The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2522 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Trickster
(term introduced by D. G. Brinton,
Myths of the New World
, 1868). A hero, and also anti-hero, in many religions and cultures. Although the Trickster was identified particularly in the stories of N. American Indians, the recognition of similar characteristics in a wide range of stories has led to the emergence of a kind of composite figure, of one who subverts and satirizes the norms of society, and yet who emerges as hero: Brer Rabbit is a familiar example.
Tridharma
(Skt., ‘three teachings’). An Indonesian group which bases its beliefs on a combination of those of
Buddha
,
Confucius
, and
Lao-Tzu
. It was founded in Jakarta in 1938 by Kwee Tekhoay, a Chinese writer.
Trika(
sana)
.
Kashmir
aiva
system which postulates three fundamental sources of all appearance:
iva
, who creates from his imagination the world as though independent of himself, whereas it is always an expression of his will;
akti
as the energy through which this is achieved; and A
u as the individualized
tman
who takes local initiatives. The system was elaborated by Vasugupta (770–830), whose main works are
Siva-S
tra
and
Spanda-K
rik
.

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