classical Indian medicine (ancient Indian medicine, Ayurveda, classical Ayurveda, classic Hindu medicine, traditional Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine): A group of certain of the ancient indigenous medical ways of India that stems principally from two ancient treatises - the Caraka Samhita and the Susruta Samhita. Both describe Ayurveda's source as divine.

(See also: Classical Indian medicine , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Ayurveda (Ayurveda Medicine, Ayurvedic healing, Ayurvedic healthcare, Ayurvedic medicine, ayurvedism, Indian medicine, Science of Longevity, traditional Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, Vedic medicine): The medical phase of Hinduism.

Ayurvedic theory posits a subtle anatomy that includes:

(a)    nadis, canals that carry prana (cosmic energy) throughout the body;

(b)    chakras, centers of consciousness that connect body and soul; and

(c)     marmas, points on the body beneath which vital structures (physical and/or subtle) intersect.

Ayurvedic diagnosis involves examination of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, nails, and pulse.

Ayurvedists associate parts of the lips and tongue, for example, with internal organs and maintain that discolorations, lines, cracks, and irritability in various areas indicate disorders in corresponding organs. The pulse is important because the heart is the seat of the underlying intelligence of nature: human consciousness.

(See also: Ayurveda , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurvedic Acupuncture (Bhedan Karma, traditional Indian acupuncture): Subject of The Lost Secrets of Ayurvedic Acupuncture: An Ayurvedic Guide to Acupuncture (1994), by Frank Ros, A.M.D. (probably Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine), D.Ac. Ayurvedic Acupuncture is a form of Marma Chikitsa. The basis of Ayurvedic Acupuncture is the Suchi Veda. Bhedan Karma means piercing-through therapy.

(See also: Ayurvedic Acupuncture , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

A dictionary with common spiritual words from Hinduism and Sanskrit. Also see these links: Hinduism, Spirituality, Enlightenment, Spiritual Dictionary and Hinduism Dictionary.

Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Dictionary

A basic dictionary of Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

Ghost Dance

A new religious movement among Native Americans of the western United States.

The Ghost Dance had two distinct phases, both of which originated in the visions of a Paiute shaman living in western Nevada.

The Ghost Dance of 1870: Wodziwob (d. ca. 1872), the prophet of the 1870 dance, proclaimed that the world would soon be destroyed, then renewed; the dead would be brought back to life and game animals restored. He instructed his followers to dance a nocturnal circle dance.

This dance was similar to both older Paiute traditions and an earlier regional movement, the Plateau Prophet Dance, but it addressed very present conditions of deprivation resulting from white incursions into tribal territories. It spread to California, Oregon, and Idaho but, with the death of Wodziwob and the nonfulfillment of his prophecies, died out within a few years. The Shoshone and Bannock of Fort Hall, Idaho, however, continued to perform the Ghost Dance at least intermittently up to 1890.

The Ghost Dance of 1890: Wovoka (ca. 1856-1932), a Paiute Native American prophet, inaugurated the Ghost Dance of 1890 on the basis of a vision he had received during a total eclipse of the sun. His message was in direct continuity with the 1870 dance: there was to be an immanent renewal of the world in which dead Native Americans would be resurrected and the living would no longer be subject to sickness and old age, game animals would be restored to their former abundance, and the old way of life would once more flourish. Euro-Americans, by this time firmly in control, would be eliminated by supernatural means, such as a flood or earthquake. It is uncertain whether Wovoka announced a specific date for these events, but many expected them in the spring of 1891.

Wovoka's message also contained ethical admonitions (e. g. , members of different tribes should live in peace with each other; they should cooperate with, not war against, the whites). In anticipation of the great event and to speed its arrival, Wovoka instructed his followers to perform circle dances periodically. They did so in large numbers, and (especially among Plains tribes) dancers often fell into trances, subsequently reporting that they had visited the spirit world and spoken with dead relatives, who were living a life like the one that had flourished before the coming of the whites. The 1890 dance spread mainly eastward along the length of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. In some tribes (e. g. , Paiute, Cheyenne, Shoshone, Pawnee) acceptance was almost unanimous; in others (like the Sioux) only segments of the population became believers. No Pueblo (except at Taos) or Navajo accepted it, the latter because of a culturally conditioned aversion to ghosts. As news of the Paiute prophet Wovoka began to spread, tribes sent delegations to the Walker Lake Reservation in western Nevada to see him. They returned with versions of his teachings that were sometimes shaped by the particular needs of their tribe.

