The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1739 page)

see
NICHIREN SH
SH
.

 
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see
WILLIAM OF OCKHAM
.

 
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Occasionalism
.

The view that God is the direct creator by way of cause of all occasions (as held, e.g., by some Muslims); or that God is the occasioning intermediary between soul and body: when the soul consents to an action, God moves the body, and when the body makes a demand of any sort, God makes the soul aware of it.

 
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Occultation
:

see
HIDDEN IM
M
.

 
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Oceanic experience
.

The experience, usually brief and completely unexpected, of being at one with the entire universe, and of feeling a deep meaning and purpose to every part of existence. It is often accompanied by feelings of compassion and love for all beings. See also
BIOGENETIC STRUCTURALISM
.

 
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Oceanic religion
.

The religion of the Pacific region. The term is imprecise, but at least draws attention to the fact that migration and trade have produced some common features in the life and culture of the Pacific region, the main part of which is water, in which is set a large number of widely scattered islands. Generalizations about religion in so vast an area, with so many cultural variations, are impossible. G. W. Trompf observed of Melanesia: ‘Melanesia has been revealed as the home of about one-third of mankind's languages, and that means—considering how languages are so crucial in defining discrete cultures—just as many religions’ (
Melanesian Religion
, 1991). Nevertheless, the area has thrown up concepts which have been mediated via the
anthropology of religion
into the study of religion in general: see e.g.
MAGIC
(for
mana
);
TABOO
.