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Buddhist Iconography
Buddhist symbolism is the use of symbols (Sanskrit: ''pratīka'') to represent certain aspects of the Gautama Buddha, Buddha's Dharma (teaching). Early Buddhist symbols which remain important today include the Dharmachakra, Dharma wheel, the Nelumbo nucifera, Indian lotus, the Triratna, three jewels and the Bodhi Tree.Coomaraswamy (1998), pp. 1–5. Buddhism symbolism is intended to represent the key values of the Buddhist faith. The popularity of certain symbols has grown and changed over time as a result of progression in the followers ideologies. Research has shown that the aesthetic perception of the Buddhist gesture symbol positively influenced perceived happiness and life satisfaction. Anthropomorphic symbolism depicting the Buddha (as well as other figures) became very popular around the first century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara. New symbols continued to develop into the medieval period, with Vajrayana, Vajrayana Buddhism adopting furt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lotus Within Beads And Reels Motif Stupa No2 Sanchi
Lotus or LOTUS may refer to: Plants * List of plants known as lotus, a list of various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: **''Nelumbonaceae'', a single-genus family of aquatic flowering plants, consisting of just two species; the Nelumbo lutea, American lotus and the better known Nelumbo nucifera, sacred lotus, or the Indian lotus, a symbolically important Asian plant **Lotus (genus), ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae * Lotus tree, a plant in Greek and Roman mythology Places *Lotus, California, an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States *Lotus, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Union County, Indiana, United States *Lotus, Florida, a former village in Brevard County, Florida, United States *Lotus, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States Brands Cars and car racing *Lotus Cars, a British motor vehicle manufacturer **Lotus F1, Lotus F1 Team, a B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apotropaic Magic
Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tradition, as in good luck charms (perhaps some token on a charm bracelet), amulets, or gestures such as crossed fingers or knocking on wood. Many different objects and charms were used for protection throughout history. Symbols and objects Ancient Egypt Apotropaic magical rituals were practiced throughout the ancient Near East and ancient Egypt. Fearsome deities were invoked via ritual in order to protect individuals by warding away evil spirits. In ancient Egypt, these household rituals (performed in the home, not in state-run temples) were embodied by the deity who personified magic itself, Heka. The two gods most frequently invoked in these rituals were the hippopotamus-formed fertility goddess, Taweret, and the lion-deity, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddha Footprint
Buddha's footprints (Sanskrit: )( Tibetan: སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞབས་རྗེས། )are Buddhist icons shaped like an imprint of Gautama Buddha's foot or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially. Many of the "natural" ones are acknowledged not to be genuine footprints of the Buddha, but rather replicas or representations of them, which can be considered '' cetiya'' (Buddhist relics) and also an early aniconic and symbolic representation of the Buddha. Symbolism Footprints of the Buddha abound throughout Asia, dating from various periods. Japanese author , who spent years tracking down the footprints in many Asian countries, estimates that he found more than 3,000 such footprints, among them about 300 in Japan and more than 1,000 in Sri Lanka. They often bear distinguishing marks, such as a Dharmachakra at the centre of the sole, or the 32, 108 or 132 auspicious signs of the Buddha, engraved or pai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya
The Vajrasana (; ''diamond throne''), or Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha, is an ancient stone slab located under the Bodhi tree, directly beside the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. It is considered as bodhimanda ('; ''seat'' or ''platform of enlightenment'') of Gautama Buddha. The slab is presumed to have been placed at the location during the reign of Maurya king Ashoka between 250–233 BCE, at the spot where the Buddha meditated.A Global History of Architecture, Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash, John Wiley & Sons, 201p.570ff/ref> The empty throne was a focus of devotion in early Buddhism, treated as a cetiya or symbolic relic. It was not intended to be occupied, but operated as a symbol of the missing Buddha. Devotees often kneel in prayer before it. Being the site where Gautama Buddha achieved liberation, Tibetan Buddhist texts also use the term vajrasana to refer to Bodh Gaya itself. The throne Discovery The Vajrasana, together with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triratna
In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Its object is typically the Three Jewels (also known as the Triple Gem or Three Refuges, Pali: ''ti-ratana'' or ''ratana-ttaya''; Sanskrit: ''tri-ratna'' or ''ratna-traya''), which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Taking refuge is a form of aspiration to lead a life with the Triple Gem at its core. In early Buddhist scriptures, taking refuge is an expression of determination to follow the Buddha's path, but not a relinquishing of responsibility. Refuge is common to all major schools of Buddhism. Since the period of Early Buddhism, all Theravada and mainstream Mahayana schools only take refuge in the Triple Gem. However, the Vajrayana school includes an expanded refuge formula known as the Three Jewels and Three Roots. Overview Since the period of Early Buddhism, devotees expressed thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and meditation. Walking around a stupa in a clockwise direction, known as '' pradakhshina'', has been an important ritual and devotional practice in Buddhism since the earliest times, and stupas always have a ''pradakhshina'' path around them. The original South Asian form is a large solid dome above a tholobate, or drum, with vertical sides, which usually sits on a square base. There is no access to the inside of the structure. In large stupas, there may be walkways for circumambulation on top of the base as well as on the ground below it. Large stupas have, or had, ''vedikā'' railings outside the path around the base, often highly decorated with sculpture, especially at the torana gateways, of which there are usually four. At the top of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarnath
Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town northeast of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India. As the '' Lalitavistara'' sutra states, the Gautama Buddha chose ''"Deer Park by the Hill of the Fallen Sages, outside of Varanasi"'' for his first teaching after he attained enlightenment Samye Translations, "Sarnath: The First Turning of the Dharma Wheel", ''Nekhor: Circling the Sacred'' in Bodh Gaya. The teaching is entitled Dhammacakkappavattana sutra. Sarnath is one of the eight most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, and has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha's ''sangha'' first convened, when he gave the first teaching to the Buddha's original five disciples Kaundinya, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa and Mahanama, known as ''The First T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment (Buddhism), enlightenment (Pali: ) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree. Since antiquity, Bodh Gayā has remained the object of Buddhist pilgrimage sites, pilgrimage and veneration for Buddhism, Buddhists. In particular, Archaeology, archaeological finds, including sculptures, show that the site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period. For Buddhists, Bodh Gayā is the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gayā, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History Bodh Gayā is considered the holiest site in Buddhism. Known as Uruvel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bharhut
Bharhut is a village in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for a Buddhist stupa, unique in that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters saying what the panel depicts. The major donor for the Bharhut stupa was King Dhanabhuti. The Bharhut sculptures are some of the earliest examples of Indian and Buddhist art, later than the monumental art of Ashoka (), and slightly later than the early Shunga-period reliefs on railings at Sanchi Stupa No.2 (starting circa 115 BCE). It is more provincial in quality than the sculpture at Sanchi, Amaravati Stupa and some other sites, a large amount of sculpture has survived, generally in good condition. Recent authors date the reliefs of the railings of Bharhut circa 125–100 BCE, and clearly after Sanchi Stupa No.2, compared to which Bharhut has a much more developed iconography. The torana gateway was made slightly later than the railings, and is dated to 100–75 BCE. Historian Ajit Kumar gives a l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amaravati
Amaravati ( , Telugu language, Telugu: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River, southwest of Vijayawada. The city derives its name from the nearby historic site of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Amaravathi, which served as the capital of the Satavahana dynasty, Satavahana Empire nearly two thousand years ago. The city is an urban notified area. Urban development and planning activities are undertaken by the Amaravati Development Corporation Limited and Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA). The APCRDA has jurisdiction over the city and the conurbation covering Andhra Pradesh Capital Region. The city is spread over an area of , and comprises villages (including some hamlet (place), hamlets) from three mandals viz., Mangalagiri mandal, Mangalagiri, Thullur mandal, Thullur and Tadepalli mandal, Guntur district, Tadepalli. The seed capital is spread over an area of . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanchi
Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen, Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India, and an important monument to the historical architecture of India. It was originally commissioned by the Maurya Empire, Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great, Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Gautama Buddha, Buddha. It was crowned by the Chatra (umbrella), chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics. The original construction work of this stupa was overseen by Ashoka, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant of nearby Vidisha. Sanchi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aniconism
Aniconism is the cultural absence of artistic representations ('' icons'') of the natural and supernatural worlds, or it is the absence of representations of certain figures in religions. The prohibition of material representations may only extend to a specific supreme deity, or it can encompass an entire pantheon, it can also include depictions of a prophet, saints, or sages, or even depictions of living beings and anything in existence generally. It is generally codified by religious traditions and as such, it becomes a taboo. When it is enforced by the physical destruction of images, aniconism becomes iconoclasm. Aniconism has historical phases in both Buddhism and Christianity, though these movements have been largely rejected as Buddha in art, life of Buddha in art, Buddhas and bodhisattvas in art, God the Father in Western art, Holy Spirit in Christian art, the depiction of Jesus, The Trinity in art, and are common. By contrast Aniconism in Islam, Islam has predomin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
