Download Religion Terms for Unit 3 and 4

Grade 7 Religious Education
CHAPTER 3:
LIVING FAITHS IN THE WORLD
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Hinduism : One of the oldest religions in the
world; began around the Indus River in India.
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Monotheistic : Belief in one god.
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Brahman : The main Hindu god. The other
gods and goddesses represent different aspects
of this all-knowing, ever-present power.
Hindus believe in a supreme being - a
cosmic spirit - called Brahman. This
supreme power is represented by three
main Gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu,
the preserver; Shiva, the destroyer.
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Karma : The sum of a person’s actions in
previous states of existence. It determines the
quality of a person’s rebirth.
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Moksha : Release or freedom from the ties and
cares of this world and merging with Brahman.
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Vedas : Hindu Book of Knowledge, containing
hymns, chants, prayers, and guides for
behaviour.
The Vedas are considered the oldest
Hindu texts. Scholars believe that they
were written down some 2500 years ago.
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Gurukulam : A spiritual school where children
focus on learning Hindu scriptures and follow a
well-disciplined daily routine.
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Suryanamaskar : A Hindu exercise done
before sunrise, while chanting and praying to the
sun.
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Mantras : Words or song-like sounds with
spiritual meaning. Hindus chant them by heart
with strict attention to pronunciation.
10
Meditating : Calmly exercising the mind,
especially on religious matters.
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Aum : A sacred symbol and mantra (sound) of
great importance to Hindus.
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Guru : A Hindu spiritual teacher.
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Puja : Worship of a god or goddess in which
offerings are made (eg. food, flowers).
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Stotras : Descriptive passages that are
recited or read about different aspects of
Brahman.
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Buddhism : A major world religion founded in
northeastern India in the 5th century BCE,
and later spread to China and around the
world. Based on the teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, called the Buddha.
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Buddha : Founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha
Gautama. Also used as a title for teachers.
•Born: c. 563 BC
•Birthplace: Kapilvastu, Nepal
•Died: c. 483 BC (possibly food poisoning)
•Best Known As: The founder of Buddhism
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Siddhartha Gautama: The Buddha; the
founder of Buddhism; Lived in Nepal (5th
century BCE)
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Middle Way : Choosing a life between harsh
self-discipline and easy pleasure.
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Nirvana : The end of personal suffering;
experience of unchanging peace.
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Enlightenment : State of perfect happiness
and understanding; unconditional compassion
for all beings.
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Three Marks of Existence :
Basic Buddhist beliefs:
1. Nothing is permanent
2. Life involves suffering
3. There is no permanent self
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Noble Eightfold Path : Eight guidelines on
how to think, feel and behave to be freed from
suffering caused by desire and to reach
Nirvana.
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Sangha : Community of Buddhist monks.
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Tripitaka : The scriptures of one of the two
main branches of Buddhism.
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Islam : The religion based on Allah as the one
God and Muhammad as his prophet. Islam
means peace, obedience and submission to
God.
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Muslims : Followers of Islam. “Muslim” means
one who is in a state of islam, or submission to
God.
27
Muhammad: Founder of Islam; born in
Makkah (7th century CE); received messages
and teachings from God which later formed the
Qur’an.
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Qur’an : The sacred text of the Muslims.
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Makkah : The holy city of Muslims. Muslims
are expected to journey to Makkah at least
once in their lives.
30
Ka’ba : Ka’ba means cube. It is the famous
black stone in Makkah that pilgrims pray to.
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Hajj : A pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah.
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Allah : For Muslims, the personal name of God
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Mosque : Muslim place of worship.
34
Five Pillars of Faith : Five religious duties
that the Qur’an says Muslims must perform:
1. Declare Allah God, Muhammad his prophet.
2. Worship regularly
3. Give alms
4. Fast during month of Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj)
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Alms : Money or food given to the poor.
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Ramadan : The 9th month of the Islamic year.
Muslims consider it sacred and fast daily from
dawn to sunset.
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Ihram : White cloths worn by (male) pilgrims
on the Hajj.
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Innu : People; North American aboriginal
group located in Quebec and Labrador (former
Montagnais and Naskapi).
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Interdependent : Dependent on one another;
Essential or necessary to one another.
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Spirituality : The quality or state of being
focused on matters of the spirit.