Humanity's Imprint

Revealing World Religions

Version 1.5

Copyright © 2001-2007 Thinking Strings, LLC

Table of Contents

Exploring Religion

What is Religion?

Goals: What is Religion?

Religion & Religions

One Reality or Many?

Defining Religion

Theoretical, Practical, Sociological

Religious Specialists

Religious Syncretism

Summary: What is Religion?

Types of Religions

Goals: Types of Religions

Eastern & Western Religions

Families of Religions

Ethnic & Universal

Theisms

The Ineffable

Atheism & Agnosticism

Summary: Types of Religions

Try It: Types of Religions

Studying Religion

Goals: Studying Religion

Why Is There Religion?

Functionalism

Theorists of Religion

Ways to Study Religion

Belief & Unbelief

Why Study Religion?

The Religious Quest

Summary: Studying Religion

Try It: Studying Religion

Hinduism

Defining & Finding Hinduism

Goals: Defining Hinduism

Religion in Ancient India

Religions of India

Hinduism's Expansiveness

How Old is Hinduism?

Sanatana Dharma

Indian Definition of Hinduism

Religious Conflict in India

World Distribution

Summary: Defining Hinduism

Try It: Defining Hinduism

The Birth of Hinduism

Goals: The Birth of Hinduism

Timeline of Hinduism

Indus Civilization

Aryan Invasion Theory

Caste System

Early Vedic Religion & Ritual

Vedic Gods

Agni & Soma

Vedic Scriptures

Summary: The Birth of Hinduism

Try It: The Birth of Hinduism

Hinduism After the Vedas

Goals: Hinduism After the Vedas

Hinduism's Relationship to Buddhism

The Epics

Classical Texts

Tantric Texts

Islam in India

Colonial Powers in India

Indian Independence

Summary: Hinduism After the Vedas

Try It: Hinduism After the Vedas

Philosophy of Hinduism

Goals: Philosophy of Hinduism

Basic Tensions in Hinduism

Brahman

Atman

Maya

Karma

Reincarnation in Hinduism

Samsara

Moksha

Cosmogenesis & Kaliyuga

Summary: Philosophy of Hinduism

Try It: Philosophy of Hinduism

Yoga

Goals: Yoga

Types of Yoga

Jnana Yoga

Karma Yoga & Arjuna

Bhakti Yoga & Mirabai

Raja Yoga

Hatha Yoga

Four Stages of Life

Sannyasin

Varieties of Yoga

Summary: Yoga

Try It: Yoga

Schools of Hindu Philosophy

Goals: Schools of Hindu Philosophy

Samkhya Philosophy

Purusha & Prakriti

The Three Gunas

Meditation & Consciousness

Vedanta

Qualified Nondualism

Tantric Hinduism

Kundalini Yoga

Tantra

Summary: Schools of Hindu Philosophy

Try It: Schools of Hindu Philosophy

The Hindu Pantheon

Goals: The Hindu Pantheon

Nature of the Hindu Pantheon

The Trimurti

Vishnu

Rama

Krishna

Shiva

Devi

Lesser Deities

Summary: The Hindu Pantheon

Try It: The Hindu Pantheon

Puja & Pilgrimage

Goals: Puja & Pilgrimage

Hindu Practice

Hindu Tradition

Hindu Devotional Practice

Darshan & Puja

Procession & Pilgrimage

Gurus

Temple Worship

Music & Chant

Hindu Sacred Dance

Summary: Puja & Pilgrimage

Try It: Puja & Pilgrimage

Hinduism in the West

Goals: Hinduism in the West

Hinduism Outside India

Swami Vivekananda

Transcendental Meditation

ISKCON

Yoga in the West

Summary: Hinduism in the West

Try It: Hinduism in the West

Buddhism

The Life of the Buddha

Goals: The Life of the Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha's Context

From Birth to Age 30

Four Passing Sights

Siddhartha as Renunciate

Siddhartha's Awakening

Buddha as Teacher

Sangha

Parinirvana

Summary: The Life of the Buddha

Try It: The Life of the Buddha

Philosophy of Buddhism

Goals: Philosophy of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths

The Five Precepts

The Three Jewels

Dharma

Dependent Co-Arising

No Self (Anatta)

