Symbols Of Buddha
Buddhism symbols signify the Buddhist culture
and religion. Most of the Buddhist symbols relate
to the ancient period
and are found in Hinduism also. These symbols
of Buddhism impart subtle messages in life. They
teach you how to live selflessly and have a contended
life. In the following lines, we have provided
information about the major Buddhist symbols The
Buddhists know who and what the Buddha is. Generally
Buddhists do not worship an image nor pray to
it expecting any worldly boons or sensual pleasures
while they are living on a pleasurable state of
existence such as heaven, after death. The images
Buddhists pay homage to be only representations
of one to whom they pay respect in gratitude because
he, through his own efforts and wisdom, discovered
the way to real peace and made it known to all
beings. The offerings Buddhists make are but symbols
of their reverence for the Buddha and are a means
of concentrating their minds on the significance
of the words they are reciting. Just as people
love to see a portrait of one dear to them when
separated by death or distance, so do the Buddhists
love to have before us a representation of our
teacher, because this representation enables us
to think of his virtues, his love and compassion
for all beings and the doctrine he taught.
Symbols for the Buddha
Lord Buddha was not very comfortable with accepting
images of himself. This is because He never wanted
to be respected as a person, but be known for
His principles and His teachings. Still, the following
symbols of Buddhism are used to signify Lord Buddha.
Buddha.
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Eight Spokes Wheel
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The Bodhi Tree
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Buddha's Footprints
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An Empty Throne
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A Begging Bowl
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A Lion
The Three Jewels or Triple Gems
The Three Jewels or Triple Gems of Buddhism are
the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings) and the
Sangha (monks and nuns). All of them make
the base of Buddhism and without either of the
three the religion wouldn't have been possible.
The Deer
The Deer is symbolic of Dharmachakra Parivartan,
the first teaching of Lord Buddha in the Deer
Park of Sarnath. As per the Tibetan tradition,
a monastery having the Kangyur and Tengyur collections
of texts has to have this symbol on both sides
of the Dharma-wheel on the roof.
Stupas
The enlightened mind of Buddha is reflected through
the stupas. Symbolically, stupas represent the
following five elements:
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Earth - Represented by the square base of the
stupa
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Water - Represented by the round dome of the stupa
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Fire - Represented by the cone-shape of the stupa
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Air - Represented by the canopy of the stupa
»Space
- Represented by the volume of the stupa
Offerings
There are eight offerings in Buddhism, those
of water (to cleanse the mouth or face), water
to wash the feet, flowers, incense, light, perfume,
food and musical instruments. They are believed
to educate people against greed and attachment.
The Seven Jewels of Royal Power
The Seven Jewels of Royal Power characterize
different qualities of a king, which he must
have for staying in power. They collectively
symbolize the secular power and can be offered,
symbolically, to the Buddha.
The Eight Auspicious Symbols
The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, or the
Ashtamangala, are related to the physical form
of the Buddha. They include.
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A Conch Shell
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A Lotus
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THE 'LOTUS FLOWER' ON EARTH:
It is a symbol of
Buddhism: The "earth" represents our
physical body, and the "flower", above
the earth, is our
enlightened mind. The unfolding
of the blossom represents the development
of spiritual awareness.
- The lotus
flower offers you peace on earth, and a escape
from reincarnation... ending up in "nothingness"!,
like a speck in the universe...
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A Wheel
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A Parasol (Umbrella)
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An Endless Knot
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A Pair of Golden Fishes
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A Banner Proclaiming Victory
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A Treasure Vase
Wheel symbolizes the ceaseless worldly existence.
This wheel is held in the Monasteries and many
buildings in Sikkim are richly decorated with
symbols and icons. These symbols are painted
or embossed on the walls or on Tankas. These
paintings may depict the life of Buddha or some
Tibetan saint, the Wheel of of Life or a diety
surrounded by lesser deities. Wheel of Life
the Wheel of life is one of the purest Buddhist
emblems. This emblem can be seen in the entrance
of almost all the monasteries. This emblem is
also widely depicted on thankas or religious
scrools. The circular form of this clutches
of a monster with its claws and teeth and signifies
the passionate clinging of the people to exist
in this world. The hub of the wheel contains
a cock, a snake and a pig. The cock signifies
lust or desire, the snake signifies anger an
the pig symbolises ignorances and stupidity.
These are shown in the center of the wheel as
it is said that they are the root cause of the
trouble on earth. In the intermediate circle
of the wheel of life, the five worlds are drawn
as advised by lord Buddha. The ring between
the intermediate world and the inner most circles
of ignorance, lust and envy is drawn in half
white and half black. White area symbolizes
good deeds and Black symbolizes bad or evil
deeds. People going upwards in White portion
represent people who have performed good deeds
in their lifetime and are now going to take
rebirth in the world of gods. People going in
the Black portion indicate hell or the world
of animals. In the intermediate circle there
are five parts that of which the two upper parts
symbolize heavenly and human worlds. The remaining
three worlds in the lower path symbolize sinful
deeds leading to a world of animals, ghosts
and hell. Outermost circle shows twelve phases
of life.
