spirit, True Reality, Ultimate,
• Existent

—Atman



◦Self, True Self, Immortal Soul, Spirit

—Krishna

• ◦Avatar of Vishnu, maintains order,
• associated with cows

—Yoga

• ◦Discipline; Physical, mental, and
• spiritual practices that help a person understand reality

—Dharma

• ◦Duty, sacred duty, law, order; determined
• by class, age, family relationships; maintains universal harmony

—Bhakti

• ◦Devotion; disciplined action without
• attachment
• —Attachment and Fruits of Action

◦Conflicts with dharma; craving

—Senses/Sensuous Objects

• ◦Must be controlled by the mind and
• intellect

—Karma

• ◦Action, system of actions and
• consequences

—Samsara

◦Cycle of birth-death-rebirth

—Nirvana

• ◦Escape from Samsara; rejoining of atman
• with Brahman

—

—Suffering

• ◦Three
• Types: Pain, Change and Knowledge of Change

—Craving

• ◦Desire,
• wanting anything; Caused by ignorance

—Samsara

• ◦Cycle
• of re-death; Inherently unpleasant

—Nirvana

• ◦Extinguishing;
• Blowing out; Not a state of being or a place

—Karma

• ◦System
• of actions and consequences

—Compassion

• ◦Necessary
• because everything is interconnected
• through cause and effect; nothing exists independently
• —No-Self

• ◦No
• permanent, independent self or soul; Illusion created by arrangement of five
• parts (aggregates)

—Mindfulness

• ◦Awareness,
• control over the mind and senses

• —Skillful
• Means

• ◦Teaching
• what is most important and appropriate at that moment

◦

—Ritual

• ◦Rites and practices on specific
• occasions; daily etiquette; cultivating personality

—Goodness

• ◦Sincerity and intention – cognitive and
• behavioral; mold yourself; development of a type of character/disposition
• through practicing overtime

—Filial Piety

• ◦Starting point for peaceful society –
• trickle up and down; internal and external component

—Teaching and Learning

• ◦Practice and observation, not
• theoretical; No formula

• ◦Importance
• of Interpersonal Relationship

—Dao

• ◦Cosmic principle, transcendent source of
• and pattern for everything in the cosmos, the way things are or should be

—Wuwei

• ◦Spontaneous action,
• acting with the Dao, free and easy wandering, matching heavenly with heavenly

—Distinctions

• ◦No eternal categories like “beautiful”
• vs. “ugly,” false fixities, value the de-valued, useful and useless, words are
• limited

—Perspective

• ◦Aiming for big-picture, more than just
• “us,” recognizing other perceptions, flexibility, avoid attachment

—Forgetting

• ◦Forget rigid distinctions and differences
• of perspective, forget yourself so you can follow the Dao

—Wa

• ◦Harmony;
• achieve balance between each other and the spirits

—Kami

• ◦Spirits;
• ancestors and gods

• —Mono
• No Aware

• ◦Appreciation
• of change

—State

• ◦Supports
• and supported by Shintoism, Emperor (and therefore Japanese) descendants of
• divine

—Syncretism

• ◦Incorporates
• aspects of other religions Confucianism (social harmony, relationships),
• Buddhism (afterlife), Daoism (change as natural), and Christianity (marriage)

—Myths

• ◦Guidance
• for ethics, social behavior, ritual; build identity; cosmology; establish
• tradition

◦