Technical terms (other than Sanskrit)
to be completed
last revision: 08 November 2025

The technical difference between things and beings is that in a thing, purusha (consciousness) is entirely involved in prakriti (stuff), while in a being, the purusha is sufficiently individualised and emancipated to stand on its own, have agency, and deal with its portion of universal prakriti from a position of (relative) independence. In practice I've sometimes used 'thing' for both to avoid distraction by an issue that some people consider problematic.