The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2709 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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X

 

Xavier, Francis
(Jesuit priest and missionary):
Xenoglossolalia
(speaking in a language unknown to the speaker but known to the hearer):
Xerophagia
(Gk., dry nourishment). An intensification, in E. Churches, of the Lenten fast during the beginning (Monday to Thursday) of
Holy Week
. Water is allowed, but otherwise only bread, onions, and salt, with herbs and garlic.
Xi'an
:
see
SIAN
.
Xizang Autonomous Region
.
Chinese name for Tibet (see
TIBETAN RELIGION
;
DALAI LAMA
).
Y

 

Yab-Yum
(Father-Mother)
.
The iconographical representation of two deities in ritualized intercourse
(Skt.,
maithuna
) in Tibetan Buddhism. Although such Tantric representations have a long Indian history, the Yab-Yum, with an active female astride and facing a passive male, is a peculiarly Tibetan style. While the function of the Yab-Yum is primarily as an instructive
symbolism
that may also serve as a basis for
visualization
, its actual enactment through the taking of Tantric consorts is not unknown.
Yad
(pointer):

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