The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2713 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Yak
a
.
Collective name for supernatural beings in Hinduism, who inhabit the countryside and forests, but became especially associated with the sacred trees in villages. They can assume any form, and often appear as the servants of
Kubera
, the god of wealth. They can be beneficent or malevolent, but are usually known as
punyajana
, ‘good beings’, to propitiate them in advance.
In Jainism, they are attendants on each of the twenty-four t
rtha
karas.
Yakushi
.
Jap. for
Bhaisajya-guru
Buddha.
Yakushi-ji
(temple-complex):
Y
Lat
f
(Islamic prayer):
see
PRAYER
.
Yali Movement
.
A
cargo cult
on the Rai coast of New Guinea, especially among the Tangu people. Yali Singina. After his death in 1975 the movement was reorganized as the Lo-Bos (‘law-boss’) movement based on the town of Madang, with weekly meetings for confessions of law-breaking, moral and social discipline, and messages from Yali or the spirits.

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