Ka'ba ('Cube') The sanctuary in Mecca to which all Moslems face in prayer five times daily. Contains black stone, thought to be constructed by Abraham and Ishmael.
Kabbalah Jewish mystical teachings; secret doctrine of both practical and speculative nature.
Kaddish ('holy') Jewish prayer closes daily public worship; recited standing and facing Jerusalem.
Kahatriya ('caste') HIndu caste system due to karmic residue of previous incarnations.
Kali Consort of the Hindu God Shiva; black goddess portrayed with a necklace of human skulls and bloody fangs. Goddess of destruction and the Great Mother, giver of life.
Kalki In Hindu tradition, the last avatar of Vishnu who will descend on a white horse, to destroy the wicked and bring the world to an end.
Kami Shinto beneficent spirits of nature which help the processes of fertility and growth.
Karma ('work' or 'action') Hindu and Buddhist law of cause and effect; belief that for every action there are inevitable consequences attached to the doer requiring punishment or reward; Inequitable existence as resultant from Karma from previous incarnations.
Kashrut / Kosher ('fit') Jewish code governing slaughter and butchery that determines the uncleanness of meat; Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 in Tanach are cited.
Koan Zen Buddhist technique of asking pointed paradoxical questions or baffling exercises to induce reflection designed to bring about Satori.
Kojiki Shinto Scripture which is the oldest book in the Japanese language. Legends about creation, founding of Japan and the ceremonies and customs of the Japanese people.
Krishna ('black') Hinduism -The eighth incarnation of Vishnu; prominent in Bhagavad-Gita.
Kundalini Hindu coiled shakti like a serpent at base of spine; when awakened by Yoga it surges through the spine to evoke union and liberation reenacting the sexual union of Shiva and Varuna.