Among the Pawnee, the dance provided the basis for an important cultural renewal, for the visions of the dancers made possible the revival of old ceremonial activities that had fallen into disuse because knowledge of their correct performance had been lost. The Sioux, who had a number of current grievances against the government (e. g. , loss of reservation lands, cuts in rations), altered Wovoka's message in the direction of greater hostility toward the whites. Delegates like Short Bull and Kicking Bear advocated the use of "ghost shirts" (special garments that were supposed to make the wearer invulnerable to bullets) and spoke of the possibility of armed conflict with the government soldiers.

During 1890, newspapers around the country carried often sensational stories about the "messiah craze" (Wovoka was often called the "Indian messiah") and the possibility of renewed warfare with the Sioux. Violence did erupt in December: during an attempt to arrest him, Chief Sitting Bull was shot to death, and Chief Big Foot and almost three hundred of his band were massacred by the cavalry at Wounded Knee. These events were more the result of government blunders than of a Sioux outbreak. Following the violence among the Sioux and the failure of the expected transformations the next spring, the popularity of the dance began to fade. However, it did not die out altogether.

Wovoka remained active, but shifted his message in the direction of ethical admonitions. As late as 1896 some Kiowa were still dancing, and one of the early Northern Cheyenne delegates, Porcupine, led a brief revival of the dance in 1900. The movement continued elsewhere in a more substantive way. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Fred Robinson, an Assiniboin who had been instructed in the Ghost Dance by Kicking Bear and had corresponded with Wovoka, brought the dance to a small community of Sioux living in Saskatchewan. Combined with a traditional Medicine Feast, apocalyptic elements disappeared and the themes of ethical admonition and community solidarity predominated.

Among the Wind River Shoshone (Wyoming), the Ghost Dance apparently combined with an earlier ceremony (the Father Dance) of thanksgiving to God for food. As a result, the annual renewal of nature took on a cosmic dimension: shamans reported dreams in which they saw the dead assembled in heaven waiting to return to earth at some unspecified time in the future. The people on earth anticipated this event and performed a dance thought to imitate that of the dead. In both these places the Ghost Dance continued to be performed into the 1950s.

In the 1970s the dance was revived by the activist American Indian Movement. Even among persons and groups who no longer practice it, knowledge of the Ghost Dance has not died out and lessons are still derived from it. Thus ca. 1970 the Sioux medicine man Lame Deer reinterpreted an old Ghost Dance song about straightening arrows and killing and butchering buffalo to mean that individuals must live upright lives in order to help bring about a new earth.

(See also: Ghost Dance , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahmana:

Brahmana: a brahmin, a member of the highest social class of traditional Indian society; also an early type of ritual text explicating the rituals and mythology of the four Vedas; cf. Aranyaka, Upanishad, Veda

(See also: Brahmana ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Ayurvaidyas:

Ayurvaidyas. Those who practice traditional Indian medical techniques.

(See also: Ayurvaidyas , Tantra, Tantra Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurveda:

Ayurveda. "Knowledge of longevity". Traditional Indian medicine and medical practices.

