Siddhis:

Siddhis (8 perfections): anima: smallness, mahima: greatness, garima: weight, laghima: lightness, prapti: free access, prakamya: doing at wish, vasitva: control over the elements and isvara: lordship over all (SB 3:15-45)

Siddhis: spiritual accomplishments that can be a hindrance in ones selfrealization: the ability to identify with the smallest (anima), the biggest (mahima), the heaviest (garima) and the lightest (laghima) and that one acting in ones own way (Prakamaya) finding access everywhere (prapti) and controlling the elements (vashitva) is able to control everything (isatva), (see also and S.B. 5.6: 1 about their being limitations, or S.B.: 9.4: 24-25 for them being of no interest to the devotees).

(See also: Siddhis , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

perfections: Describes a quality, nature or dimension that is perfect. God Siva's three perfections are Parasiva, Parashakti and Parameshvara. Though spoken of as threefold for the sake of understanding, God Siva ever remains a one transcendent-immanent Being.

See: Siva.

(See also: Perfections , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahman: (Sanskrit) "Supreme Being; expansive spirit." From the root brih, "to grow, increase, expand." Name of God or Supreme Deity in the Vedas, where He is described as 1) the Transcendent Absolute, 2) the allpervading energy and 3) the Supreme Lord or Primal Soul. These three correspond to Siva in His three perfections. Thus, Saivites know Brahman and Siva to be one and the same God.

• Nirguna Brahman: God "without qualities (guna)," i.e., formless, Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, or Parasiva- totally transcending guna (quality), manifest existence and even Parashakti, all of which exhibit perceivable qualities.
• Saguna Brahman: God "with qualities;" Siva in His perfections of Parashakti and Parameshvara- God as superconscious, omnipresent, allknowing, all-loving and all-powerful.

The term Brahman is not to be confused with 1) Brahma, the Creator God; 2) Brahmana, Vedic texts, nor with 3) brahmana, Hindu priest caste (English spelling: brahmin).

See: Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva.

(See also: Brahman , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Thummim (Hebrew, Jewish). "Perfections." An ornament on the breastplates of the ancient High Priests of Judaism. Modern Rabbins and Hebraists may well pretend they do not know the joint purposes of the Thummim and the Urim; but the Kabbalists do and likewise the Occultists.

They were the instruments of magic divination and oracular communication -  theurgic and astrological. This is shown in the following well-known facts  -

(1) upon each of the twelve precious stones was engraved the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, each of these "sons" personating one of the signs of the zodiac;

(2) both were oracular images, like the teraphim, and uttered oracles by a voice, and both were agents for hypnotisation and throwing the priests who wore them into an ecstatic condition.

The Urim and Thummim were not original with the Hebrews, but had been borrowed, like most of their other religious rites, from the Egyptians, with whom the mystic scarabeus worn on the breast by the Hierophants, had the same functions. They were thus purely heathen and magical modes of divination ; and when the Jewish "Lord God" was called upon to manifest his presence and speak out his will through the Urim by preliminary incantations, the modus operandi was the same as that used by all the Gentile priests the world over.

(See also: Thummim , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

formless: Philosophically, atattva, beyond the realm of form or substance.

Used in attempting to describe the wondersome, indescribable Absolute, which is "timeless, formless and spaceless." God Siva has form and is formless. He is the immanent Pure Consciousness or pure form. He is the Personal Lord manifesting as innumerable forms; and He is the impersonal, transcendent Absolute beyond all form. Thus we know Siva in three perfections, two of form and one formless. This use of the term formless does not mean amorphous, which implies a form that is vague or changing. Rather, it is the absence of substance, sometimes thought of as a void, an emptiness beyond existence from which comes the fullness of everything. In describing the Self as formless, the words timeless and spaceless are given also to fully indicate this totally transcendent noncondition.

See: atattva, Parasiva, Satchidananda, void.

(See also: Formless , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

adhitthana (adhi.t.thaana): Determination; resolution. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

 (See also: Adhitthana , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Siva: (Sanskrit) "The auspicious, gracious or kindly one."

Supreme Being of the Saivite religion. God Siva is All and in all, simultaneously the creator and the creation, both immanent and transcendent. As personal Deity, He is creator, preserver and destroyer. He is a one being, perhaps best understood in three perfections: Parameshvara (Primal Soul), Parashakti (pure consciousness) and Parasiva (Absolute Reality).

See: Ishta Devata, Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva, Nataraja, Sadasiva, Saivism, Satchidananda.

