ABC
Religious texts
Religious schools and traditions
Heavenly beings and deities
Legendary and historical figures
Legendary and real places
Symbols and art
Doctrines and rituals
- Awakening
- Community
- Compassion
- Craving
- Dependent origination
- Dharma
- Eightfold Path
- Emptiness
- Five Precepts
- Four Noble Truths
- Happiness
- Heavens and hells
- Impermanence
- Karma
- Koan
- Kung fu
- Meditation
- Merit
- Mindfulness
- Nirvana
- Non-self
- Om (mani padme hum)
- Parinirvana
- Pilgrimage sites
- Prajnaparamita
- Puja
- Pure lands
- Realms of existence
- Rebirth
- Recitation
- Renunciation
- Ritual
- Self
- Suffering
- Tales of rebirth
- Three Jewels
- Three-body doctrine
- Universal ruler
- Vesak
- Ye-dhamma formula
- Yoga
Varanasi
Legendary and real places
Varanasi is a city in northeast India. In ancient writings it is called Kashi. During the colonial era the British introduced the name Benares. Located on the banks of the River Ganges, the city is sacred to all Indian religions and an important pilgrimage site, especially for Hindus. The pilgrimage includes bathing in the Ganges for the purpose of cleansing one’s sins. Hindus believe that if a person dies in Varanasi and his or her body is consigned to the holy river, he or she will immediately be redeemed and released from the eternal cycle of rebirth.