Download Vocab Word Wall

Caste System
• a set of rigid
categories in ancient
India that
determined a
person’s occupation
and economic
potential, as well as
his or her position in
society, based partly
on skin color.
Hinduism
• the major Indian
religious system,
which had its
origins in the
religious beliefs
of the Aryans
who settled in
India after 1400
B.C.
Karma
• in Hinduism, the
force generated
by a person’s
actions that
determines how
the person will
be reborn in the
next life.
Dharma
• in Hinduism, the
divine law that
rules karma; it
requires all
people to do
their duty based
on their status in
society.
Yoga
• a method of
training
developed by
the Hindus that
is supposed to
lead to oneness
with Brahman.
Buddhism
• a religious doctrine
introduced in
northern India in
the 6th century
B.C. by Siddhartha
Gautama, known
as the Buddha, or
“Enlightened One”.
Nirvana
• in Buddhism,
ultimate reality,
the end of self
and a reunion
with the Great
World Soul.
Varnas
• the name given
by Aryans in
ancient India to
a group of
people in what
was believed to
be an ideal
social structure
of four groups.
Reincarnation
• the rebirth of
an individual’s
soul in a
different form
after death.
Confucianism
• the system of political
and ethical ideas
formulated by the
Chinese philosopher
Confucius toward the
end of the Zhou dynasty;
It was intended to help
restore order to a society
that was in a state of
confusion.
Legalism
• a popular philosophy
developed in China
toward the end of the
Zhou dynasty; it
propose that human
beings are evil by
nature and can be
brought to the correct
path only by harsh
laws.
Daoism
• a system of ideas
based on the
teachings of Laozi;
teaches that the will
of Heaven is best
followed through
inaction so that
nature is allowed to
take its course.
Civil service
• the administrative
service of a
government, not
including the
armed forces, in
which
appointments are
determined by
competitive
examination.
Martial
• relating to, or
suited for, war
or a warrior.
Filial piety
• the duty of family
members to
subordinate their
needs and desires
to those of the
make head of the
family, a concept
important in
Confucianism.
Pilgrim
• a person who
travels to a
shrine or
other holy
place.
Regime
• the government
in power.
Silk Road
• a route between the Roman Empire
and China, so called because silk
was China’s most valuable product.
Vedas
• the earliest known
Indian literature, which
contain religious chants
and stories that were
originally passed down
orally from generation
to generation and then
recorded in Sanskrit
after writing developed.
Ethical
• conforming to
accepted
standards of
conduct;
moral.