The Encyclopedia of World Religions

10 S ahimsa

monotheism from Akhenaton. There is no evi dence to support such an idea.

ahimsa Sanskrit word for “non-injury”; a central ethical principle in the religion of J AINISM . Many Hindus and Buddhists also teach ahimsa. Jains believe that any injury to another being produces KARMA and binds people to the world of rebirth. Therefore, Jains avoid injuring others as much as possible. As a result, they act out of a supreme respect for life. At a minimum Jains adopt a vegetarian diet, because plants are thought to suffer the least injury of all living things. Jains also care for sick and dying animals in sanctuaries. Some Jains fil ter their water, wear a mask over their mouth and nose, and sweep their path as they walk to avoid accidentally injuring unseen creatures. The most austere Jains end their lives by giving up food and water altogether. In the early 20th century Mohandas G ANDHI made ahimsa a central idea in his teachings. Akhenaton (ruled approx. 1350–1334 B . C . E .) a king of Egypt He is remembered for changes he made to E GYPTIAN RELIGION . When Akhenaton came to the throne, Egyp tian religion focused on the WORSHIP of the god A MON -Re. In the sixth year of his reign, however, Akhenaton made the Aton or sun’s disk the central god of Egypt. He changed his name from Amenho tep to Akhenaton, “Servant of the Aton.” He also moved his capital up the Nile from Thebes to a place he named Akhetaton, known today as Ama rna. Akhenaton and his wife Nefertiti worshipped only the Aton; the people worshipped Akhenaton and Nefertiti. Akhenaton’s changes did not last long after his death. His successor, Smenkhkare, destroyed the settlement of Akhetaton and moved the capi tal back to Thebes. The next king, Tutankhamen, restored the cult of Amon. Many have seen Akhenaton as the first mono theist ( see MONOTHEISM ), but that claim is too bold. Some have even speculated that M OSES learned Ahura Mazda See Z OROASTRIANISM .

alchemy The practice of using chemical experi ments or processes for such purposes as making potions of immortality or transmuting commoner metals into gold. Alchemy was widespread in the Middle Ages and early modern times in Europe, China, and elsewhere. In Europe a supreme goal of the practice was isolating what was called the “philosopher’s stone,” which was believed to give eternal life. Alchemy was intertwined with the origins of modern science, and even as great a figure as Isaac Newton was involved with it. As alchemy sought to transmute “base metals” into nobler ones like gold, create better medicines, and fashion the “elixir of life,” some fundamen tal discoveries about chemistry and medicine were made. Even with these discoveries, alchemy itself fell out of favor by the end of the 17th century. Chinese alchemy, which flourished from the fifth to ninth century, was largely focused on the quest for immortality. Scholars of alchemy, such as Carl Gustav J UNG and Mircea E LIADE , have shown that alchemy often had a profoundly religious or psy chological significance, in which various elements and chemicals were seen as symbolic of spiritual qualities, and a whole procedure was like a reli gious rite. Allah The Arabic word for G OD ; specifically, the designation for God in I SLAM . The basic Islamic attitude to God is given in the profession of faith: “There is no god but God [Allah].” Islam empha sizes the unity of God. In doing so, it explicitly rejects as polytheistic Christian notions that God is a TRINITY and that J ESUS was divine. In Islam, God is the creator of the universe and its eternal ruler. It is the duty of all creatures, including human beings, to submit to his will. (Muslims speak of God in the masculine.) God has revealed his will through a line of prophets. This line culminates in the prophet M UHAMMAD . Islam also looks forward to a RESURRECTION of the dead.