The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (203 page)

Anima naturaliter Christiana
(‘naturally Christian soul’)
:

see
TERTULLIAN
.

 
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Animism
.

The belief that perhaps all appearances, but certainly living appearances, are animated by spirits (are made vital by an
anima
, Lat., ‘spirit’).
Tylor
introduced the term as part of his explanation of the origin of religions, and for decades his view dominated the
anthropology of religion
. Now, at most, animism would be, either a recognition of soul-beliefs in particular societies, or a casual synonym for pre-literate societies and their religions.

 
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(Skt., ‘signless’). In
Mah
y
na
Buddhism a synonym for both emptiness (
nyat
) and the desireless (
apra
ihita
). In the P
li
Tripi
aka
the signless comprises one of the three entrances to liberation (
vimok
a-mukha
).