Terms, Glossaries, Dictionaries

Niyoga is an ancient Hindu practice, primarily mentioned in scriptures like the Mahabharata and the Manusmriti, that allowed a childless widow (or sometimes a wife whose husband was incapable of procreation) to conceive a child with a designated male, usually a brother-in-law or a worthy sage. »

Prana Pratishtha is a highly significant ritual in Hinduism wherein a physically sculpted idol or image (known as a murti) is consecrated and transformed into a living embodiment of a deity. »

Saṅkhāra, in the sense of the totality of imprints or habitual patterns, is enumerated as one of the Five Khandhas (or Five Aggregates) that constitute a being, alongside Rūpa (form or matter, including both the physical body and the objects of the senses), Vedanā (Feeling or Sensation — raw sensory information, pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral), Saññā (Perception, the mental act of recognizing and interpreting sensory information), and Viññāṇa (Consciousness, awareness of an object through the sense organs). »

Ram Lalla (or Balak Ram) represents the divine form of the god Rama as a 5-year-old child, symbolizing innocence, purity, and devotion in Hinduism. »

Prajapati is a creator deity in Vedic Hinduism. The name is a title rather than a single personality and has been used for different divine figures across Hindu texts. »

Wat Lao refers to Laotian Buddhist temples, serving as cultural and religious centers for the Lao community, often providing meditation, Dhamma teachings, and hosting traditional festivals like Lao New Year (Boun Pee Mai). »

In Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism), Samskaras (Sanskaras) have two main meanings: they are both rites of passage that mark the stages of life, and subconscious mental impressions that shape our character and habits. »