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Topic Review
Three Corpses
The sanshi 三尸 "Three Corpses" or sanchong 三蟲 "Three Worms" are a Daoist physiological belief that demonic creatures live inside the human body, and they seek to hasten the death of their host. These three supernatural parasites allegedly enter the person at birth, and reside in the three dantian "energy centers", respectively located within the head, chest, and abdomen. After their human host dies, they are freed from the body and become malevolent ghosts. The pernicious Three Corpses/Worms work to harm their host's health and fate by initiating sicknesses, inviting other disease-causing agents into the body, and reporting their host's transgressions to the gods. The Three Corpses are supposed to keep records of their host's misdeeds, ascend to tian "heaven" bimonthly on the night of Chinese sexagenary gengshen 庚申 "57th of the 60-day cycle" while the host is sleeping, and file reports to the Siming 司命 "Director of Destinies" who deducts a certain number of days from the person's life for each misdeed. One way of avoiding this bureaucratic snitching is to stay awake for the entire gengshen day and night, thus preventing the Three Corpses from leaving one's body (a belief later assimilated into the Japanese Kōshin 庚申 tradition). For a Daoist adept to achieve the longevity of a xian "transcendent; immortal", it was necessary to expel the Three Corpses from the body. Since these evil spirits feed upon decaying matter produced by grains being digested in the intestines, the practice of bigu "abstinence from grains and cereals" is the first step towards expelling them. Bigu alone will not eliminate the Three Corpses, but weakens them to the point where they can be killed with waidan alchemical drugs such as cinnabar, and ultimately eliminated through neidan meditation techniques.
  • 727
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Seudat Mitzvah
A seudat mitzvah (Hebrew: סעודת מצוה, "commanded meal"), in Judaism, is an obligatory festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a mitzvah (commandment), such as a bar mitzvah, a wedding, a brit milah (ritual circumcision), or a siyum (completing a tractate of Talmud or Mishnah). Seudot fixed in the calendar (i.e., for holidays and fasts) are also considered seudot mitzvah, but many have their own, more commonly used names.
  • 724
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Southern Esoteric Buddhism
Southern Esoteric Buddhism and Borān kammaṭṭhāna ('ancient practices') are terms used to refer to certain esoteric practices, views and texts within Theravada Buddhism. It is sometimes referred to as Tantric Theravada due to its parallel with tantric traditions (although it makes no reference to tantras); or as Traditional Theravada Meditation. L.S. Cousins defines it as "a type of Southern Buddhism which links magical and, ritual practices to a theoretical systematisation of the Buddhist path itself". One specific kind of Southern Esoteric Buddhism is termed the Yogāvacara tradition. It is most widely practiced today in Cambodia and Laos and in the pre-modern era was a major Buddhist current in Southeast Asia. In the west, the study of Southern Esoteric Buddhism was pioneered by professor François Bizot and his colleagues at the École française d'Extrême-Orient with a particular focus on the material found at Angkor.
  • 723
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Temple of the Five Immortals (Shiyan)
The Temple of the Five Immortals or Five Immortals Temple (Chinese: 五仙庙, p Wuxianmiao) is a Daoist temple located in Shiyan's Zhangwan District in China 's Hubei Province. The temple is situated on the Heavenly Horse (天马, Tianma) peak of White Horse Mountain (白马山, Báimǎ shān) in the Wudang Mountains. The Wudang Mountains are home to a famous complex of Taoist temples and the monasteries and associated with the god Xuan Wu. The Temple of the Five Immortals is one of the very few temples in the Wudang mountain range which is still maintained by real Daoist monks who dedicate their life to explore the great Dao. Wudang was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994.
  • 714
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Evolutionary Psychology of Religion
The evolutionary psychology of religion is the study of religious belief using evolutionary psychology principles. It is one approach to the psychology of religion. As with all other organs and organ functions, the brain's functional structure is argued to have a genetic basis, and is therefore subject to the effects of natural selection and evolution. Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand cognitive processes, religion in this case, by understanding the survival and reproductive functions they might serve.
  • 711
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Rajʻa
Rajʻa (Arabic: الرجعة) (alternatively rjaa, rajaʻa, rajʻat) in Islamic terminology, refers to the Second Coming, or the return to life of a given past historical figure after that person's physical death. While primarily used in Shia Muslim terminology, variations on the doctrine exist in Sunni Islam and the Baháʼí Faith, and rajʻa is used to describe certain Christian doctrines in Arabic.
  • 709
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Semipelagianism
Semipelagianism (Latin: Semipelagianismus) is a Christian theological and soteriological school of thought on salvation; that is, the means by which humanity and God are restored to a right relationship. Semipelagian thought stands in contrast to the earlier Pelagian teaching about salvation (in which people are seen as affecting their own salvation), which had been dismissed as heresy. Semipelagianism in its original form was developed as a compromise between Pelagianism and the teaching of Church Fathers such as Saint Augustine, who taught that people cannot come to God without the grace of God. In semipelagian thought, therefore, a distinction is made between the beginning of faith and the increase of faith. Semipelagian thought teaches that the latter half – growing in faith – is the work of God, while the beginning of faith is an act of free will, with grace supervening only later. It too was labeled heresy by the Western Church at the Second Council of Orange in 529. Catholicism teaches that the beginning of faith involves an act of free will, that the initiative comes from God, but requires free collaboration on the part of man: "The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his collaboration". "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life." The term "semipelagianism", a 16th-century coinage, has been used as an accusation in theological disputes over salvation, divine grace and free will. Theologians have also used it retrospectively to refer to the original formulation, an anachronistic use that has been called inappropriate, ambiguous and unjust. In this context, a more historically accurate term is Massilianism, a reference to the city of Marseilles, with which some of its proponents were associated.
  • 707
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Shinsen
Shinsen (神饌 shinsen) are offerings given up to Shinto shrines or kamidana in Japan . They are also called mike or minie. The annual festivals carried out at different times of the year originated from Shinto rituals and festivals. As part of the ritual, locals would offer up food that had received a special blessing to welcome the kami ("gods" or "spirits"). Food offered up could range from their staple of rice to seafood, food foraged from the mountains, seasonal foods, local specialties, or food connected to the enshrined kami. At the end of the ritual, the offered food is eaten together to gain a sense of unity with the kami, and to gain their blessing and protection. The rite is known as naorai.
  • 705
  • 28 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Wani (Scholar)
Wani (Japanese: 王仁, 和邇吉師, romanized: Wani, Wani Kishi) is a semi-legendary scholar who is said to have been sent to Japan by Baekje of southwestern Korea during the reign of Emperor Ōjin. He used to be associated with the introduction of the Chinese writing system to Japan.
  • 703
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Co-Redemptrix
Co-Redemptrix is a title used by some Roman Catholics for the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as a Catholic theological concept referring to Mary's role in the redemption of all peoples. It has always been controversial and has never formed part of the dogma of the Church. According to those who use the term, Co-Redemptrix refers to a subordinate but essential participation by the Blessed Virgin Mary in redemption, notably that she gave free consent to give life to the Redeemer, which meant sharing his life, suffering, and death, which were redemptive for the world. Related to this belief is the concept of Mary as Mediatrix, which is a separate concept but regularly included by Catholics who use the title Co-Redemptrix.
  • 699
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Kuni-yuzuri
The kuni-yuzuri (国譲り) "Transfer of the land" was a mythological event in Japanese prehistory, related in sources such as the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. It relates the story of how the rulership of Japan passed from the earthly kami (kunitsukami) to the kami of Heaven (amatsukami) and their eventual descendants, the Imperial House of Japan.
  • 693
  • 08 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Five Faults and Eight Antidotes
The five faults and eight antidotes are factors of samatha meditation identified in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The five faults identify obstacles to meditation practice, and the eight antidotes are applied to overcome the five faults. This system originates with Maitreyanātha's Madhyānta-vibhāga and is elaborated upon in further texts, such as Kamalaśīla's Stages of Meditation (Bhāvanākrama). This formulation has been commented upon by generations of Tibetan commentators. This formulation derives originally from the Yogācāra tradition.
