| |
Bahá’í
Faith |
A universalist religion originating
in 19th Century Persia and now with followers throughout the
world. It stresses the essential unity of all faiths and emphasises
social mindedness. |
No Audio |
| |
Bahá’u'llah |
(1817 ‚Äě 1892) Title meaning 'the Glory of
God' adopted by Mirza Husayn Ali, founder of the the Bahá’í
faith. |
No Audio |
| |
baptism |
In the majority of Christian traditions a ceremony
of initiation into the Church involving real or token immersion
in water and deriving from the use of a ritual bath of purification
in Judaism. |
 |
| |
bat chayil |
'Daughter of worthiness', a ceremony for girls
at the age of 12 in some Jewish communities to mark the transition
to adulthood (in terms of personal responsibility for keeping
Mitzvot); other synagogues have a similar ceremony they call
Bat mitzvah. |
|
| |
barmitzvah |
'Son of the commandment'. At the age of 13
a Jewish boy becomes personally responsible for obeying Torah
injunctions; this is usually celebrated and the celebration
is also known as a bar mitzvah. |
|
| |
batmitzvah |
'Daughter of the commandment'. At the age of
12 a Jewish girl becomes personally responsible for obeying
Torah injunctions; this is celebrated in some congregations. |
|
| |
Bhagavadgita |
Literally, 'the Song of the Lord'. Now contained
within the great epic, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavadgita is
very popular among Hindu scriptures. |
|
| |
Bhai Gurdas |
A companion of the early Sikh Gurus whose own
writings may be read in Gurdwaras. |
|
| |
Bhai Kanaiya |
A Sikh famous for giving water and aid indiscriminately
to all injured soldiers on the battlefield. |
|
| |
bhagat |
The designation for any writer of religious
poetry (other than the Gurus) whose works appear in the Adi
Granth. |
|
| |
bhajan |
In Hinduism and Sikhism a devotional song usually
sung communally. |
|
| |
Bible |
The Christian holy book divided into an Old
Testament (of 39 books) and a New Testament (of 27 books);
often printed with an Apocrypha (books from the inter-testamental
period of disputed status). The Christian Old Testament contains
the same material as the Jewish Bible (see Tenakh). |
|
| |
Bimah |
The raised platform in a synagogue from where
the service is conducted and scriptures read. |
|
| |
Bodhisattva
|
In Mahayana Buddhism the bodhisattva is one
who has vowed to obtain enlightenment for the benefit of all
beings. |
|
| |
Bodhi tree |
In Buddhist tradition, the tree under which
Buddha achieved enlightenment (bodhi). |
|
| |
Brahma |
In Hinduism, God the Creator. |
|
| |
Brahmin |
In Hinduism, the Brahmins are the priestly
caste, whose traditional occupations include transmission
of the sacred traditions (veda) and the performance of priestly
rituals. |
|
| |
Brit milah |
The Jewish covenant of circumcision, requiring
every male child to be circumcised, normally on the eighth
day after birth - although it may be delayed if there are
any concerns as to the health of the baby. |
|
| |
Buddha |
('The Awakened One') In Buddhism a title accorded
people who have attained enlightenment, most often applied
to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. |
|
| |
Buddhism |
The tradition of thought and practice associated
with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived on the Indian
sub-continent, born in what is now Nepal, in the 6th to the
5th century BCE. |
|
