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Sugata Guha
Sugata ( सुगत) is a Sanskrit epithet for Gautama Buddha. In some sects of Vaishnavism, a Sugata Buddha is regarded as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, instead of Gautama Buddha. Etymology ''"Su"' is a prefix meaning good and ''"gata"'' is the past passive participle of "to go". Among other meanings, Buddhaghosa says the Buddha is ''sugata'' because both the way he took (''gata'') is good (''su'') and where he has gone (''gata'') is good (''su''). The Mahayana author Haribhadra also says the Buddha is ''sugata'' because he is one from whom all faults are totally (''suṣṭhu'') gone (''gata''), or into whom all good qualities have gone (''gata'') with none remaining (''suparipūrṇa''). It is customary to relate three denotations of sugata with three stages through which a buddha must pass in order to reach the goal of enlightenment: he has gone well beyond rebirth in saṃsāra, he has gone well into nirvāṇa, and he has gone well into the state of perfect buddhahood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lokesh Chandra
Lokesh Chandra (born 11 April 1927 in Ambala, India) is a prominent scholar of the Vedic period, Buddhism and the Indian arts. Between 1942 and 2004, he published 576 books and 286 articles. He has also held many official positions in the Indian government and was twice a member of Indian Parliament (during the period 1974-1980 and in 1980-1986). Biography Lokesh Chandra was born on 11 April 1927 in Ambala, India. He is the son of the famous Sanskrit scholar, linguist and politician Raghu Vira. After obtaining a master's degree at the University of the Punjab in Lahore in 1947, he edited the Gavamayana portion of the Vedic work Jaiminiya Brahmana with the help of newly discovered manuscripts. Chandra went to the Netherlands to study Old Javanese with the Indologist Jan Gonda at Utrecht University, where he obtained a Ph.D. with the dissertation ''Jaiminiya Brahmana of the Samaveda II.1-80'' in March 1950. Among them are classics like his ''Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary'', ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaturbhuja
Chaturbhuja () is a concept in Hindu iconography in which a deity is depicted with four arms. Several Hindu deities are often portrayed with four arms in their iconography, featured in Hindu literature. The iconography of four arms is regarded to symbolise divinity and power, as well as dominion over the four quarters of the universe. Chaturbhuja is also primarily employed as an epithet for the preserver deity, Vishnu. Description The earliest Vaishnava images, according to scholar Gavin Flood, are of a standing two or four-armed figure bearing a combination of the attributes of a conch, a wheel, and a mace in their iconography. This multiplicity convention, in which deities bore numerous limbs and heads in their imagery, was established in the Mathura region, before becoming a custom in later Hindu iconography. According to author Nanditha Krishna, the chaturbhuja representation of Hindu deities in their icons is regarded to depict their unlimited potential. It exhibit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agni Purana
The ''Agni Purana'', (, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is variously classified as a Purana related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism, but also considered as a text that covers them all impartially without leaning towards a particular theology. The text exists in numerous versions, some very different from others. The published manuscripts are divided into 382 or 383 chapters, containing between 12,000 and 15,000 verses. The chapters of the text were likely composed in different centuries, with earliest version probably after the 7th-century,Thomas Green (2001). ''Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia'', ABC-CLIO, , page 282 but before the 11th century because the early 11th-century Persian scholar Al-Biruni acknowledged its existence in his memoir on India. The youngest layer of the text in the ''Agni Purana'' may be from the 17th century. The ''Agni Purana'' is a medieval era encyclopedia that covers a diverse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kikata Kingdom
The Kīkaṭa kingdom, mentioned in the Vedas, is an ancient Indian kingdom whose precise geographical location remains a subject of scholarly debate. While some scholars associate it with the Magadha region in present-day Bihar, because Kikata is used as synonym for Magadha in the later texts; while others suggest a more western location, possibly in the vicinity of Kurukshetra (see below). The Rigveda references the Kīkaṭas as a non-Vedic people, potentially of non-Aryan origin, living on the eastern side to Vedic India, who did not practice Vedas.M. Witzel.Rigvedic history: poets, chieftains, and polities" in ''The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity.'' ed. G. Erdosy (Walter de Gruyer, 1995), p. 333 Scholars like Zimmer have argued in referring to Yaksha, that they were a non-Aryan people. According to Weber, they were a descendants of Pre-Vedic Aryan people and native Indian people, but were sometimes in conflict with other Vedic pe ... [...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] |
