The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2182 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
7.62Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Sefirot
.
Jewish kabbalistic term meaning God's emanations. There are ten sefirot that emerge from
Ein Sof
. Each one points to a different aspect of God's creative nature, and together they compose the world of divine light in the chain of being. All ten together form a dynamic unit, sometimes portrayed as a tree, by which God's activity is revealed. The three highest sefirot are the Supreme Crown,
Wisdom
, and Intelligence. The seven lower are Love, Power, Beauty, Endurance, Majesty, Foundation, and Kingdom. The whole concept is influenced by
gnostic
thought and is an attempt to explain how a transcendent God can interact with the world.
Seich
no Ie
(Jap., ‘House of Growth’). A Japanese religion founded by Taniguchi Masaharu (1893–1985) in 1930. Central to the teachings of this movement, an offshoot from
motoky
, is the belief that all human beings are divine and equal in that they are all children of God. ‘The life of reality’ (
jisso
) involves the realization that sin and illness have no reality in themselves. The movement is eclectic, drawing on many religions and regarding them as preparatory to itself.
Seigan
(vows in Zen Buddhism):
Seirai-no-i
(Jap.). The coming of meaning from the west, the arrival of
Bodhidharma
from India to China, and thus of the buddhadharma with him.
Seiza
(Jap., ‘sitting in silence’). Zen position of meditation, kneeling on one's heels with straight back. In
zazen
, it is an alternative to the lotus position (
padm
sana
).

Other books

Immortal by Dean Crawford
A Most Unpleasant Wedding by Judith Alguire
The Rascal by Lisa Plumley
Winged Raiders of the Desert by Gilbert L. Morris
Bite Me (London Undead) by Schnyder, PJ
The Weight of the World by Amy Leigh Strickland
The Collective by Don Lee
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry