Eastern Philosophy and Spiritual Concepts Quiz

Questions and Answers

Match the following terms with their definitions:

Brahman = Infinite spirit, ground of all existence, formless absolute dargah = A shrine where a Sufi saint is often entombed karma = Action, also in karma yoga (yoga of action) Sanskrit = Language of the Vedas and Upaniṣads, Mahābhārata and Bhagavadgītā, and many other texts

Match the following concepts with their meanings:

nirvana = Extinction, a goal of Buddhism siddhi = Special or magical power, often acquired through yoga or alchemy guṇa = Quality, often in a set of three guṇas: purity (sattva), activity (rajas), and darkness (tamas) sramana movement = A questioning movement around the fifth to sixth centuries BCE out of which Buddhism, Jainism, and the Upaniṣads emerged

Match the following religious practices with their meanings:

dhyana = Meditation, also a kind of yoga of meditation as dhyāna yoga fana = Dissolution, annihilation, a mystical experience in Sufism saguṇa = With qualities, with form satipatthana = Pali for mindfulness, consists of samatha (tranquility) and vipassanā (insight)

Match the following religious figures with their descriptions:

Buddha = Gotam Buddha, a prince who lived around the 6th century BCE and who preached a doctrine of enlightenment through awareness of sorrow's cause Pandava brothers = Group of five who are the hero of the Mahābhārata, many die and are taken up to the sun in their chariot (a heroic yoga, see yogayukta) Sadhu = A renunciate, often Hindu but also Baul, who practices an in-depth form of sādhanā or spiritual practice Siddha = Accomplished or attained being, often linked with alchemy, yoga, and Tantra Signup and view all the answers

Match the following terms with the correct religion or belief system:

Hinduism = South Asian religion associated with the Vedas, Upaniṣads, legends of gods and goddesses, and the Bhagavad Gita Islam = An Abrahamic and monotheistic religion dating to the sixth/seventh centuries that preaches submission to Allah, observance of the five pillars, and acceptance of Muhammad as the Prophet/Messenger of Allah Jain = Follower of the Conquerors, a follower of Jainism Theosophical Society = A movement founded in New York in 1875, with ties to occultism, which shifted its headquarters to India and was active in spreading South Asian religious teachings on yoga during the colonial period Signup and view all the answers

Match the following terms with their associations:

Baul = Musical yogis and fakirs of Bengal who are usually not tied to any single religion Hindi = A vernacular religion of north India Shaiva (Śaiva) = Worshipper or follower of Shiva as the supreme principle Shakta (Śākta) = Worshipper or follower of the Goddess as the supreme principle Signup and view all the answers

Match the following terms with their meanings in the context of South Asian religious beliefs:

deva = God in Sanskrit jñāna (jnana) = Knowledge or gnosis, also in jñāna yoga (yoga of gnosis) mahabharata = A major epic in Sanskrit, that includes the Bhagavadgītā as a small part occultism = The tendency to view the world in terms of occult (= hidden) powers or energies, popular in nineteenth century up to the present, into which South Asian religious ideas were also integrated Signup and view all the answers