The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions

 

© Oxford University Press 2000, 2003
Published by Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP
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A

 

A
(1)
Symbol of emptiness (
nyat
) and of the undifferentiated source of appearance in
Zen Buddhism
. In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (
mikky
),
aji
, the first sound in the Sanskrit alphabet, contains the epitome of all truth, and as such is a key element in meditation.
Aji-kan
is meditation on the letter A.
A
(2)
(Gk., alpha). First letter of the Greek alphabet, combined with the last,
(omega), to refer to God as the beginning and the end, the all-encompassing.
A
(3)
Letter of negation in several languages, as in, e.g.,
atheism
,
adharma
.
BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
8.15Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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