Nirvana

Arhat

Reincarnation in Buddhism

Summary: Philosophy of Buddhism

Try It: Philosophy of Buddhism

The First 400 Years

Goals: The First 400 Years

Transmission & Spread of Buddhism

King Asoka

Schools of Buddhism

Major Branches of Buddhism

Buddhism in First Century CE

Summary: The First 400 Years

Try It: The First 400 Years

Theravada Buddhism

Goals: Theravada Buddhism

Pali Canon (Tipitaka)

Becoming an Arhat

Women in Theravada Buddhism

Theravadan Meditation

Theravadan Iconography

Worship of the Buddha

Sri Lanka

Major Theravadan Temples

Thailand

Summary: Theravada Buddhism

Try It: Theravada Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism

Goals: Mahayana Buddhism

The Bodhisattva Ideal

The Buddhist Pantheon

Three-Body Doctrine (Trikaya)

Skillful Means (Upaya)

Mahayana Scriptures

Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy

Summary: Mahayana Buddhism

Try It: Mahayana Buddhism

Vajrayana Buddhism

Goals: Vajrayana Buddhism

Origin of Vajrayana Buddhism

Buddhism in Tibet

Tantric Buddhism

Buddhist Mantras

Vajrayana Iconography

Vajrayana Meditation

Tibetan Deities

Milarepa

Summary: Vajrayana Buddhism

Try It: Vajrayana Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism in China

