ahimsa
peace
asceticism
the ideas, beliefs and lifestyle one who shuns the pleasure of the world in an effort to pursue spiritual goals
artha
prosperity and economic values
atman
The soul
avatar
Name for the incarnation of a god in a different form
bhakti
extreme devotion
Brahman
the impersonal ultimate God or principle
Brahmin
The priestly caste
dharma
The idea that each person has a natural role or place in the world; also the notion of world interconnectedness
Ganges
The main river in India, sacred in Hinduism
guru
A teacher, particularly in Sikhism
Jainism
A religion close to Hinduism that focus on not trying to kill any living thing
jnana
knowledge or understanding—a way to moksha
kama
love, pleasure & psychological values
karma
the idea that current actions will eventually effect future actions
Mahabharata
a great Indian epic about the Pandava brothers, contained within it is the Bhagavad-Gita
mantra
sound, phrase or idea that focuses the mind
moksha
The ultimate goal one achieves when breaking out of the samsara
om
Common mantra used to focus meditation
prakriti
nature/natural order
puja
daily prayer or offering
Ramayana
Indian epic about Ram and his allies rescuing Sita from the cluthes of Ravana (a demon)
samsara
the lifecycle the atman is trapped in of birth, death, and reincarnation before achieving moksha
shakti
cosmic energy, found in om and harnessed through meditation; personified in the great mother goddess
sutra
religious text
trimurthi
triad of main Hindu Gods, Brahma (creator), Vishnu (sustainer), and Shiva (destroyer)
varna system
system of social groups based on the Vedas that Hindus are born in to; caste system
Vedas
One of a few sacred Hindu texts composed of four books
yoga
literally "the yoke" four types of this involve honing control of one's body and mind
yuga
an epoch or an era made up of four ages, lasting billions of years