Core vocabulary from Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto, and Bahá'í — the religions most often encountered in Western spiritual-but-not-religious framing.
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A
Ahimsa (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism) — Non-violence toward all living beings. Absolute in Jainism, where monks sweep the path before them to avoid crushing insects.
Christian contrast: Scripture commends care for animal life (Proverbs 12:10) but grounds the unique prohibition on killing in the image of God borne by humans alone (Genesis 9:6). → Humanity - Imago Dei
Anatta (Anatman) (Buddhism) — "No-self." The teaching that there is no permanent soul or enduring personal identity — only a stream of changing aggregates. Buddhism's sharpest break from Hinduism.
Christian contrast: Scripture treats the person as a real, enduring self that survives death and will be judged and raised as the same person (2 Corinthians 5:10; Job 19:26–27). Without a self there is no one to save. → The Nature of Man
Atman (Hinduism) — The individual soul or true self, ultimately identical with Brahman, the universal reality. "That thou art" (tat tvam asi).
Christian contrast: The Creator–creature distinction is absolute and permanent. Man is God's image, never God's substance (Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 45:5). → Humanity - Imago Dei · Nature & Attributes of God
Avatar (Hinduism) — A "descent" of a deity, chiefly Vishnu, into physical form. Rama and Krishna are the best known of the traditional ten.
Christian contrast: Superficially parallel to the incarnation, and fundamentally unlike it. Avatars are repeated, often non-human, and typically illusory appearances; the incarnation is singular, permanent, and fully human — the Son still has a body (Luke 24:39; 1 Timothy 2:5). → The Incarnation
B
Bhagavad Gita (Hinduism) — The most influential Hindu text: a dialogue in which Krishna instructs the warrior Arjuna on duty, detachment, and devotion. Part of the Mahabharata.
Christian contrast: Krishna urges Arjuna to fight because the soul cannot be slain — death is unreal. Scripture calls death the last enemy, real and to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).
Bhakti (Hinduism) — The path of loving devotion to a personal deity, as opposed to the paths of knowledge (jnana) or works (karma). The most accessible of the three.
Christian contrast: The closest analogue to Christian devotion, and the difference is that the object of Christian love acted first and decisively in history (1 John 4:19; Romans 5:8).
Bodhisattva (Mahayana Buddhism) — One who attains enlightenment but delays final nirvana out of compassion, to help others toward liberation.
Christian contrast: A genuine echo of substitution — with the crucial difference that a bodhisattva shows the way while Christ bore the penalty in the place of others (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:6). → The Death & Crucifixion
Brahman (Hinduism) — The ultimate, impersonal, all-pervading reality. Not a being who acts but the ground of being itself. All apparent distinction is ultimately Brahman.
Christian contrast: God in Scripture is personal, speaks, names Himself, makes covenants, and remains distinct from what He made (Exodus 3:14; Genesis 1:1). → Nature & Attributes of God · God as Creator
Buddha (Buddhism) — "Awakened one." Historically Siddhartha Gautama (c. 5th c. BC), who taught the way out of suffering. Not a god and not a savior — a physician who diagnoses and prescribes.
Christian contrast: Buddha pointed to a path; Christ said He is the way (John 14:6). One left a method, the other left an empty tomb. → The Resurrection
C
Caste (Varna / Jati) (Hinduism) — The hereditary social order — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, plus those outside it — justified by karma from previous lives. Legally abolished in India; socially persistent.
Christian contrast: Karma makes birth-status morally deserved and reform therefore impious. Scripture makes every person equally image-bearing and equally in need of grace (Acts 17:26; Galatians 3:28). → Human Dignity & Worth
Confucianism (Confucianism) — An ethical and social philosophy from Confucius (551–479 BC) centered on filial piety, ritual propriety (li), humaneness (ren), and the ordering of relationships. Largely non-metaphysical.
Christian contrast: Scripture agrees that honoring parents orders society (Exodus 20:12) but denies that moral cultivation can address a corrupted nature (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:18).
D
Dharma (Hinduism, Buddhism) — In Hinduism, cosmic order and one's caste-and-stage duty. In Buddhism, the Buddha's teaching and the truth about reality.
Christian contrast: God's law is not a role assignment varying by birth but a single standard binding on all, and grace, not duty, is what reconciles (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8–9). → The Purpose of the Law
Dukkha (Buddhism) — Suffering, unsatisfactoriness, dis-ease. The First Noble Truth: existence as we experience it is characterized by dukkha.
Christian contrast: Scripture agrees the world is not as it should be, but traces it to the Fall rather than to existence itself — and answers with redemption rather than escape (Romans 8:20–23). → The Purpose of Suffering · The Fall of Man
E
Eightfold Path (Buddhism) — The Fourth Noble Truth's prescription: right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.