Goals: Mahayana in China

Buddhism Enters China

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism

Huayan Buddhism

Master Xu Yun

Chinese Buddhist Iconography

Buddhism in China Today

Mahayana in Korea

Mahayana in Vietnam

Summary: Mahayana in China

Try It: Mahayana in China

Mahayana Buddhism in Japan

Goals: Mahayana in Japan

Buddhism Enters Japan

Nara Period

Shingon Buddhism

Tendai Buddhism

Kamakura Period

Jodo Shu Buddhism

Nichiren Buddhism

Zen Buddhism

Devotional Practice

Summary: Mahayana in Japan

Try It: Mahayana in Japan

Buddhism in the West

Goals: Buddhism in the West

Schools of Buddhism in the West

Insight Meditation Society

Shambhala

City of 10,000 Buddhas

Plum Village

Engaged Buddhism

Women in Western Buddhism

Summary: Buddhism in the West

Try It: Buddhism in the West

Sikhism

Emergence of Sikhism

Goals: Emergence of Sikhism

The Sikh Religion

The Punjab

Blending Hinduism & Islam

Guru Nanak

Summary: Emergence of Sikhism

Try It: Emergence of Sikhism

Life of Guru Nanak

Goals: Life of Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak's Family

Birth of Guru Nanak

Nanak as a Young Man

Nanak's Epiphany

Nanak's Travels

Nanak's Travels

Nanak's Ashram

Nanak's Death

Summary: Life of Guru Nanak

Try It: Life of Guru Nanak

Sikh Theology

Goals: Sikh Theology

Sikh Monotheism

A Personal God

The Sikh View of Human Nature

Reincarnation & Liberation

Union with God

Summary: Sikh Theology

Try It: Sikh Theology

The Ten Gurus

Goals: The Ten Gurus

The First Guru

The Second Guru

The Third Guru

The Fourth Guru

The Fifth Guru

The Sixth Guru

The Seventh & Eighth Gurus

The Ninth Guru

The Tenth Guru

Summary: The Ten Gurus

Try It: The Ten Gurus

The Khalsa

Goals: The Khalsa

Founding the Khalsa

Sikh Identity

The Warrior Ideal

Sikh/Muslim Conflict

Summary: The Khalsa

Try It: The Khalsa

Sikh Scripture

Goals: Sikh Scripture

Adi Granth

Mul Mantra

Authors of the Granth

Translations of the Granth

Dasam Granth

Other Sikh Scriptures

Summary: Sikh Scripture

Try It: Sikh Scripture

Sikhism in India and the Diaspora

Goals: Sikhism in India and the Diaspora

Sikhism after Guru Gobind Singh

Ranjit Singh

Sikhs and the British Empire

The Partition of India

Sikh Separatism

Sikhs in the Punjab Today

Sikhs in the Diaspora

Variants of Sikhism

Summary: Sikhism in India and the Diaspora

Try It: Sikhism in India and the Diaspora

Rituals and Rites of Passage

Goals: Rituals and Rites of Passage

Sikh Worship

The Gurdwara

The Langar

Birth

Initiation

Marriage

Death

Summary: Rituals and Rites of Passage

Try It: Rituals and Rites of Passage

Sikh Holidays

Goals: Sikh Holidays

The Cycle of Sikh Holidays

Baisakh

Hola

Diwali

Sikh Commemorations

Sikh Processions

Sikh Pilgrimage

Summary: Sikh Holidays

Try It: Sikh Holidays

Taoism

Ancient Chinese Religion

Goals: Ancient Chinese Religion

China's Indigenous Religions

The Warring States Period

Ancient Chinese Religions

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

Taoism & Confucianism

Summary: Ancient Chinese Religion

Try It: Ancient Chinese Religion

Beginnings of Taoism

Goals: Beginnings of Taoism

Laozi

Origins of the Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching

Zhuangzi

Transliterating Chinese

Summary: Beginnings of Taoism

Try It: Beginnings of Taoism

Philosophy of the Tao

Goals: Philosophy of the Tao

What is the Tao?

The Ten Thousand Things

The Ineffable Tao

Wu-Wei

The Nature of Human Beings

Yin & Yang

The Importance of Nature

Summary: Philosophy of the Tao

Try It: Philosophy of the Tao

Taoism as a Religion

Goals: Taoism as a Religion

Philosophy or Religion?

