Englischverständnis für fortgeschrittene Anfänger – Buch 1

religion, Buddhism and in western society. Jains believe that karma is a kind of delicate material (like floating dust or particles, which stick to the soul). They believe that these particles are not intrinsically harmful. However, Jains believe that when they attach to a soul they affect the life of that person.
    Jains believe that human beings attract karma particles when we do, think or say things. Furthermore, we attract karma particles if we kill or hurt something, when we tell lies, steal etc.
    Presently, Jainism is a minority religion. It has about four million followers in India.  Despite their small numbers, Jains have shaped and contributed significantly to Indian society with their political ideas and good actions. Jains also have an ancient literary tradition. They are the religious community with the highest degree of literacy in India.
    Click on this link to see a documentary on Jainism.
     
    Glossary
    achieved - ‘to achieve’, to reach or attain a desired objective, level, or result, e.g. "he achieved his ambition to become a journalist" erreichen, erzielen
    sects - a sect is a group of people with somewhat different religious beliefs. Sekten
    compassion - sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others: "the victims should be treated with compassion" Mitgefühl, Mitleid
    cooperation – working together, from the verb ‘to cooperate’. Zusammenarbeit, zusammenarbeiten
    vows - a vow is a promise. Gelübde, Schwur
    restraint - the action of keeping someone or something under control. Zurückhaltung, Einschränkung
    celibacy - this word has two meanings. 1. Never having sex. 2. Being unmarried. Zölibat
    founder - the person who starts an organisation or company. Gründer
    regulated - ‘to regulate’, to control or supervise. regulieren
    venerate -‘to venerate’, to treat with great respect. verehren
    intrinsically - by its very nature, e.g. “tigers are intrinsically dangerous”. eigentlich
    significantly - in an important way. erheblich, bedeutend
    have in common – to share the same idea, belief, hobby, quality etc. gemein haben, gemeinsam haben
    according to - based on what is said or stated by. nach, gemäß, laut, zufolge
     
    Questions about the text
    1. What is the most important belief of Jains?
    2. Why do Jains not eat meat?
    3. What is one of the differences between the Digambara and Svetambara sects?
    4. Who changed Jainism into its current form?
    5. Which belief do Jains have in common with scientists?
    6. How have Jains changed Indian society?
    7. What are the five great vows of Jainsim?
    8. Who was the founder of Jainism?
    9. According to the text, was Mali male or female?
    10. True or false? – Most Jains cannot read.
    Click here to check your answers.

Vampires
     

    © Chrisharvey | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images
     
    Vampires have never been more popular. It seems that the public can’t get enough of blood sucking characters at the cinema, in books or on television. The Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer have sold over 42 million copies worldwide. The American TV shows ‘True Blood’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’, both have millions of fans. These films, TV shows and books portray vampires as good-looking, sexy characters. However, vampires haven’t always been so loved…
    According to the folklore of many cultures, a vampire is a creature that feeds on the life force of humans (usually in the form of blood) to survive. In western European culture, the vampire myth is of Slavic origin. In this mythology, a vampire was once a human, who after death becomes a bloodsucking predator . The description of these creatures varies in each region, however much of what we ‘know’ about vampires comes from Hollywood scriptwriters and comic book authors.  Traditional myth has mixed with facts from the movies.
    In most cultures vampires were human, but they are now somewhere between life and death.  Therefore, they are often called ‘the undead’. Among the Slavic peoples, Greeks and parts of Eastern Europe, a vampire was a corpse . In these countries, people believed his or her body was swollen and blood came out of the mouth or nose. Their nails, hair and teeth were longer than when they had been buried.
    In ancient China, vampires were called ‘Shi Jiang’. People believed they had stiff limbs so they could only move forward in small jumps, with outstretched arms. These vampires were completely blind, but they detected people by