|
Namkha
The namkha (Tibetan: ''nam mkha'' (ནམ་མཁའ་), 'sky', ' space', ' aether', ' heaven'), also known as ''Dö'' (Tibetan: ''mdos'' (མདོས)),) is a form of yarn or thread cross composed traditionally of wool or silk and is a form of the endless knot of the ''Eight Auspicious Symbols ( Ashtamangala)''. The structure is made of coloured threads wrapped around wooden sticks. Used in the rituals of Bön—the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet—in reality this object represents the fundamental components and aspects of the energy of the individual, as defined from the conception until the birth of the individual. History Knowledge about the use of namkha were almost completely lost, but in 1983 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu wrote a text entitled "The Preparation of Namkha which Harmonizes the Energy of the Elements", and in the same year gave oral teachings on namkha explaining that its function is to harmonize the elements of the individual and the various forms of energy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
Namkhai Norbu (; 8 December 1938 – 27 September 2018) was a Tibetan Buddhist master of Dzogchen and a professor of Tibetan and Mongolian language and literature at Naples Eastern University. He was a leading authority on Tibetan culture, particularly in the fields of history, literature, traditional religions (Tibetan Buddhism and Bon), and Traditional Tibetan medicine, having written numerous books and scholarly articles on these subjects. When he was two years old, Norbu was recognized as the mindstream emanation, a tulku, of the Dzogchen teacher Adzom Drugpa (1842–1924). At five, he was also recognized as a mindstream emanation of an emanation of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594–1651). At the age of sixteen, he met master Rigdzin Changchub Dorje (1863–1963), who became his main Dzogchen teacher. In 1960, he went to Italy at the invitation of Giuseppe Tucci and served as Professor of Tibetan and Mongolian Language and Literature from 1964 to 1992 at Naples Eastern U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pure Land
Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places without the sufferings of Saṃsāra, samsara and to be beyond the Trailokya, three planes of existence. Many Mahayana Buddhists aspire to be reborn in a Buddha's pure land after death. The term "Pure Land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism (). In Sanskrit Buddhist literature, Sanskrit Buddhist sources, the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field () or more technically a pure buddha-field (). It is also known by the Sanskrit term (Buddha land).Keenan, John P. ''The Interpretation of the Buddha Land'', p. xiii. BDK America Inc. 2002. In Tibetan Buddhism meanwhile, the term "pure realms" ( Wylie transliteration, Wylie: ) is also used as a synonym for buddhafield. The various traditions that focus on attaining Rebirth (Buddhism), reb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samye
Samye Monastery (, ), full name Samye Migyur Lhundrub Tsula Khang (Wylie: ''Bsam yas mi ’gyur lhun grub gtsug lag khang'') and Shrine of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence, is the first Tibetan Buddhist and Nyingma monastery built in Tibet, during the reign of King Trisong Deutsen. Khenpo Shantarakshita began construction in 763, and Tibetan Vajrayana founder Guru Padmasambhava tamed the local spirits before its completion in 767. The first Tibetan monks were ordained there in 779. Samye was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution then rebuilt after 1988. Samye Monastery is located in the Chimpu valley (''Mchims phu''), south of Lhasa, next the Hapori mountain along the greater the Yarlung Valley. The site is in the present administrative region of Gra Nang or Drananga Lhokha. History The Testament of Ba provides the earliest date for the construction of the temple, recording that the foundation was set in the "hare year" (either 763 or 775) and the completion and consecrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashtamangala
The Ashtamangala () is the sacred set of Eight Auspicious Signs ( zh, 八吉祥, ''bajixiang'') featured in a number of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or "symbolic attributes" () are yidam and teaching tools. Not only do these attributes (or energetic signatures) point to qualities of enlightened mindstream, but they are the investiture that ornaments these enlightened "qualities" (Sanskrit: ''guṇa''; ). Many cultural enumerations and variations of the Ashtamangala are extant. Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhists make use of a particular set of eight auspicious symbols, ''ashtamangala'', in household and public art. Some common interpretations are given along with each symbol although different teachers may give different interpretations: Conch The right-turning white conch shell (Sanskrit: shankha, ; ) represents the beautiful, deep, melodious, interpenetrating and pervasive sound of the dharma, which awakens disciples f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tantrism
Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian traditions, also means any systematic broadly applicable "text, theory, system, method, instrument, technique or practice". A key feature of these traditions is the use of mantras, and thus they are commonly referred to as Mantramārga ("Path of Mantra") in Hinduism or Mantrayāna ("Mantra Vehicle") and Guhyamantra ("Secret Mantra") in Buddhism. In Buddhism, the Vajrayana traditions are known for tantric ideas and practices, which are based on Indian Buddhist Tantras. They include Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, Japanese Shingon Buddhism and Nepalese Newar Buddhism. Although Southern Esoteric Buddhism does not directly reference the tantras, its practices and ideas parallel them. In Buddhism, tantra has influenced the art and iconogra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shamanism
