The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (414 page)

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Authors: John Bowker

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B'nai B'rith
(Heb., ‘Sons of the
Covenant
’). Oldest and largest Jewish
charitable
organization. It was founded in 1843 in New York, and has a total membership of approximately half a million people throughout the world.
Bo
,
as in Bo Tree: see
BO TREE
.
Boanerges
.
The surname given by Jesus (Mark 3. 17) to
James
and
John
.
Bodai
.
Jap. version of Skt.,
bodhi
, via Chinese. It is thus the state of
kokoro
, the completely enlightened mind and complete
Buddha
realization. Bodaishin is the ‘enlightenment mind’, the determination to find complete enlightenment.
Bodaidaruma
.
Jap. for
bodhidharma
.
Bodhg
ya
.
On the Nairañjana River, Bihar, the legendary site of the
Bo
Tree under which the
Buddha
gained final enlightenment. A major place of pilgrimage, tradition ascribes the foundation of a temple on this spot to
A
oka
. See also
DHARMAP
LA
.
As Gay
, it is sacred to Hindus as one of the seven
sacred cities
. Its temple is dedicated to the lotus feet of
Vi
u
.

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