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Torah (J) The first five books of the
Hebrew Bible, seen as representing
the teaching given by God to Moses
on Mount Sinai.Trimurti (H) The trio of principal
Hindu gods—Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva—or a threefold image of them.Trinity (C) The threefold god,
comprising Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit in a single divinity.Upanishads (H) Sacred texts
containing Hindu philosophical
teachings; also known as the
Vedanta, the end of the Vedas.Vedas (H) Collections of hymns
and other writings in praise of
the deities.Wa (D) Harmony, in which the group
takes precedence over the individual.Wuwei (D) Uncontrived and
effortless doing.Yin–yang (D) The two principles of
the cosmos in Chinese philosophy,
seen as opposite but complementary
and interacting to produce a whole
greater than either separate part.YHWH (J) The four letters that
represent the name of God in
Judaism, considered to be too holy
to utter, but pronounced “yahweh.”Yoga (H) A form of physical and
mental training. One the six schools
of Hindu philosophy.Zakat (I) The giving of alms in
the form of a tax to help the poor;
the third pillar of Islam.Zazen (B) Seated meditation.Zurvan (Z) The God of time; in some
forms of Zoroastrianism, the primal
being, from whom were derived the
wise lord Ahura Mazda and the
hostile spirit Angra Mainyu.Sabbath (J) The rest day of the
Jewish week, lasting from sunset
on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
Sacraments (C) The solemn rites
of Christianity. The Catholic and
Orthodox Churches recognize seven:
baptism, Eucharist, penance,
confirmation, ordination, extreme
unction (last rites), and marriage.
Most Protestant Churches recognize
only two: baptism and the Eucharist.
Sadhu (H) A holy man who has
dedicated his life to seeking God.
Salat (I) Prayer; the second of the five
pillars of Islam. Muslims are expected
to pray five times each day.
Samsara (B, H) The continuing
and repeating cycle of birth, life,
death, and rebirth.
Samskara (H) Imprints left on the
mind by experience in current or
past lives; Hindu rites of passage.
Sawm (I) Fasting, especially during
the month of Ramadan; the fourth of
the five pillars of Islam.
Sangha (B) An order of Buddhist
monks and nuns.
Satya (H) Truth, or what is correct
and unchanging.
Sefirot (J) The 10 emanations, the
attributes of God in kabbalah.
Sephardim (J) Jews who come from
Spain, Portugal, or North Africa, or
their descendants.
Seva (S) Service to others, one of the
important principles of Sikhism.
Shahada (I) The Muslim profession
of faith, translated as, “There is
no God but God; Muhammad is the
messenger of God”; the first and
most important of the five pillars
of Islam.
Shari‘a (I) The path to be followed
in Muslim life and, therefore, Islamic
law, based on the Qur’an and on
the Hadith.Shi‘a (I) One of the two main groups
of Muslims, consisting of those who
believe that Muhammad’s cousin ‘Ali
was his rightful successor as caliph.
See also Sunni.Shirk (I) The sin of idolatry or
polytheism.Sruti (H) The Vedas and some of
the Upanishads.Sufi (I) A member of one of a
number of mystical Islamic orders,
whose beliefs center on a personal
relationship with God. Sufi orders can
be found in Sunni, Shi‘a and other
Islamic groups. Sufism is associated
with the ecstatic whirling dances of
the dervishes.Sunna (I) Muhammad’s way of life,
taken as a model for Muslims and
recorded in the hadiths.Sunni (I) One of the two main
groups of Muslims, followers of those
who supported an elected caliphate.
See also Shi‘a.Sutra (B, H) A collection of
teachings, especially sayings
attributed to Buddha.Talmud (J) Text made up of a body
of discussion and interpretation of
the Torah, compiled by scholars and
rabbis, and a source of ethical advice
and instruction, especially to
Orthodox Jews.Tantra (B) Text used in some
kinds of Buddhism (mainly in Tibet)
to help users to reach enlightenment,
or the practices based on such a text.Tirthankara (Jn) One of the 24
spiritual teachers or jinas who have
shown the way of the Jain faith.GLOSSARY