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way. Beliefs and practices categorized as shamanic have attracted the interest of scholars from a variety of disciplines, including anthropologists, archeologists, historians, religious studies scholars, philosophers, and psychologists. Hundreds of books and academic papers on the subject have been produced, with a peer-reviewed academic journal being devoted to the study of shamanism. Terminology Etymology The Modern English word ''shamanism'' derives from the Russian word , , which itself comes from the word from a Tungusic language – possibly from the southwestern dialect of the Evenki spoken by the Sym Evenki peoples, or from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phurba
The phurba (; alternate transliterations: ''phurpa'', ''phurbu'', ''purbha'', or ''phurpu'') or ''kīla'' (Sanskrit Devanagari: कील; IAST: kīla) is a three-sided peg, stake, knife, or nail-like ritual implement deeply rooted in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön traditions. Its primary association is with the meditational deity Vajrakīlaya (Dorje Phurba), embodying the essence of transformative power. The etymology and historical context of the term reveal some debate. Both the Sanskrit word ''kīla'' and the Tibetan ''phurba'' are used interchangeably in sources. The construction of the phurba is diverse, featuring a pommel, handle, and a blade with three triangular facets. The composition often revolves around the numerological significance of three and nine, with materials ranging from wood and metal to bone and crystal. Phurba blades can be made from meteoric iron, which holds symbolic importance. The pommel typically displays faces of Vajrakīlaya or other sacred m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nazar (amulet)
A naẓar (from Arabic , meaning 'sight', 'surveillance', 'attention', and other related concepts), or an eye bead is an eye-shaped amulet believed by many to protect against the evil eye. The term is also used in Azerbaijani, Bengali, Hebrew, Hindi–Urdu, Kurdish, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Turkish, and other languages. In Turkey, it is known by the name Williams, Victoria (2016). ''Celebrating Life Customs Around the World: From Baby Showers to Funerlan'', p.344. ABC-CLIO. . "nazar boncugu". (the latter word being a derivative of , "bead" in Turkic, and the former borrowed from Arabic), in Greece it is known as (, 'eye'). In Persian and Afghan folklore, it is called a () or (). In India and Pakistan, the Hindi-Urdu slogan '' chashm-e-baddoor'' (, ' ay the evileye keep away') is used to ward off the evil eye. In the Indian subcontinent, the phrase ''nazar lag gai'' is used to indicate that one has been affected by the evil eye. The nazar was added to Unicode as in 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prayer Flag
A Tibetan prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along trails and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. Prayer flags are believed to have originated within the religious tradition of Bon. Barker, page 14 In Bon, shamanistic ''Bonpo'' used primary-colored plain flags in Tibet. Traditional prayer flags include woodblock-printed text and images. History Nepal Sutras, originally written on cloth banners, were transmitted to other regions of the world as prayer flags.Barker, p. 13 Legend ascribes the origin of the prayer flag to the Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ..., whose prayers were written on battle flags used by the ''deva (Hinduism), devas'' against thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum known as '' spacetime''. The concept of space is considered to be of fundamental importance to an understanding of the physical universe. However, disagreement continues between philosophers over whether it is itself an entity, a relationship between entities, or part of a conceptual framework. In the 19th and 20th centuries mathematicians began to examine geometries that are non-Euclidean, in which space is conceived as '' curved'', rather than '' flat'', as in the Euclidean space. According to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, space around gravitational fields deviates from Euclidean space. Experimental tests of general relativity have confirmed that non-Euclidean geometries provide a bet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism. Many historical-medieval faiths also made use of them, including the Religion in ancient Rome, Roman, Religion in ancient Greece, Greek, and Norse paganism, Norse religions. Etymology The modern English language, English word ''wikt:altar#English, altar'' was derived from Middle English ''wikt:alter#Latin, altar'', from Old English ''wikt:alter, alter'', taken from Latin ''wikt:altare#Latin, altare'' ("altar"), probably related to ''wikt:adolere#Etymology 2, adolere'' ("burn"); thus "burning place", influenced by ''wikt:altus#Latin, altus'' ("high"). It displaced the native Old English word ''wikt:weofod#Old English, wēofod''. Altars in antiquity In antiquity, alta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weaving (mythology)
Mention of textiles in folklore is ancient, and its lost mythic lore probably accompanied the early spread of this art. Textiles have also been associated in several cultures with spiders in mythology. Weaving begins with spinning. Until the spinning wheel was invented in the 14th century, all spinning was done with distaff and spindle. In English the "distaff side" indicates relatives through one's mother, and thereby denotes a woman's role in the household economy. In Scandinavia, the stars of Orion's belt are known as ''Friggjar rockr'', "Frigg’s distaff". The spindle, essential to the weaving art, is recognizable as an emblem of security and settled times in a ruler's eighth-century BCE inscription at Karatepe: "In those places which were formerly feared, where a man fears... to go on the road, in my days even women walked with spindles" In the adjacent region of North Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