Christian contrast: A self-help program of exceptional quality — and Paul's point is that even the divinely given law could not produce righteousness, because the problem is not information (Romans 8:3; Galatians 2:21). → Faith vs Works
F
Four Noble Truths (Buddhism) — Buddhism's core diagnosis: (1) life involves suffering; (2) suffering arises from craving; (3) suffering ends when craving ends; (4) the Eightfold Path ends craving.
Christian contrast: The diagnosis stops one layer short. Scripture names the root not as desire but as misdirected desire — sin against a personal God — which is why the cure is forgiveness rather than detachment (Romans 1:25; 1 John 1:9). → Sin & Its Consequences
G
Guru (Hinduism, Sikhism) — A spiritual teacher and guide. In Sikhism, the ten historical Gurus and now the scripture itself (Guru Granth Sahib) hold the office.
Christian contrast: Jesus forbade the disciples the title of master-teacher, "for One is your Teacher" (Matthew 23:8–10), and the Spirit teaches every believer directly (1 John 2:27).
Guru Granth Sahib (Sikhism) — Sikhism's scripture and, since 1708, its living and final Guru. Treated with the reverence due a person: enthroned, attended, and put to rest at night.
Christian contrast: Scripture is God-breathed and authoritative but is never itself venerated — reverence terminates on the God who spoke it (2 Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:8–9).
J
Jainism (Jainism) — An ancient Indian religion emphasizing radical non-violence, asceticism, and the liberation of the soul (jiva) from karmic matter. Non-theistic; the liberated Tirthankaras are exemplars, not saviors.
Christian contrast: Salvation by extreme self-denial is the purest form of works-righteousness, and Colossians 2:23 says severity to the body has no power against the flesh. → Faith vs Works
K
Kami (Shinto) — The spirits or divine presences of Shinto, inhabiting natural features, ancestors, and remarkable persons. Numbered traditionally at "eight million" — meaning innumerable.
Christian contrast: Creation declares God's glory but is not itself divine; worshiping the creature rather than the Creator is Paul's definition of the primal exchange (Romans 1:25). → God as Creator
Karma (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) — The moral law of cause and effect: actions generate consequences that shape future circumstances, including future births. Impersonal and automatic — no one forgives, and no one can.
Christian contrast: Scripture affirms sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7) and then interrupts it. The cross is the point at which the moral ledger is absorbed by Someone else (Colossians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Karma has no mechanism for mercy. → The Death & Crucifixion · Living Under Grace
Khalsa (Sikhism) — The community of initiated Sikhs, established by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, marked by the Five Ks including uncut hair (kesh) and the steel bracelet (kara).
Christian contrast: The New Covenant's mark is internal — the Spirit given as a seal (Ephesians 1:13–14) — and Paul argues at length that external marks cannot constitute the people of God (Galatians 5:6).
M
Mantra (Hinduism, Buddhism) — A sacred sound, syllable, or phrase repeated in meditation or ritual for its spiritual effect. Om is the most fundamental.
Christian contrast: Jesus warned specifically against repetition offered on the assumption of being heard for many words (Matthew 6:7).
Maya (Hinduism) — Illusion; the appearance of a world of distinct objects and selves that veils the underlying unity of Brahman.
Christian contrast: Creation is real, was pronounced "very good," and will be redeemed rather than dispelled (Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:21). The physical is not a mistake to see through. → God as Creator · The New Heaven & New Earth
Moksha (Hinduism) — Liberation from the cycle of rebirth; the soul's release and absorption into Brahman. The final goal of Hindu life.
Christian contrast: The Christian hope is not absorption but resurrection — an embodied, personal, relational eternity in which the individual persists (1 Corinthians 15:42–44; Revelation 22:4). → The Resurrection of the Dead · Eternity
N
Nirvana (Buddhism) — The extinguishing of craving, and with it of suffering and rebirth. Described apophatically — what it is not — rather than as a place or state of enjoyment.
Christian contrast: Scripture's goal is more consciousness, not less: knowing as we have been known, seeing His face (1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 22:4). → Paradise or the Face of God
Non-Duality (Advaita) (Hinduism) — The Vedanta school teaching that Atman and Brahman are one and that all perceived distinction is illusory. The dominant frame in Western "consciousness" spirituality.
Christian contrast: If distinction is illusion, so is the difference between good and evil, and between the one who wrongs and the one wronged. Scripture holds distinction as good and moral difference as real (Isaiah 5:20).
P
Puja (Hinduism) — Ritual worship offered to a deity through an image (murti): light, incense, food, flowers, and water.
Christian contrast: The Second Commandment forbids the use of images in worship (Exodus 20:4–5), and God gave Israel no visible form at Sinai for exactly this reason (Deuteronomy 4:15–16).
R
Reincarnation (Samsara) (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) — The cycle of repeated birth, death, and rebirth, driven by karma. Escape from the cycle is the aim of all four traditions.
Christian contrast: "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). One life, one death, one verdict — which is what makes this life weighty. → The Resurrection of the Dead · The Final Judgment
Rig Veda (Hinduism) — The oldest of the four Vedas (c. 1500–1200 BC), a collection of hymns to deities including Agni, Indra, and Varuna. Hinduism's foundational text.
