Buddhism

=Sitting Buddha= The sitting Buddha on the top left is sitting in the position most commonly known as the half-lotus or as the hero position. The hero is a position of meditation, trying to reach as much peace as possible. The image on the right next to it is the full-lotus. The full-lotus is another yoga or meditation position that symbolizes the journey from ignorance to awakening. The last photo is a picture of Yogin. Yogin is one of the eighty four great adepts. The eighty four adepts are holy figures that attain extreme amounts of knowledge and have achieved Nirvana. These Buddhist poses are meant to help achieve ones own Nirvana. Many Buddhists embrace this so they can obtain their own internal peace. It was soon realized in early Indian art that the sitting Buddha was not represented in human form, originally, but in symbols. It has been suggested that the first images of Buddha were created by Greek or Eurasian craftsman. This was suggested because of the rivalry and prejudices between Europe and India at the time. = = =Lotus Symbol= The lotus symbol itself is on that appears consistently throughout the Buddhist culture. It is sen in numerous deities, usually positioned in their hand. It represents the tenderness of the deity's heart. The majority of where the lotus is seen is in the branch of the Bodhisattvas Buddhist culture. This piece of art, is a dish showcasing the eight Buddhist treasures, aslo known as the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism. On the lotus wheel there are eight symbols of Buddhism; the Lotus flower, the banner, the wheel, the parasol, and the endless knot. In each petal of the lotus flower is one of the eight auspicious treasures Buddhism The lotus flower represents the cycle of life. The lotus flower starts out in the mud, poverty, grows through the water, the experiences you collect during your life, and then ends in the light, enlightenment. It is not the physical flower that is a symbol but the process in which it goes through to achieve the ultimate goal, the sun. The conch shell is an object of power, and the shell is blown it is supposed to get rid of any bad spirits or poisonous and it can even avert natural disasters. During spiritual rituals it is used as an instrument and it is also used to hold holy water. The shell is talked about in the Mahabharata; Arjuna’s conch was named Devedatta. Vishnu also had a conch and its name was Panchajanya. On this wheel there are eight spikes, the eight spikes represent the eight fold path. The three parts on this wheel are the hub, the rim and the spokes. The hub represents the axis of the world. The rim represents limitation. However just the shape of the wheel of the circle represents perfection and the Buddha’s teachings. The spokes also represent using wisdom for good or using it the “correct” way. The rim also represents concentration, which is really important because you must be able to concentrate in order to meditate. First of a parasol is an umbrella that is used to protect someone from the sun. It’s like the umbrella s that women used a long time to protect the sun. In Buddhism it represents protection and royalty. The blocking of the sun is a symbol of blocking someone from heat suffering and poverty. This is exactly what it sounds like a not where you can’t tell the beginning or the end. The never ending/beginning represents the fact that everything is connected to everything else. That what goes around comes around or cause and effect. The knot part represents our intertwining with our destiny and what we do now, karma.
 * Research
 * The Lotus flower**
 * The conch shell**
 * The eight spiked wheel**
 * The parasol**
 * The endless knot**

This banner is a banner of victory. There is a legend that when the Buddha reached enlightenment he took this flag to the bottom of the Mount Meru. The symbol that is now shown on the banner is the symbol of the enlightenment. The treasure vase represents the materialistic side of us. It also physically represents what the Buddha looked like. In the vase are treasure that you should give away, this represents that the Buddha’s treasures never disappeared it represents that they were given away. This symbol also says that the Buddha’s teachings are impalpable. The lotus wheel represents all of Buddhism and the basic symbols and motifs within this major religion.
 * The banner**
 * The treasure vase**

= = =Temple at Bodh Gaya=
 * Research



BODH GAYA Even after the Buddha’s death, for centuries the tales of the wisdom of the Buddha was told, spreading all over the world. The holy site in Bodh Gaya, a small town in central Bihar state, northeastern India, west of the Phalgu River, the place of enlightenment for the Buddha, was praised and visited by many. Here, after attaining enlightenment, Buddha spent seven weeks in meditation in Bodh Gaya, deciding how to spread his teaching. However, about eight centuries ago, Buddhism disappeared from India, at the same time it thrived amongst the Asians. Many people still visited the holy site in India, building temples to commemorate the moment of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The Bodhi tree died away along with Buddhism in India. In the nineteenth century, the British rulers of India began the process of restoring the holy site. They cleared away sand that covered the natural beauty of the site and planted a nurtured descendant of the Bodhi tree, which was kept growing in Sri Lanka. The Buddhists from Burma, Myanmar, completed the restoration, and now the Bodh Gaya hosts many visitors. Close to the bodhi tree, there is the Mahabodhi Temple, a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists, also a sacred site for Hindus. The Hindus see Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu. Besides the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya also includes the Shankaracharya Math (a Hindu Temple), a Japanese temple, and Burmese, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Bangladeshi monasteries. These various monasteries and institutes offer Hinayana and Mahayana meditation courses and retreats. The Japanese temple unveiled a 25 meter Great Buddha statue, by the Dalai Lama in 1989.

Research = = =Prayer Wheel= A **prayer wheel** is of a hollow metal cylinder, often beautifully embossed, mounted on a rod handle and containing a tightly wound scroll printed with a prayer. The cylinder on top is made of bronze or another metal and contains the prayers called mantras, the rod holding the cylinder up is made of wood or precious metal. The prayer wheel is considered to be just as effective as reciting the prayers out loud by Buddhists. The prayer wheel is a symbol for some Buddhists as the Wheel of the Law (dharma).

This prayer wheel has a bell to gain the gods attention and a piece from a conch from the ocean.

The prayer wheel is also useful for illiterate members of the lay Buddhist community, since they can "read" the prayers by turning the wheel. Buddhists use prayer wheels to communicate with the divine in ways that sue all five senses: burning incense uses smell, offerings of fruit and food use the sense of taste, the beauty of the alter and the texture of the objects on it use sight and feeling, and reading the chants or mantras uses hearing. Spinning the wheel sends the prayers to heaven. Like the prayer wheels below, many are place before the gates of a temple for worshipers to spin before entering. Smaller prayer wheels are otfen worn around the neck.


 * Research