(See also: Ayurveda , Tantra, Tantra Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

See also these related archives:

Therapeutic kinesiology, Therapeutic Prayer, Therapeutic Shiatsu, Therapeutic Touch inner work, Therapeutic Touchs, Third Way, Thirty-day energetic workout, Thought Field Therapy, Thought Therapy, Three Fold Examination Process, Three in One, Three Phase Workout, Tibetan Ayurveda, Tibetan herbal medicine, Tibetan medicine, Tibetan Point Holding, Tibetan Pulsing Healing, Tibetan Reiki, Time Line Therapy, Tissue Sensing, Toad fighting, Tomatis Method, Tongue diagnosis, Tonic, Touch For Health, Touch for Health, Touch therapy, Touchabilities, Tracing, Traditional acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional chiropractic, Traditional Dhanur Veda diagnosis, Traditional herbal diagnosis, Traditional Indian medicine, Traditional osteopathy, Traditional shiatsu, Trager, Trager Approach, Trager Bodywork, Trager Mentastics, Tragerwork, Trance channeling, Transcendental Meditation, Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program, Transference treatment, Transformational bodywork, Transformational Breath, Transformational Breathwork, Transformational Counseling, Transformational dreaming, Transformational dynamic breathwork, Transformational Hypnotherapy, Transformational Therapy, Transformation-oriented bodywork, Transition Method, Transpersonal Hypnotherapy, Transpersonal psychology, Transpersonal regression therapy, Transpersonal therapy, TranZenDans Kinetics, Trauma Release Therapy, Trauma Touch Therapy, Tridoshas, Trigger Point Myotherapy, Trigger Points, TRIGGERS Mind Programming System, Triglyceride, Trigunas, Tsubo therapy, Tui Na, Tuina, Tuning Forks, Turaya Touch System, Twelve stages of healing, Twelve Steps

Ayurveda, Ayur-veda:

Ayurveda, Ayur-veda ("life science"): one of India's traditional systems of medicine, the other being South India's Siddha medicine

(See also: Ayurveda, Ayur-veda ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Aromatherapy , Aroma therapy , Aroma therapies, Aromatherapies:

The use of fragrances and essences from plants to affect or alter a person's mood or behavior and to facilitate physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The chemicals comprising essential oils in plants has a host of therapeutic properties and has been used historically in Africa, Asia, and India. Its greatest application is in the field of alternative medicine. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed; from Dr. Atiba Vheir, Dove Center, Washington, D.C.)

(See also: Aromatherapy , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Bharata: India, the traditional name the Indians call their countr. The home of the ancient clan of Bharatis, or “Sons of Light,”which was held together by a strong cultural and religious bond based on the Sanskrit Vedas. The area is believed to have extended from present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west to Burma on the east, from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean on the north and south. Note: Bharat in Hindi; Bharata in Sanskrit.

(See also: Bharata , Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

ayurvaidyas:

Those who practice traditional indian medical techniques.

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

caste: There are four castes, each with its own duties, rules, regulations and hierarchy. Within each caste there are hundreds of subcastes, variations and hierarchies.

Varna (caste) is usually translated as “community”; by Indians, for it means much more than a single category. It means where one is from, how one dresses, what one eats, the language one speaks.

Traditionally, there was flexibility in the caste system, according to one's talent. For example, Mahatma Gandhi's father, from the grocer-Vaishya caste, served as a counselor to a king, the traditional role served by a Brahman (a).

On the other hand, J. Nehru was a Kashmir Brahman (considered a lower status in the Brahman caste hierachy); however, he and his father were attorneys, a Kshatriaya caste function.

Having had to withstand the foreign invasions of religious fanatics, both Moslem and Christian, for some 1,000 years, the Indian system has continued to crystallize and become rigid in order to protect the culture and religion.

The highest caste is the Brahman (a), or priest, teacher, scholar, advisor group. By virtue of their position in the society, they have more duties and are accorded heavier punishments than the other castes. For example, in the Mahabharata, a group of men had committed a crime. The Brahman (a) was given the death sentence, while the ones of lower castes were given sentences in prison, varying according to their caste.

The Kshatriya caste is referred to as the warrior caste. This caste includes everyone from the king to the foot soldier, their wives and children. In modern times, they have been court judges and administrators. Only Kshatriyas went to war, leaving the rest of the population free to carry on with their respective duties.

The third caste is the Vaishya, or merchant and farmer category. In general, this has been the wealthiest caste.