Christian contrast: Antiquity is not authority. Scripture's claim rests on God-breathed origin and on prophecy fulfilled in verifiable history (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16).
S
Samsara (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) — The beginningless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in which all unliberated beings are trapped. See Reincarnation.
Christian contrast: Scripture's account of history is linear and purposeful, moving from creation through redemption to consummation — not circular (Ephesians 1:10; Revelation 21:5). → Creation - Fall - Redemption - Restoration
Sangha (Buddhism) — The community of Buddhist monks and nuns; more broadly, the community of practitioners. One of the Three Jewels with Buddha and Dharma.
Christian contrast: The church is not a supporting institution for individual practice but the body of Christ, in which members belong to one another (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27).
Satori (Zen Buddhism) — Sudden awakening or insight into one's true nature, often precipitated by a koan.
Christian contrast: Christian illumination is the Spirit opening the heart to propositional truth about a historical person (Acts 16:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6), not a wordless breakthrough beyond concepts.
Shiva (Hinduism) — One of the principal Hindu deities, the destroyer and transformer within the Trimurti alongside Brahma (creator) and Vishnu (preserver).
Christian contrast: The Trimurti is sometimes offered as a Hindu Trinity parallel. It is not: three deities with distinct functions is closer to tritheism than to one God in three persons. → Common Objections to the Trinity, Answered
Shinto (Shinto) — Japan's indigenous tradition, centered on veneration of kami at shrines, ritual purity, and continuity with ancestors. Historically bound to Japanese national and imperial identity.
Christian contrast: Purity in Scripture is moral and inward, secured by Christ's blood rather than by ritual cleansing (Hebrews 9:14; Mark 7:20–23).
T
Tao (Dao) (Taoism) — "The Way." The ineffable natural order underlying and flowing through all things. The Tao Te Ching opens by declaring that the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
Christian contrast: God is also beyond full comprehension — and He speaks, names Himself, and became flesh. The Word that cannot be spoken is the exact inverse of John 1:1, 14. → The Incarnation · Names of God
Three Jewels (Buddhism) — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha — the three refuges a Buddhist takes.
Christian contrast: Scripture names one refuge, and He is a person, not a triad of teacher, teaching, and community (Psalm 46:1; Matthew 11:28).
U
Upanishads (Hinduism) — Philosophical texts concluding the Vedas (c. 800–200 BC), developing Brahman, Atman, karma, and moksha. The foundation of Vedanta.
Christian contrast: Their central discovery — that the self is ultimately divine — is precisely the serpent's proposal in Genesis 3:5, "you will be like God." → The Fall of Man
V
Vedas (Hinduism) — Hinduism's four oldest scriptures — Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva — regarded as shruti, "that which is heard": eternal, uncreated, and revealed to ancient seers.
Christian contrast: An uncreated-scripture claim resembles the Islamic view of the Quran and raises the same problem: revelation without a speaking, acting God in history.
Vishnu (Hinduism) — The preserver deity, who descends in avatars — most importantly Rama and Krishna — to restore cosmic order.
Christian contrast: See Avatar. → The Incarnation
W
Wu Wei (Taoism) — "Non-action" or effortless action; acting in accord with the natural flow rather than against it.
Christian contrast: Scripture commends rest and dependence (Matthew 11:28–30) while calling believers to strenuous, purposeful labor in the Spirit's power (Colossians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:10).
Y
Yin and Yang (Taoism, Chinese thought) — Complementary opposites — dark/light, receptive/active — whose dynamic balance constitutes reality. Neither is evil; both are necessary.
Christian contrast: This is ethical dualism, and Scripture denies it. God is light and "in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5); evil is a parasite on the good, not its necessary partner. → The Origin of Sin · Nature & Attributes of God
Yoga (Hinduism, Buddhism) — "Yoking." A discipline uniting the practitioner with the divine. Includes hatha (postural), bhakti (devotional), jnana (knowledge), and karma (action) forms; Western practice usually isolates the postural.
Christian contrast: Christians differ on whether the physical practice can be separated from its religious frame. What Scripture rules out is union with God by technique — union comes through Christ alone (John 15:4–5; Ephesians 2:18).
Z
Zen (Buddhism) — A Mahayana school emphasizing seated meditation (zazen), direct transmission outside the scriptures, and sudden insight over doctrinal study.
Christian contrast: Christianity is irreducibly propositional and historical — faith comes from hearing a message about events that happened (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 15:3–8).
Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism) — The ancient Persian religion of Zarathustra, teaching cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda (good) and Angra Mainyu (evil), individual judgment, and final renovation of the world. Often alleged to be the source of Jewish and Christian eschatology.
Christian contrast: The dating cuts against the borrowing claim, and the theology differs at the root: Scripture's Satan is a created rebel, not a co-eternal opposite (Isaiah 45:7; Colossians 1:16). → The Fall of Satan - Origin of Evil