Glossary

Non-harming — reverence for all life in thought, word and deed.

The waving of lamps before the deity in loving praise.

The innermost Self — the spark of the Divine within each being.

A divine 'descent' — God taking form to restore dharma.

Loving devotion to the Divine, the path of the heart.

The one infinite reality underlying and pervading all that exists.

The auspicious sight of the deity — to see and be seen by the Divine.

Righteous duty and the moral order that upholds life — living rightly, in tune with truth.

The three qualities of nature: sattva (clarity), rajas (activity), tamas (inertia).

A spiritual teacher who leads from darkness (gu) to light (ru); in Sikhism, ultimately the Gurū Granth Sāhib.

Action, and the principle that every deed bears fruit — what we sow, we reap.

Sacred repetition of a divine name or words to still and focus the mind.

Illusion — the dazzle of the world that veils the one underlying truth.

Liberation — release from the cycle of birth and death into union with the Divine.

The primal sound from which creation arises; the symbol of Brahman.

Blessed food shared with all after worship, a token of grace.

Worship offered to a deity with light, flowers, water and song.

The wheel of repeated birth, death and rebirth, turned by karma.

The holy company of seekers; keeping good company that lifts the mind.

Selfless service offered without thought of reward — a core practice in both faiths.

Inner heat — the discipline and austerity that purifies and empowers.

The philosophical summit of the Vedas, on the Self and the Absolute.

The oldest scriptures of Hinduism — 'knowledge' heard by the ṛṣis.

Sacred offering, especially into the fire — the Vedic act of giving.

Union with the Divine, and the disciplines that lead there — of action, knowledge, devotion or meditation.