Perception, Mind and Reality

STOP: before you search for the area that you’re working on, please note that most vowels are transliterated like Spanish: a= ah, e=ey, i=ee, o=oh, and u=oo.

JUDAISM
chazzan (cantor) – KHAZ-zan
kinnor (lyre) – KIN-nor
klei chomos (instruments of violence) – clay KHO-mos
neume (notation) – noom
piyyut (religious hymn) – PI-yut
shofar (ram’s horn) – SHO-far
tefillat haregesh (emotional prayer) – TEF-illat HAR-egesh
tefillat haseder (orderly prayer) – TEF-illat HA-seder
ugav (pipe) – OO-gav


CHRISTIANITY
cantus firmus (main melody- CAN-tus FEER-mus
psalms (sacred song or hymn) – salms
psalter (book of psalms) – SAL-ter


ISLAM
adhan / azan (call to prayer) – ad-HAN / ah-ZAN
ahl-al-kitab (people of the book) – ALL-al KEE-tab
du’a (prayers) – doo-ah
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) – feek
hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) – haj
hamd (praise hymn for the Prophet) – hamd
inshad (hymns) – IN-shad
inshad dini (vernacular recitation) –IN-shad DEE-nee
khush ilhan (sonically appealing) – khush IL-han
majlis (Shi’a recitational assembly) – MAJ-lees
marsiya (narrative poetry) – MAR-shee-ya
matam (act of mourning) – MA-tam
milad / mawlid (Sunni event celebrating the Prophet’s birthday) – MEE-lad / MAW-lid
nauha (dirge) – NOW-ha
na’t (praise poem in honor of the Prophet) – naht
qaris (trained reciters) – KA-rees
qawwali (assembly for listening to mystic poetry set to music) – ka-VALL-ee
qir’at / qira’a (Qur’anic recitation) – KEER-aht / KEER-a-ah
Qur’an (Muslim holy book) – kur-‘AN
raga (Indian melody) – RAH-ga
salat (ritual prayer) – SA-lat
sama’ (spiritually focused listening) – sa-ma
shahada (creed) – SHA-ha-da
Shi’a (minority branch of Islam) – SHE-ah
soz (dirge) – soze
Sufi (subset of Islam) – SOO-fee
Sunni (majority branch of Islam) – SOO-nee
tajwid (rules governing recitation) – taj-weed
tala (Indian rhythmic pattern) – TAH-la
zakat (tithe for charity) – ZA-kat


HINDUISM
akhar (short improvisatory phrase) – AH-khar
anudatta (B flat) – AH-noo-DAT-ta
artha (wealth) – AR-ta
bhajan (musical worship) – BHA-jan
bhakti (devotional traditions) – BHAK-tee
dharma (righteousness) – DHAR-ma
dhrupad (northern devotional song) – DHROO-pad
gandharva sangita (celestial music) – GAN-dhar-va san-GEE-ta
kama (enjoyment) – KA-ma
kartal (hand cymbals) – KAR-tal
kirtanas (southern devotional song) – kir-TAN-as
kriti (southern composition derived from kirtanas) – KREE-tee
mantra (powerful word or phrase) – MAN-tra
moksha (liberation) – MOKE-sha
mudra (sacred hand gesture) – MOO-dra
pakhavaj (barrel drum) – pak-HA-vaj
raga (Indian melody) – RAH-ga
sabda (elemental sound) – SAB-da
saman (songs of the Rig-Veda) – SA-man
Siva (one of the gods) – SHEE-va
stobha (meaningless word or syllable) – STOBE-ha
svarita (D flat) – sva-RIT-ta
tala (Indian rhythmic pattern) – TAH-la
tanpura (stringed drone instrument) – tan-POO-ra
triloka (three worlds: earth, sky, and heaven) – tree-LOH-ka
udatta (C) – oo-DAT-ta
Upanishads (ancient texts) – oo-PA-nee-shads
varna (caste) – VAR-na
Vedas (ancient texts) – VEY-da
vina (stringed instrument – VEE-na


SIKHISM
bani (divine words) – BA-nee
bhakti (devotional traditions) – BHAK-tee
darsanas (acts of seeing the divine) – dar-SHA-nas
dhadhi (minstrel) – DHAD-hi
dharamsal (place of worship) – dha-RAM-sa-la
dhrupad (northern devotional song) – DHROO-pad
dhuni (music of the divine word) – DHU-ni
gharu (musical clef or key) – GHA-roo
ghazal (praise song) – GHA-zal
gurbani (divine utterances of the guru) – goor-BA-nee
gurdwara (Sikh temple) – goor-DWA-ra
hatha-yoga (physical yoga) – HA-tha YO-ga
haumai (self-centeredness) – HOW-mai
hukam (divine order) – HOO-kam
japji (recitation) – JAP-jee
kirtan (devotional song) – KEER-tan
mridang (barrel-shaped drum) – mree-DANG
nada (melody) – NAH-da
nada-yoga (sound yoga) – NA-da YO-ga
nam-simaran (chanting the divine name) – NAM-see-ma-RAN
panch shabad (mystic sounds) – panch SHA-bad
prabhandha (classical song) – pra-BHAN-da
raga (Indian melody) – RAH-ga
rasa (sentiment, feeling) – RA-sa
rabab (vertically-held fiddle) – ra-BAB
ragis (musicians) – RA-gees
rahit (code of conduct) – RA-hit
sach khand (ascension to the realm of truth) – sakh KHAND
sahaj (blissful equanimity) – sa-HAJ
sangat (congregation) – SANG-at
shabad (music of the divine word) – SHA-bad
vina (stringed instrument – VEE-na


BUDDHISM
anatta (soul) – ah-NAT-ta
anicca (impermanence) – ah-NI-ca
dbyangs (Tibetan deep chant) – yang
dbu mzad (Tibetan chant leader) – UM-zey
dharma (the teachings of Buddhism) – DAR-ma
don (Tibetan recitation chant) – don
dukkha (suffering) – DOO-kha
dung chen (Tibetan long trumpets) – DOONG chen
Hinayana (“small vehicle” school of Buddhist thought) – HIN-a-YA-na
Mahayana (“large vehicle” school of Buddhist thought) – MA-ha-YA-na
mandala (sacred pattern) – man-DAH-la
mokugyo (Japanese wooden slit gong) – mo-KOO-gyo
mudra (ritual hand gesture) – MOO-dra
o-gane (very large Japanese hanging bell) – oh GA-ney
paritta (protective chant) – pa-RIT-ta
rol mo (Tibetan instrumental music) – RO-mo
rgya gling (Tibetan oboes) – GYA-ling
rta (Tibetan melodic chant) – ta
sangha (community of followers) – SAHNG-ha
shomyo (Japanese chant) – SHO-myo
shakuhachi (bamboo flute) – SHA-ku-HA-chi
sil snyan (Tibetan cymbals) – SIN-yey
stupa (funerary building) – STOO-pa
sunyata (emptiness) – soon-YA-ta
sutra (Buddhist verse) – SOO-tra
tantra (living according to the doctrine) – TAN-tra
uchiwa-daiko (Japanese single-headed drum) – oo-CHEE-wa DYE-ko