Celestial Master Taoism

Magic & Alchemy

Supreme Clarity Taoism

Numinous Treasure Taoism

Summary: Taoism as a Religion

Try It: Taoism as a Religion

Taoist Pantheon

Goals: Taoist Pantheon

Basic Features

Hierarchy of the Pantheon

Major Deities

Kwan Yin

Land God

God of Wealth

The Eight Immortals

Ho Hsien Ku

Other Taoist Deities

Summary: Taoist Pantheon

Try it: Taoist Pantheon

Second Millennium CE

Goals: Second Millennium CE

Later Sects of Taoism

Orthodox Unity Taoism

Integral Perfection Taoism

White Cloud Abbey

Taoist Temples

Wang Ling Guan

Taoist Priesthood

Summary: Second Millennium CE

Try It: Second Millennium CE

Taoist Meditation & Medicine

Goals: Taoist Meditation & Medicine

Breathing Exercises

The Spiritual Embryo

Holding the Ones

T'ai-chi Ch'uan

Taoist Martial Arts

Traditional Medicine & Acupuncture

Herbology

Macrobiotic Diet

Summary: Meditation & Medicine

Try It: Taoist Meditation & Medicine

Taoist Ritual Practices

Goals: Taoist Ritual Practices

Chinese Festivals

Chinese Astrology

Feng Shui

Yijing

Calligraphy

Healing Rituals

Ancestor Veneration

Chiao

Summary: Taoist Ritual Practices

Try It: Taoist Ritual Practices

Taoism in the Modern Era

Goals: Taoism in the Modern Era

The Decline of Taoism

Taoism Under the Manchus

Taoism & Western Imperialism

T'ai-p'ing Rebellion

The Communist Revolution

Taoism in China Today

Taoism Outside Mainland China

Summary: Taoism in the Modern Era

Try It: Taoism in the Modern Era

Confucianism

The Life of Confucius

Goals: The Life of Confucius

Early Life of Confucius

Confucius as a Young Man

Teacher & Philosopher

Summary: The Life of Confucius

Try It: The Life of Confucius

Fundamentals of Confucianism

Goals: Fundamentals

A Moral Philosophy

Confucianism as a Religion

Five Great Relationships

Rectification of Names

Five Virtues

Male Dominance in Confucianism

Human Nature in Confucianism

Confucian Ideals for Government

Yin & Yang in Confucianism

Summary: Fundamentals

Try It: Fundamentals

Confucian Texts

Goals: Confucian Texts

Significance of Confucian Texts

The Five Classics

The Book of Rites

The Four Books

The Analects

The Great Learning

The Book of Mencius

Summary: Confucian Texts

Try It: Confucian Texts

Early Confucian History

Goals: Early Confucian History

After Confucius

Mencius

Mozi

Xunzi

The Han Dynasty

Confucian Religion

Veneration of Confucius

Confucian Priesthood

Summary: Early Confucian History

Try It: Early Confucian History

The Modern Era

Goals: The Modern Era

Confucianism & Buddhism

Neo-Confucianism

The Great Ultimate

Sitting Meditation

Becoming a Sage

Wang Yangming

Reforms in Confucianism

Confucianism in the Modern Era

Summary: The Modern Era

Try It: The Modern Era

Shinto

Early Japanese Religion

Goals: Early Japanese Religion

Indigenous Japanese Religion

The Japanese People

Prehistoric Japan

Early Shinto

Shamanism

Early Shinto Gods & Goddesses

Summary: Early Japanese Religion

Try It: Early Japanese Religion

Shinto After Buddhism

Goals: Shinto After Buddhism

Shinto & Chinese Religions

Shinto & Buddhism

Shinto Writings

Separating Shinto & Buddhism

Meiji Restoration

State Shinto

After World War II

Summary: Shinto After Buddhism

Try It: Shinto After Buddhism

Key Characteristics of Shinto

Goals: Key Characteristics

Major Concerns of Shinto

Purity

Tradition in Shinto

Honoring Nature

The Land of Japan

An Optimistic Religion

Orthopraxis in Shinto

Summary: Key Characteristics

Try It: Key Characteristics

Shinto Mythology

Goals: Shinto Mythology

Origin Myth of Shinto

Izanami & Izanagi

The Birth of Fire

Izanagi's Return

The Birth of Amaterasu

The Heavenly Rock Cave

Amaterasu's Descendants

Summary: Shinto Mythology

Try It: Shinto Mythology

Kami

Goals: Kami

Definition of Kami

Types of Kami

Traits of Kami

The Kami & Humans

The Waving Cat

Kami Iconography

Summary: Kami

Try It: Kami

Shinto Shrines

Goals: Shinto Shrines

Shinto Shrines in Japan Today

Torii

Shimenawa

Shrine Architecture

Features of Shinto Shrines

Enshrined Kami

The Three Treasures

Summary: Shinto Shrines

Try It: Shinto Shrines

Shinto Worship

Goals: Shinto Worship

Worshipping the Kami

Visiting a Shrine

Oracles & Charms

Occasions for Visiting a Shrine

Shinto Funerals

Priest-Led Worship

The Shinto Priesthood

Shinto Worship at Home

Summary: Shinto Worship

Try It: Shinto Worship

Shinto Festivals

Goals: Shinto Festivals

Occasions for Festivals

New Year's Festivals

Rice Festivals

Other Shinto Festivals

Processions in Shinto

Shinto Dance & Theater

Shinto Pilgrimage

Summary: Shinto Festivals

Try It: Shinto Festivals

Religious Blending in Japan

Goals: Religious Blending in Japan

Who Practices Shinto?

