Undercontruction
Feed back Needed
Undercontruction
Feed back Needed
Swastika
Buddhist Flag
Praying Wheel of
Tibetan Buddhism
The Mantra For Universal Protection of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
The
Buddha's Footprint Bo (Bodhi) Tree-Ficus religiosa
|
The Ancient Symbol
The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit means, "conducive to well- being". S-vasti in Sanskrit is "It's well" Swastika is a symbol of prosperity and good fortune and is widely dispersed in both the ancient and modern world. It originally represented the revolving sun, fire, or life. The swastika was widely utilized in ancient Mesopotamian coinage as well as appearing in early Christian and Byzantium art, where it was known as the gammadion cross. The swastika also appeared in South and Central America, widely used in Mayan art during that time period. The swastika is an equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles, all in the same direction, usually the right, or clockwise. In North America, the swastika was a symbol used by the Navajos. The swastika still continues today to be an extensively used sign in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. In Buddhism, a swastika represents resignation. Usually found in the images of Buddha on His chest, palms, soles of feet. In Jainism, it delineates their seventh saint, and the four arms are also used to remind the worshiper of the four possible places of rebirth; the animal or plant world, in Hell, on Earth, or in the spirit world. To Hindus, the swastika with the arms bent to the left is called the sathio or sauvastika, which symbolizes night, magic, purity, and the destructive goddess Kali. In both Hinduism and Jainism, the swastika or sathio is used to mark the opening pages or their account books, thresholds, doors, and offerings. The swastika was a symbol for the Aryan people, a name which, in Sanskrit means "noble". The Aryans were a group of people who settled in Iran and Northern India. They believed themselves to be a pure race, superior to the other surrounding cultures. As An Archetypal Symbol The Swavastika or backwards Swastika. Types of Swastikas. Various names for the Swastika-- Hakenkreuz, Gammadion, Fylfot, Tetraskelion, Meander. Amulets, talismans and hex signs. Historical Use of the Swastika Was Atlantis the birthplace of the Swastika? Or The fabled motherland called Mu? Found on the genital shields of aboriginal Brazilian women. Greek priestesses branded Swastikas on their arms. Goddess figures dug up at ancient Troy by Dr. Schliemann have Swastikas on the vulva. Romans took the Swastika with them on their march across Europe. Most antiquarians agree that Egyptians had no Swastika except those taken there by Coptic Christians. As An Eastern Cultural Symbol A magical sign tattooed on women to ensure fertility.
Gold weights from West Africa. A favorite ornament in China and Japan.
Ninja throwing stars. Tattooed on monks in Tibet. The Dalai Lama's throne
is always decorated with four Swastikas. In India people mark their cows,
fields, homes, shrines with the Swastika, a sign of good luck and fertility.
When the last czar of Russia was imprisoned with his family in 1917, the
Romanoff girls embroidered lucky swastikas on fabric before their deaths
by the Bolsheviks. As a Mystical Symbol Hindu uses. Sacred Fire. Ganesha. Every holy
spot is marked with a Swastika. Sacred Heart of Buddha. Buddha's footprints
marked with Swastikas. The Jains, who believe in non-violence, make the
sign of the Swastika as often as Catholics make the sign of the cross.
In Bali, Shiva's lingam (penis) is a Swastika. Christian symbol from the
catacombs. Gnostic graffiti includes Swastikas and Stars of David side
by side. Occult Swastikas include Theosophists, Rosicrucians, Masons,
Golden Dawn, Transcendental Meditation, Pythagorus, Madame Blavatsky,
Krishnamurti, Rudolf Steiner, William Butler Yeats. Aliester Crowley claimed
Hitler stole the Swastika from him. Bo (Bodhi)
Tree Buddha received his Enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating under a bo tree at the site of the present-day town of BuddhGaya, India, and the Bo tree is therefore sacred to the followers of Buddhism. It leaf is still a popular Buddhist icon Lotus, common name for any of a genus of plants of the legume family, and for certain members of several unrelated genera. Lotuses are symbols of purity are used by Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Although rooted in the mud, the lotus flowers are stain free. White Lotus (Pundarika)symbolize Bodhi, the state of mental purity and spiritual perfection and the pacification of our nature. It generally has eight petals corresponding Eightfold Path. Red Lotus (Kalama) symbolize the original nature of the Heart (hrdaya) It is the lotus of Love, Compassion, Passion and Activities of the qualities of the heart. Blue Lotus (Utpala) symbolize victory of the spirit over the senses. It denotes of intelligence, wisdom and knowledge. It is usually represented in bud and its centre is not reveal. Pink Lotus (Padma) symbolize supreme Lotus, reserved for the highest order. It is the lotus of historical Buddha. Purple Lotus (?) This is a mystic lotus representing only images of few esoteric sects. In Greek legend, the lotophagi (lotus-eaters), those who ate the fruit of the lotus tree, forgot their friends and homes and lost all desire to return to their native land. Because the legends,
as they have been passed down to the present, are inexact, it is not certain
what plant may have been referred to, and several species have been suggested:
a jujube (Mediterranean Hackberry), a nettle tree, and a desert shrub—all
of which are native to the Mediterranean region.
Index | Buddhist Flag | Buddhist Precepts |Praises of Buddhism |
Last Update 01 May 2001 |
