Grade 7 Religious Education

CHAPTER 3:

LIVING FAITHS IN THE WORLD

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.2

Brahman : The main Hindu god. The other gods and goddesses represent different aspects of this all-knowing, ever-present power.

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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.

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.

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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.12

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.

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•Born: c. 563 BC

•Birthplace: Kapilvastu, Nepal

•Died: c. 483 BC (possibly food poisoning)

•Best Known As: The founder of Buddhism

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.23

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.

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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.28

Makkah : The holy city of Muslims. Muslims are expected to journey to Makkah at least once in their lives.

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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.31

Allah : For Muslims, the personal name of God32

Mosque : Muslim place of worship.33

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.35

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.

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