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Hindu philosophical concepts

  • ReincarnationThe word reincarnation derives from a Latin term that literally means entering the flesh again. This phrase entered English usage through modern philosophers…
  • DuḥkhaA cart wheel turns unevenly when its axle hole sits off-center. This physical flaw creates a bumpy, uncomfortable ride for anyone traveling inside the…
  • Advaita VedantaThe earliest seeds of Advaita Vedanta took root in the Sannyasa Upanishads, texts composed during the first centuries CE.
  • BrahmanThe Sanskrit word Brahman derives from the root brih, meaning to swell, expand, grow, or enlarge. This neuter noun stands apart from the masculine Brahma…
  • UpanishadsThe Sanskrit term Upanishad originally meant connection or equivalence. It later came to be understood as sitting near a teacher.
  • AhimsaThe Sanskrit word ahimsa derives from the root hims, meaning to strike or injure. The prefix a- negates this action, creating a term that translates directly…
  • DānaThe Rigveda, composed in the second millennium BCE, contains the earliest known discussions of dana. Book 10, Hymn 117 translates to a plea for truth and…
  • SatyaThe Sanskrit word satya appears in the Rigveda, a text dated to the second millennium BCE. This ancient manuscript contains the earliest known discussion of…
  • NirvanaThe Sanskrit verbal root meaning blow appears in ancient Indian texts to describe spiritual liberation. Collins notes that Buddhists seem to have been the…
  • PramanaThe Sanskrit word pramāna literally means proof. It derives from the root pramā, which combines a preposition meaning outward or forth with a term for…
  • DharmaThe Sanskrit root dhr- means to hold or to support. This linguistic foundation shaped the word dharma into a concept of law that sustains life, society, and…
  • UpādānaThe Sanskrit word upādāna translates to fuel, material cause, or substrate that keeps an active process energized. Ancient Pali texts define it as the source…
  • ṚtaThe Sanskrit word rta begins with a vocalic r, pronounced like the r in pert or dirt when followed by a short a. This specific sound marks it as a distant…