Glossary

 

abba: A form of “father” in Aramaic; in Christian desert spirituality, a disciple’s spiritual father and guide, whom one was to love and obey

advaita: Sanskrit for “not two”; nondualism, especially regarding the individual Self (atman) and the supreme reality or divinity (Brahman)

amma: A form of “mother” in Aramaic; similar to abba above, but referring to a female spiritual guide or spiritual mother

antilanguage: Language or language use unique to a subculture, creating bonding among its members while differentiating members from outsiders or the mainstream

atman: In Indian thought, the higher individual Self, identified with the ultimate divinity

baptism, Holy Baptism: The sacrament of initiation into the Christian household, typically involving immersion in, or engagement with, water

bhakti: Sanskrit for “devotion”; bhakti yoga is the spiritual path of devotion

bindu: Sanskrit for “point”; can be used to refer to a dot or drop or point or circle

brahmacharya: Sanskrit for “going after God”; the virtue of celibacy in Indian asceticism

chakra: Sanskrit for “wheel”; in tantric physiology, an energy vortex in the subtle body

coinherence: A term developed by Charles Williams referring to realities that exist in essential relationship to one another or as innate components of one another

dakini: A fierce female spirit or deity; the female or yin consort in tantric sacred sex

divya: Sanskit for “saint”; the most spiritual of the three forms of tantric practitioners

Eastern Orthodox Churches: A family of autocephalous churches led by patriarchs, typically in communion with one another, that share common liturgical and theological foundations rooted in the early church of the eastern Mediterranean, such as the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of America

ecumenical patriarch: The Archbishop of Constantinople, and first among equals among Orthodox bishops in honor though not in authority

eros: Holy longing, life force; deep desire on all levels, love as desire for wholeness and union

Eucharist, Holy Eucharist: A central Christian sacrament in which scripture is read and bread and wine become imbued with the Real Presence of Christ and are consumed

guha: Sanskrit for “cave”; hridaya-guha, the cave of the heart

Hesychast: A monk or nun in the Eastern Christian tradition whose core spiritual practices are done in silence, such as silent repetition of a mantra, slow meditative recitation of sections of scripture, or inner energetic focus on the heart center

Kali Yuga: In Indian cosmology, the current degenerate age, beginning circa 3000 BCE, in which spiritual progress is difficult and possible only through the path of devotion (bhakti)

kanda: In tantric physiology, an egg-shaped bulb of energetic filaments beginning at the perineum and reaching just below the navel, inclusive of the lower three chakras

karana-guru: Instrumental guru; the one serving as a conduit of the energy and presence of the ultimate guru (param-guru)

Kaula Tantra: A tantric school synthesizing elements of right-handed (dakshinachara) and left-handed (vamachara) Tantra; sometimes, Kula Tantra

kshetram: Sanskrit for “place”; in tantric physiology, a link connecting a chakra’s trigger point along the sushumna with a location on the front surface of the body

kundalini: Sanskrit for “coiled one”; in tantric physiology, the name for the primal energy or Shakti located in the human being; resonant with the energy of eros (deep desire) in the human person at the foundation of Christian mysticism

lingam: Sanskrit for “origin”; the male sex organ and a symbol of Shiva, often portrayed in a stylized form

maithuna: Tantric ritual sexual intercourse, either literal or symbolic; often considered the most important of the five Ms of Tantra

mantra: Sanskrit for “protection for the mind” or “tool of thought”; a syllable or word or phrase used repetitively to focus the mind, often coupled with the breath

padmasana: Sanskrit for “lotus throne”; in yoga, a cross-legged seated position in which each foot is placed over the opposite thigh, sole upward and heel near the abdomen, affording physical stability during meditation

param-guru: The ultimate guru, who can be accessed directly or through the mediation of an instrumental guru (karana-guru)

pashu: Sanskrit for “animal”; the least spiritual of the three forms of tantric practitioners

perichoresis: Greek for “rotation”; circumincession or coinherence, often used to describe the relationship of the three hypostases (persons) of the Holy Trinity

prakriti: In Indian thought, “nature,” including not only matter, but mind and most states of consciousness; all that is subject to change or process

pranayama: Sanskrit for “breath control” and the fourth of the eight limbs of yoga in the Yoga Sutras; various yogic breathing exercises that affect the prana, or subtle life force, that accompanies the breath

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite: (Late 5th–early 6th century); a Christian philosopher and theologian, possibly Syrian, using the pseudonym “Dionysius,” referring to Dionysius the Areopagite mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles

sadhana: Any spiritual practice leading, over time, to changes in one’s body-mindspirit complex

sannyasin: A Hindu renunciant or ascetic, often initiated into this lifestyle through a guru

Satchitananda: Sanskrit for “being (sat)-consciousness (chit)-bliss (ananda)”; a designation for the godhead, for ultimate reality, divinity

Second Temple (of Jerusalem): The Jewish temple that stood in Jerusalem from 560 BCE–70 CE, on the site of the Solomon’s Temple, built after the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, greatly expanded by Herod the Great, and destroyed by Roman legions after an uprising against the Roman Empire

Seraphim of Sarov (1754–1833): Russian monk, mystic, and saint famous for teaching that the purpose of life was the acquiring of the Holy Spirit, glorified (canonized) by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1903

shaktipat: The conferring of spiritual power or energy by a guru upon a disciple, often through touch but sometimes through a glance or the recitation of a mantra

siddha: An accomplished tantric master, especially a master who has attained paranormal powers (siddhis) through spiritual development

Sri Yantra: A symbol composed of nine interlocking triangles arranged around a central point, four of which are upward pointing and representative of Shiva and five of which are downward pointing and representative of Shakti

synoptic gospels: The Christian gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which s hare certain narrative and theological similarities in comparison with the Gospel of John

Tantra: A constellation of beliefs, rituals, and spiritual practices for the purpose of awakening and channeling the kundalini energy; Hindu and Buddhist schools emphasizing masculine-feminine dynamism within the godhead and the nonduality of spirit and matter

tantrika: A practitioner of Tantra

theosis: Greek for deification; the process of coming into union with God, or divinization

Trisagion: Greek for “thrice-holy”; the ancient Christian mantra or hymn, Holy is God/ Holy and strong/ Holy immortal one, have mercy on us (Agios o Theos/ Agios ischyros/Agios athanatos, eleison imas)

Vamachara Tantra: Also called left-handed Tantra; the path of ecstasy (as opposed to the path of peace), marked by participation in the five Ms and by the philosophy of rising through that by which one falls

Vedanta: A collection of divergent philosophies bound by acceptance of the Vedas, the major Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita as scripture; one of the six schools of Indian philosphy

vira: Sanskrit for “hero”; one of the three forms of tantric practitioners, midway between divya (saint) and pashu (animal)

yab-yum: Tibetan for “father-mother”; a position of sexual union representing the primordial fecund union of Shiva and Shakti, masculine and feminine, wisdom and compassion

yoni: Sanskrit for vagina or womb; the female sex organ and a symbol of Shakti, often portrayed in a stylized form

yoni puja: Ritual veneration of the yoni, either of a woman or in a symbolic, sometimes abstract, form