The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1037 page)

(4th cent. BCE).
Chinese philosopher and friend of
Chuang-tzu
, who taught by paradox and the unification of opposites. Everything is relative to something else, and thus is not absolutely great or small, etc.; but that suggests a standard of the infinitely great outside which nothing can lie, and of the infinitely small within which nothing can be contained.

 
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(1082–1135).
Sung dynasty emperor in China, who strongly promoted Taoism. He encouraged the formation of the Taoist canon (
Tao-tsang
) and built many monasteries.

 
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(334–416).
Buddhist monk of the early period of Chinese Buddhism. He was born into the Chia family in Yen-men (North Shansi). Although he studied the
Confucian Classics
and
Taoist
works in his youth, he became a disciple of
Tao-an
(312–85), the most highly respected Buddhist monk of his time, at the age of 21. Hui-yuan wrote the treatise,
Monks Do Not Pay Obeisance to Kings
(to argue for the independence of the Buddhist community from political authorities) and
San-pao-lun
(a treatise on
karma
).

 
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(P
ñj
b
, ‘order’ from Arab.). Sikh concept of divine order. For Gur
N
nak
and subsequent Sikh thinkers, hukam is a fundamental concept, recurring in the
di
Granth and prominent in the
Japj
S
hib
, according to which nothing is exempt from God's hukam.
For Sikhs today hukam or
v
k
is the daily practice prescribed in the
Rahit
Mary
d
of consulting the scriptures. The
di Granth is opened at random and the portion appearing at the top of the left-hand page is read.