The fourth caste is the Shudra, or service caste. Anyone who performs services in the community, such as office executives, clerks, secretaries and persons in banking, communication and medical services.

(See also: caste , Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

Rishikesh: a traditional spiritual center of the Hindu sages and sadhus. It lies at the foot of the Himalayas on the River Ganga.

(See also: Rishikesh , Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

Smartava (Sanskrit) [from smriti tradition from the verbal root smri to remember]

A follower of Sankaracharya and the Advita Vedantic doctrines.

According to Blavatsky "this sect, founded by Sankaracharya, (which is still very powerful in Southern India) is now almost the only one to produce students who have preserved sufficient knowledge to comprehend the dead letter of the Bhashyas. The reason of this is that they alone, I am informed, have occasionally real Initiates at their head in their mathams, as for instance, in the 'Sringa-giri,' in the Western Ghauts of Mysore. On the other hand, there is no sect in that desperately exclusive caste of the Brahmins, more exclusive than is the Smartava; and the reticence of its followers to say what they may know of the Occult sciences and the esoteric doctrine, is only equalled by their pride and learning" (SD 1:271-2). What the original Hebrew Qabbalists were -- qabbalah itself meaning tradition or traditional knowledge handed down from generation to generation of adepts -- was exactly what the Smartava-Brahmanas were.

Traditional teaching holds that truth is preserved far more clearly by oral transmission of knowledge than by its reduction to writing, whether openly or disguisedly expressed, which latter is called sruti in India, involving the static delivery of the written word without the atmosphere and life accompanying the traditional handing on of knowledge orally.

(See also: Smartava , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

New Year: The majority of Hindus in India celebrate the New Year according to traditional, pre-colonial calendars, several of which are still in use. There are, therefore, various New Year's days in different states of India, the two major ones being Dipavali in October-November, observed in North India, and the day when the sun enters Mesha (Aries) in April, celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Nepal.

(See also: New Year , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Annie Besant

(1847-1933) The daughter of William Wood and Emily Morris. Her father, a doctor, died when she was only five years old. Without any savings, Annie's mother found work looking after boarders at Harrow School. Mrs. Wood was unable to care for Annie and she persuaded a friend, Ellen Marryat, to take responsibility for her upbringing. In 1866 Annie met Rev. Frank Besant.

By the time she was twenty-three Annie had two children. Deeply unhappy because her independent spirit clashed with the traditional views of her husband she began to question her religious beliefs. When Annie refused to attend communion, Frank Besant ordered her to leave the family home. A legal separation was arranged. After leaving her husband Annie Besant completely rejected Christianity and in 1874 joined the Secular Society. Annie soon acquired a job working for the National Reformer and during the next few years wrote many articles on issues such as marriage and women's rights.

In 1877 Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh decided to publish The Fruits of Philosophy, Charles Knowlton's book advocating birth control. Besant and Bradlaugh were charged with publishing material that was "likely to deprave or corrupt those whose minds are open to immoral influences". They were both found guilty of publishing an "obscene libel" and sentenced to six months in prison. At the Court of Appeal the sentence was quashed.

Besant also join the socialist group, the Fabian Society, and in 1889 contributed to the influencial book, Fabian Essays. Edited by George Bernard Shaw, the book sold 27,000 copies in two years. In the 1890s Annie Besant became a supporter of Theosophy, a religious movement founded by Madame Blavatsky in 1875. While in India, Annie joined the struggle for Indian Home Rule, and during the First World War was interned by the British authorities. She died in India in 1933.

(See also: Annie Besant , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhism

World religion based on the spiritual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. There are a number of versions or sects of Buddhism generally teaching paths to Nirvana (enlightenment or bliss) though the four noble truths (recognizing existence and source of suffering) and the eightfold path (correct understanding, behavior and meditation).

Some variations of Buddhism include traditional Theravada schools of India, Mahayana Buddhism, which became very popular in China and Japan, and Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) in Tibet.

Two more recent forms that have had great influence in America are Zen and Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

(See also: Buddhism , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)