(See also: Siva , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Absolute: Lower case (absolute): real, not dependent on anything else, not relative. Upper case (Absolute): Ultimate Reality, the unmanifest, unchanging and transcendent Parasiva - utterly nonrelational to even the most subtle level of consciousness. It is the Self God, the essence of man's soul. Same as Absolute Being and Absolute Reality.

absolutely real: A quality of God Siva in all three perfections: Parasiva, Parashakti and Parameshvara. As such, He is uncreated, unchanging, unevolutionary.

See: Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva.

(See also: Absolute , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

siddhi

Perfection, one of the eight mystic yogic perfections.

(See also: siddhi , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Saiva Siddhanta: (Sanskrit) "Final conclusions of Saivism."

The most widespread and influential Saivite school today, predominant especially among the Tamil people in Sri Lanka and South India. It is the formalized theology of the divine revelations contained in the twentyeight Saiva Agamas. The first known guru of the Shuddha ("pure") Saiva Siddhanta tradition was Maharishi Nandinatha of Kashmir (ca bce 250), recorded in Panini's book of grammar as the teacher of rishis Patanjali, Vyaghrapada and Vasishtha. Other sacred scriptures include the Tirumantiram and the voluminous collection of devotional hymns, the Tirumurai, and the masterpiece on ethics and statecraft, the Tirukural.

For Saiva Siddhantins, Siva is the totality of all, understood in three perfections: Parameshvara (the Personal Creator Lord), Parashakti (the substratum of form) and Parasiva (Absolute Reality which transcends all). Souls and world are identical in essence with Siva, yet also differ in that they are evolving. A pluralistic stream arose in the middle ages from the teachings of Aghorasiva and Meykandar. For Aghorasiva's school (ca 1150) Siva is not the material cause of the universe, and the soul attains perfect "sameness" with Siva upon liberation. Meykandar's (ca 1250) pluralistic school denies that souls ever attain perfect sameness or unity with Siva.

See: Saivism.

(See also: Saiva Siddhanta , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Paramita: Literally "perfections"; Mahayana Buddhism notes 10 perfections of the ideal bodhisattva: giving (dana), morality (sila), patience (ksanti), vigor (virya), contemplation (dhyana), wisdom (prajna), means-to-ends ability (upaya), resolution (pranidhana), strength (bala), and knowledge (jnana).

 (See also: Paramita , Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

sacca (sacca): Truthfulness. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

 (See also: Sacca , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

impersonal God: God in His perfections of Pure Consciousness (Parashakti) and Absolute Reality beyond all attributes (Parasiva) wherein He is not a person. (Whereas, in His third perfection, Parameshvara, Siva is someone, has a body and performs actions, has will, dances, etc.)

(See also: Impersonal God , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Siddhi - eight mystical perfections attained through yoga (see yogasiddhi).

(See also: Siddhi , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Thummim tummin (Hebrew) [from tom innocence, integrity, truth]

Truth, perfections; associated as an appurtenance with the breastplate of the Jewish high priest. In the casting of the Urim and Thummim, the latter showed a man's innocence (cf 1 Sam 14:41, where tamin is translated "lots"). The urim and thummim

"were the instruments of magic divination and oracular communication -- theurgic and astrological. This is shown in the following well-known facts: -- (1) upon each of the twelve precious stones was engraved the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, each of these 'sons' personating one of the signs of the zodiac; (2) both were oracular images, like the teraphim, and uttered oracles by a voice, and both were agents for hypnotisation and throwing the priests who wore them into an ecstatic condition. The Urim and Thummim were not original with the Hebrews, but had been borrowed, like most of their other religious rites, from the Egyptians, with whom the mystic scarabaeus, worm on the breast by the Hierophants, had the same functions. . . . when the Jewish 'Lord God was called upon to manifest his presence and speak out his will through the Urim by preliminary incantations, the modus operandi was the same as that used by all the Gentile priests the world over" (TG 334).

(See also: Thummim tummin , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

metta (mettaa): Loving-kindness; goodwill. One of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihara).

 (See also: Metta , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

khanti (khanti): Patience; forbearance. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

 (See also: Khanti , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

viriya (viriya): Persistence; energy. One of the ten perfections (paramis), the five faculties (bala; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma), and the five strengths/dominant factors (indriya; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma).

 (See also: Viriya , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

mudita (muditaa): Appreciative/sympathetic joy. Taking delight in one's own goodness and that of others. One of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihara).

 (See also: Mudita , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

karuna (karunaa): Compassion; sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others. One of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihara).

 (See also: Karuna , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)