The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2709 page)

Read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions Online

Authors: John Bowker

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
2.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
X

 

Xavier, Francis
(Jesuit priest and missionary):
Xenoglossolalia
(speaking in a language unknown to the speaker but known to the hearer):
Xerophagia
(Gk., dry nourishment). An intensification, in E. Churches, of the Lenten fast during the beginning (Monday to Thursday) of
Holy Week
. Water is allowed, but otherwise only bread, onions, and salt, with herbs and garlic.
Xi'an
:
see
SIAN
.
Xizang Autonomous Region
.
Chinese name for Tibet (see
TIBETAN RELIGION
;
DALAI LAMA
).
Y

 

Yab-Yum
(Father-Mother)
.
The iconographical representation of two deities in ritualized intercourse
(Skt.,
maithuna
) in Tibetan Buddhism. Although such Tantric representations have a long Indian history, the Yab-Yum, with an active female astride and facing a passive male, is a peculiarly Tibetan style. While the function of the Yab-Yum is primarily as an instructive
symbolism
that may also serve as a basis for
visualization
, its actual enactment through the taking of Tantric consorts is not unknown.
Yad
(pointer):

Other books

A Pledge of Silence by Solomon, Flora J.
Revolution by Deb Olin Unferth
If The Shoe Fits by Fennell, Judi
The Key by Wentworth, Patricia
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay