The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (473 page)

(1628–88).
Puritan
preacher and writer. He served in the Parliamentary army for a period during the Civil War and was a vigorous preacher. He was partially ‘silenced’ during the Restoration period, spending most of twelve years in prison. Calvinist in ethos, he was a prolific writer, his main works,
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
(a spiritual autobiography, 1666),
Pilgrim's Progress
(part i, 1678; part ii, 1684), and
The Holy War
(1682) have become spiritual classics.

 
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(Jap., ‘Buddhist instruction’). Buddhist teaching, i.e. Buddhism. Hence bupp
-sha, one who studies and practises Buddhism, a Buddhist.

 
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Buraku
,
or burakumin
.

Category of people in Japan outside the social orders. They were involved in contaminating work (especially involving dead bodies), who thereby transmitted impurity. They were known as
eta
(‘great filth’) and later (during the Tokugawa period, 1600–1868) as
hinin
(‘non-persons’).

 
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Bur
q
.

The winged beast which the Prophet
Mu
ammad
is said to have ridden during the miraculous Night Journey and the Ascension (
mi-‘r
j
). The name bur
q is connected with the Arab. root
baraqa
(‘to lighten’, ‘to flash’) and suggests that the beast received its name ‘the lightning flash’ on account of its speed.

 
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