Taoist Elements in Shinto

Confucian Elements in Shinto

Buddhist Elements in Shinto

New Religious Movements in Japan

Shinto Outside Japan

Summary: Religious Blending in Japan

Try It: Religious Blending in Japan

Judaism

Basic Principles of Judaism

Goals: Basic Principles of Judaism

Monotheism in Judaism

Iconoclasm in Judaism

The Chosen People

An Ethnic Religion

The Sacred in History

Orthopraxis

Jewish Theology

13 Principles of Faith

Summary: Basic Principles of Judaism

Try It: Basic Principles of Judaism

Cultural Context of Judaism

Goals: Cultural Context

A Minority Religion

Anti-Semitism

Ghettoes

Jews & Banking

Blood Libel

The Holocaust

Warsaw Ghetto

Survival of the Jewish People

Summary: Cultural Context

Try It: Cultural Context

Hebrew Scriptures

Goals: Hebrew Scriptures

Hebrew Bible

Torah

Prophets & Writings

Talmud

Midrash

Mishnah

Gemara

Page from the Talmud

Study, Learning, & Debate

Summary: Hebrew Scriptures

Try It: Hebrew Scriptures

Ancient History of Judaism

Goals: Ancient History of Judaism

A Herding People

Judaism & the Creation of the World

Covenant with Abraham

Jacob & His Sons

Jewish Patriarchs

The Exodus

Kingdom of Israel

Second Temple Period

The Diaspora

Summary: Ancient History of Judaism

Try It: Ancient History of Judaism

The Jewish Diaspora

Goals: The Jewish Diaspora

From Temple to Synagogue

Judaism Under the Roman Empire

Sephardim

Matriliny

Ashkenazim

Kabbalah

Shabbatai Tzvi

Hasidim

Beginnings of Reform Judaism

Summary: The Jewish Diaspora

Try It: The Jewish Diaspora

Judaism in America

Goals: Judaism in America

Jewish Migration to America

Reform Judaism

Orthodox Judaism

Conservative Judaism

Reconstructionist Judaism

Intermarriage

Summary: Judaism in America

Try It: Judaism in America

The State of Israel

Goals: The State of Israel

State of Israel

Theodor Herzl

Proposed Zionist Homelands

Jewish Immigration to Palestine

Creation of the State of Israel

State of Israel Today

Tensions Within Israel

Population of Israel

Western Wall

Summary: The State of Israel

Try It: The State of Israel

Jewish Practice

Goals: Jewish Practice

Jewish Prayer

Dressing for Prayer

Sh'ma

Shabbat

Reading the Torah

Laws of Kashrut

Levels of Jewish Observance

Summary: Jewish Practice

Try It: Jewish Practice

Jewish Holidays

Goals: Jewish Holidays

The Jewish Calendar

High Holy Days

Major Jewish Holidays

Passover

Shavuot & Sukkot

Simchat Torah

Hanukkah

Purim

Commemorative Holidays

Summary: Jewish Holidays

Try It: Jewish Holidays

Jewish Rites of Passage

Goals: Jewish Rites of Passage

Brit Milah

Baby Namings

Bar & Bat Mitzvah

Jewish Weddings

Mourning

Summary: Jewish Rites of Passage

Try It: Jewish Rites of Passage

Women in Judaism

Goals: Women in Judaism

Judaism as a Male-Dominated Religion

Matriarchs & Heroines

Women's Role in Judaism

Niddah

Marriage & Divorce in Judaism

Women Rabbis

Jewish Feminism

Summary: Women in Judaism

Try It: Women in Judaism

Christianity

Jesus

Goals: Jesus

Jesus's Early Life

Social Context for Jesus's Life

Jesus's Birth

What Jesus Taught

Jesus as a Jew

God, Jesus's Father

Jesus's Ministry

Jesus's Crucifixion

Jesus's Resurrection & Ascension

Summary: Jesus

Try It: Jesus

Early Christianity

Goals: Early Christianity

Jesus Movement as a Jewish Sect

Paul

The Gentiles

Doctrine of the Atonement

Early Spread of Christianity

Summary: Early Christianity

Try It: Early Christianity

Christian Scriptures

Goals: Christian Scriptures

Old Testament

New Testament

Establishment of the Canon

The Gospels

The Synoptic Gospels

John

The Acts of the Apostles

The Epistles

The Book of Revelation

Summary: Christian Scriptures

Try It: Christian Scriptures

After the Fall of Rome

Goals: After the Fall of Rome

Under the Roman Empire

Gnosticism

The Religion of the Empire

Augustine

Wrestling Over Christian Doctrine

The Byzantine Empire

First Schism in Christianity

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodoxy

Christian Monasticism

Summary: After the Fall of Rome

Try It: After the Fall of Rome

Medieval Christianity

Goals: Medieval Christianity

Medieval Monasticism

The Virgin Mary

Christian Pilgrimage

The Crusades

The Inquisition

