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Zhoushan Archipelago

(Encyclopedia)Zhoushan Archipelago jō-shän [key], NE Zhejiang prov., China, in the East China Sea, at the entrance to Hangzhou Bay. It includes the main island of Zhoushan and about 100 lesser islands; Dinghai on...

samadhi

(Encyclopedia)samadhi səmäˈdē [key], a state of deep absorption in the object of meditation, and the goal of many kinds of yoga. In Buddhism the term refers to any state of one-pointed concentration. In Hinduis...

ahimsa

(Encyclopedia)ahimsa əhĭmˈsä [key] [Sanskrit,=noninjury], ethical principle of noninjury to both men and animals, common to Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Ahimsa became influential in India after 600 b.c., co...

Song Shan

(Encyclopedia)Song Shan sŭngˈ shänˈ [key], mountain, N central Henan prov., China; one of the five sacred mountains of China. It is famous for the Shaolin Temple, where generations of Buddhist monks have practi...

pessimism

(Encyclopedia)pessimism, philosophical opinion or doctrine that evil predominates over good; the opposite of optimism. Systematic forms of pessimism may be found in philosophy and religion. In religion Buddhism and...

maya, in Hinduism

(Encyclopedia)maya mäˈyä [key], in Hinduism, term used in the Veda to mean magic or supernatural power. In Mahayana Buddhism it acquires the meaning of illusion or unreality. The term is pivotal in the Vedanta s...

Kumbum

(Encyclopedia)Kumbum ko͝omˈbo͝omˈ [key], large lamasery at Huangchang, NE Qinghai prov., China, c.12 mi (20 km) SW of Xining. Long a renowned pilgrimage center, it stands on the spot where Tsong-kha-pa (b.1417)...

guru

(Encyclopedia)guru go͞oˈro͞o, go͝orˈo͞o [key], in Hinduism and Buddhism, spiritual teacher. The guru gives initiation into spiritual practice and instructs disciples, often maintaining a close relationship wi...

Gjellerup, Karl Adolf

(Encyclopedia)Gjellerup, Karl Adolf kärl äˈdôlf yĕlˈəro͝op [key], 1857–1919, Danish poet and novelist, b. Sjæland. His early novels, naturalistic and partly autobiographical, include The Young Denmark (1...

sunyata

(Encyclopedia)sunyata sho͞onˈyətə [key] [Skt.,=emptiness], one of the main tenets of Mahayana Buddhism, first presented by the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna-paramita) scriptures (1st cent. b.c. on) and later sys...