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vishnu is known as ''The Preserver'' within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva. Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' () (1996), p. 17. In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the supreme Lord who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. Tridevi is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi being the equal complementary partner of Vishnu. He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. According to Vaishnavism, the supreme being is with qualities ( Saguna), and has definite form, but is limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atman (Self) of the universe. There are both benevolent a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dashavatara
The Dashavatara (, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", and , roughly equivalent to "incarnation". The list of included avatars varies across sects and regions, particularly with respect to the inclusion of Balarama (brother of Krishna) or the Buddha. In traditions that omit Krishna, he often replaces Vishnu as the source of all avatars. Some traditions include a regional deity such as Vithoba or Jagannath in penultimate position, replacing Krishna or Buddha. All avatars have appeared except one: Kalki, who will appear at the end of the ''Kali Yuga''. The order of the ancient concept of Dashavataras has also been interpreted to be reflective of modern Darwinian evolution, as a description of the evolution of consciousness. Etymology "Dashavatara" or "" (दशावतार) means "ten avatars" or "ten inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puranas
Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on "Puranas", , page 915) are a vast genre of Indian literature that include a wide range of topics, especially legends and other traditional lore. The Puranas are known for the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories. Composed originally in Sanskrit and in Languages of India, other Indian languages,John Cort (1993), "An Overview of the Jaina Puranas" in ''Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts,'' (Editor: Wendy Doniger), State University of New York Press, , pages 185-204 several of these texts are named after major Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Mahadevi, Devi. The Puranic genre of literat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amoghasiddhi
Amoghasiddhi (Devanagari: अमोघसिद्धि) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. He is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of envy. His name means ''Unfailing Accomplishment''. His consort is Tara, meaning ''Liberator'' and his mounts are garudas. He belongs to the family of karma whose family symbol is the double ''vajra''. Characteristics Amoghasiddhi is associated with the conceptual (Skt: samskara) skandha or the conceptual mind (as opposed to the non-conceptual or sensational mind). His action towards the promotion of Buddhist paths is the pacification of evils. This is symbolised by Amoghasiddhi's symbol, the moon. He gestures in the mudra of fearlessness, symbolising his and his devotees' fearlessness towards the poisons or delusions. He is usually coloured green in artwork and is associated with the air or wind element. His season is autumn and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amitābha
Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism and the most widely venerated Buddhist deities, Buddhist figure in East Asian Buddhism.阿彌陀 Amitâbha Digital Dictionary of Buddhism Amitābha is also known by the name Amitāyus ("Measureless Life"). Amitābha is the main figure in two influential Indian Buddhist Mahayana sutras, Mahayana Scriptures: the ''The Amitāyus Sutra, Sutra of Measureless Life'' and the ''Amitābha Sūtra''. According to the ''Sutra of Measureless Life'', Amitābha established a Pure Land, pure land of perfect peace and happiness, called Sukhavati, Sukh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratnasambhava
Ratnasambhava (, lit. "Jewel-Born") is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas (or "Five Meditation Buddhas") of Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhava's mandalas and mantras focus on developing equanimity and equality and, in Vajrayana Buddhist thought is associated with the attempt to destroy greed and pride. His consort is Mamaki and his mount is a horse or a pair of lions. Textual History The first documented mention of Ratnasambhava is found in the '' Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra'' and in the Guhyasamāja Tantra (4th Century CE), and he subsequently appears in a number of Vajrayana texts. The most elaborate account of him is to be found in the ''Pañcakara'' section of the ''Advayavajrasaṃgraha.'' In the Śūraṅgama mantra ( Chinese: 楞嚴咒; pinyin: ''Léngyán Zhòu'') taught in the Śūraṅgama sutra ( Chinese: 楞嚴經; pinyin: ''Léngyán Jīng''), an especially influential dharani in the Chinese Chan tradition, Ratnasambhava is mentioned to be the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
