The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (608 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Dardura-siddhi
(Skt., ‘frog’ + ‘praeternatural power’). The power to raise one's body through yogic practices, i.e. levitation.
Dark Night of the Soul
.
A term of Western mystical theology. According to the classical exposition of
John
of the Cross, the dark night is the stage in which the soul is purified in preparation for union with God. The ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ is more technical, and a great deal more profound, than the colloquial usage, which debases the phrase into a general malaise.
Darqawiy(y)a
(S
f
order)
:
Dar
ana
(Skt., ‘viewing’).
1
In post-Vedic times, the term refers to the ‘schools’ or ‘viewpoints’ of Indian philosophy, both orthodox and heterodox. The orthodox (
stika
) Hindu dar
anas include six different systems which share certain presuppositions, in particular the authority of the
Veda
as an infallible source of knowledge. These six dar
anas are traditionally listed in pairs in the following order:
Ny
ya
, founded by Gautama, and
Vai
e
ika
by
Ka
da
;
S
khya
, founded by
Kapila
and
Yoga
by
Patañjali
;
P
rva-m
m
s

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