For the earlier Hindu temples, rock was the dominant construction material. There were many temples that were even cut, as a solid piece, out of large rock edifices. The temples at Ellora are good examples. These temples were built between the 5th and 10th century in what is presently the Indian state of Maharashtra. The […]
One important symbol in the dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism) is the wheel of life. This wheel represents the continuous cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, or samsara. There are several different forms of this wheel of life.
There is an elaborate version. This version often has six spokes and is represented in the […]
In Buddhism the term Buddha means “enlightened one”. Depending on whom you ask, there have been many Buddhas. The most famous is the original Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Other Buddhas can have different names and indeed certain aspects of the Buddhas can have different names.
Vairochana is a term that refers to […]
The Jatakas are a series of stories and are an important part of Buddhist literature. These stories are often studied to help people better understand key points of Buddhism.
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term for the avoidance of injury (himsa). This can be interpreted as the general idea of nonviolence that Gandhi advocated. This concept is also a very important part of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
The concept of ahimsa is sometimes thought to be a little more nuanced than what most people consider non-violence. […]
Sometimes the term Shakyamuni is used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
The term more literally can be translated into “The Sage of the Shakyas.”
Here is an image of a painting of Gautama Budhha’s (Shakyamuni’s) first sermon at the Deer Park. This painting is presently at Wat Chedi Liem in Thailand.
The term bodhisattva has slightly different meanings in different sects of Buddhism. In Mahayana Buddhism a bodhisattva is one who has attained enlightenment, however, has decided to postpone his/her entrance into nirvana in order to help others. In Theravada Buddhism the term refers to a person who is well on the way to becoming a […]
Buddhist art uses a wide variety of mediums. Mediums such as bronze, stone, paint, manuscripts, and clay are used. However, dry lacquer, palm leaves, embroidered silk, ivory, and jade are also used. Beyond this there are many other much more rare mediums used such as sand, for sand paintings, and possibly the most unexpected, butter […]
Buddhism is one of the largest religions in the world, and a dominant religion in much of Asia. There are many sects of Buddhism and some are quite different from each other. In some forms of Buddhism religious texts are extremely important. For example in present day Tibetan monasteries the monks still poses manuscripts that […]
The Swayambhunath Stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. The temple sits on a hill above the town and is an important destination for many Buddhist pilgrims.
The legend behind this temple is quite an interesting one. As the story goes, the entire Kathmanduu valley used to be a […]