The Muslim Triumph

Cultural Impact of the Crusades

Thomas Aquinas

On the Eve of Reformation

Summary: Medieval Christianity

Try It: Medieval Christianity

The Protestant Reformation

Goals: Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther

Luther's Theology

The Lutheran Church

John Calvin

Double Predestination

Henry VIII, King of England

The Radical Reformation

Witchcraft Persecutions

The Catholic Reformation

Summary: Protestant Reformation

Try It: Protestant Reformation

Christian Practices

Goals: Christian Practices

Diversity of Christian Practices

Sacraments

Baptism

Eucharist

Confirmation & Reconciliation

Marriage & Holy Orders

Unction

Christian Prayer

Christian Art & Music

Summary: Christian Practices

Try It: Christian Practices

Christian Holidays

Goals: Christian Holidays

The Liturgical Year

Advent

Christmas

Lent

Easter

Ascension

Pentecost

Saints' Days

The Assumption of Mary

Summary: Christian Holidays

Try It: Christian Holidays

Christianity in the 21st Century

Goals: Into the 21st Century

Christian Denominations

Revivalism

New Christian Denominations

Roman Catholicism in America

Religious Pluralism in America

The Ecumenical Impulse

Pentecostalism

Global Christianity

The Future of Christianity

Summary: Into the 21st Century

Try It: Into the 21st Century

Islam

The Life of Mohammed

Goals: Life of Mohammed

Religion in Ancient Arabia

Mohammed's Early life

The First Revelation

Mohammed & the Meccans

Night Journey

Hijrah

Islam Under Mohammed

Mohammed's Family

Summary: Life of Mohammed

Try It: Life of Mohammed

Islamic Texts

Goals: Islamic Texts

Quran

Biblical Figures in the Quran

Arabic & the Quran

Significance of the Quran

Quranic Recitation

Quranic Calligraphy

The Hadith

Sharia

Islamic Philosophy

Summary: Islamic Texts

Try It: Islamic Texts

Major Tenets of Islam

Goals: Major Tenets of Islam

Islamic Monotheism

No Original Sin

No Value Placed on Celibacy

Afterlife in Islam

Islam & Judaism

Islam & Christianity

The Prophet

People of the Book

Angels, Spirits, & Jinn

Summary: Major Tenets of Islam

Try It: Major Tenets of Islam

Islamic Religious Practices

Goals: Islamic Religious Practices

Five Pillars of Islam

Testimony

Prayer

Charity

Fasting

Islamic Pilgrimage

Jihad

Dietary Restrictions

Islamic Rites of Passage

Summary: Islamic Religious Practices

Try It: Islamic Religious Practices

History of Islam

Goals: History of Islam

Early Expansion

The Caliphate

Umayyad Dynasty

The Sunni/Shia Split

Shia Islam

Abbasid Dynasty

Later Islamic Empires

End of the Islamic Empires

Summary: History of Islam

Try It: History of Islam

Sufism

Goals: Sufism

Islamic Mysticism

Rabia al-Adawiyya

Controversies Over Sufism

Sufi Orders

Sufi Practices

Rumi

Sufism Today

Summary: Sufism

Try It: Sufism

Islamic Resurgence

Goals: Islamic Resurgence

Islam & the Modern World

Islamic States in the 20th Century

Modern Turkey

Modern Iran

Other Islamic States

Islamic Revivalism

Islamic Reform

Summary: Islamic Resurgence

Try It: Islamic Resurgence

Islam Around the World

Goals: Islam Around the World

Islam in Asia

Islam in Africa

Islam in Europe

Islam in America

African-American Islam

Summary: Islam Around the World

Try It: Islam Around the World

Women & Islam

Goals: Women & Islam

Role of Women in Islam

Women & the Prophet

Women in the Quran

Women in the Hadith

The Veil

Islamic Feminism

Summary: Women & Islam

Try It: Women & Islam

Religious Pluralism

The World's Religions

Goals: The World's Religions

Making Meaningful Comparisons

Universal & Ethnic Religions

Orthopraxis & Orthodoxy

Sacred Time

Founders, Prophets, & Teachers

Sex, Life, & Death

One God or Many?

Summary: The World's Religions

Try It: The World's Religions

New Religious Movements

Goals: New Religious Movements

Religious Change

Millennial Movements

Universalist Religions

Nature Religions

New Age Religions

Summary: New Religious Movements

Try It: New Religious Movements

Religion in the 21st Century

Goals: The 21st Century

The Secularization Thesis

Fundamentalism

Interreligious Dialogue

Women's Religious Leadership

Religion in Popular Culture

Looking Forward

Summary: The 21st Century

Try It: The 21st Century