The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (700 page)

Dunhuang
(town in NW China)
:

see
TAN-HUANG
.

 
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(
c.
1265–1308).
Medieval Christian philosopher. His principal work was his commentary on the
Sentences
of
Peter Lombard
, which survives in three versions. In his metaphysics he developed the idea that the principle of individuation is not matter, but a kind of individual uniqueness (
haecceitas
), that by virtue of which any being is
this
being.

 
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Duperron, A.
(French translator)
:

see
D
R
SHIKOH
.

 
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Duran, Simeon Ben Zemah
,
known as Rashbaz

(1361–1444).
Rabbinic
authority and philosopher. He emigrated from Majorca to Algeria in 1391 where he became
Chief Rabbi
in 1408. He was regarded as a great legal authority and was well-known for his careful judgements. He respected, but did not always agree with, the philosophy of
Maimonides
. His major philosophical work was
Magen Avot
(Shield of the Fathers), written as an introduction to
Avot
. He maintained that many so-called
dogmas
were open to argument (and substantiation), but that Judaism must insist on three foundational beliefs which were not to be disputed: the existence of God; the divine origin of
Torah
; and reward and punishment after death.

 
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Durg
.

The one who is difficult to approach, among Hindus the fearsomely protective aspect of
iva's
consort (see
Mah
dev
in
Dev
), a slayer of demons who threaten the
dharma
of creation. Notable among these was the buffalo-demon
Mahi
a
, who could not be slain by man or beast. Durg
being both a woman and divine, slew the creature easily (hence her name, Mahi
suramardi
), using weapons given her by the gods.
Durg
, the ten-armed, is shown carrying a variety of weapons, and accompanied by her vehicle, a lion or tiger, symbolic of her ferocity and aggression. She is supported by eight demonesses (
yogin
), whose task it is to finish the destruction. Durg
is considered as another aspect of
K
l