  • 685
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba
The Suwa Daimyōjin Ekotoba (諏方大明神画詞 or 諏訪大明神絵詞 "Illustrated Record of Suwa Daimyōjin (Shrine)"), also known as Suwa Daimyōjin Go-engi Shidai (諏訪大明神御縁起次第 "Order of Legends (Engi) of Suwa Daimyōjin (Shrine)") or Suwa(-sha) Engi Emaki (諏方（社）縁起絵巻 "Illustrated Legends of Suwa (Shrine)"), was a twelve (originally ten) volume set of emakimono or painted handscrolls completed in 1356 (Enbun 1), during the Nanboku-chō period. Originally describing and depicting legends concerning the Suwa Grand Shrine in Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture) and its deity as well as its various religious festivals as performed during the Middle Ages, the original scrolls containing the illustrations were eventually lost, with only the text being preserved in various manuscripts.
  • 684
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Notary (Canon Law)
A notary in the canon law of the Catholic Church (Latin: notarius) is a person appointed by competent authority to draw up official or authentic documents. These documents are issued chiefly from the official administrative bureaux, the chanceries; secondly, from tribunals; lastly, others are drawn up at the request of individuals to authenticate their contracts or other acts. The public officials appointed to draw up these three classes of papers have been usually called notaries.
  • 674
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Faith, Science and Understanding
Faith, Science, and Understanding is a book by John Polkinghorne which explores aspects of the integration between science and theology. It is based on lectures he gave at the University of Nottingham and Yale and on some other papers.
  • 671
  • 12 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Faith in Christianity
In one sense, faith in Christianity is often discussed in terms of believing God's promises, trusting in his faithfulness, and relying on God's character and faithfulness to act. Some of the definitions in the history of Christian theology have followed the biblical formulation in Hebrews 11:1: "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". As in other Abrahamic religions, it includes a belief in the existence of God, in the reality of a transcendent domain that God administers as his kingdom and in the benevolence of the will of God or God's plan for humankind. Christianity differs from other Abrahamic religions in that it focuses on the teachings of Jesus, and on his place as the prophesied Christ. It also includes a belief in the New Covenant. According to most Christian traditions, Christian faith requires a belief in Jesus' resurrection from the dead, which he states is the plan of God the Father. Since the Protestant Reformation the meaning of this term has been an object of major theological disagreement in Western Christianity. The differences have been largely overcome in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999).The precise understanding of the term "faith" differs among the various Christian traditions. Despite these differences, Christians generally agree that faith in Jesus lies at the core of the Christian tradition, and that such faith is required in order to be a Christian.
  • 668
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Trikonasana
Trikonasana (/trɪkoʊˈnɑːsənɑː/ trik-oh-NAH-sə-nah; Sanskrit: त्रिकोणासन; IAST: trikoṇāsana) or Triangle Pose is an asana. Variations include utthita trikonasana (extended triangle pose), baddha trikonasana (bound triangle pose) and parivrtta trikonasana (revolved triangle pose).
  • 663
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Bugang
Bugang is a Daoist ritual dance or walk, based upon the limping Yubu "Steps of Yu" tradition, in which a Taoist priest paces through a supernatural pattern, such as stars in the Big Dipper or numbers in the Loshu magic square. Texts from the (4th century) Shangqing School "revelations" contain the earliest descriptions of bugang, frequently with the practitioner pacing among constellations, especially the Big Dipper's stars. When religious Daoism began during the Six Dynasties period (220–589 CE), the expression bugang tadou 步罡踏斗 "pacing the guideline and treading on (the stars of) the Dipper" became popular.
  • 660
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Scholarly Interpretation of Gospel-Elements
Scholars have given various interpretations of the elements of the Gospel-stories.
  • 649
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Muklishgarh
Muklishgarh is a rang mahal fort in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Yamunanagar district of Haryana in India .
  • 648
  • 22 Nov 2022
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