Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
About Sarnath
Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India. The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna.
Amitabha Foundation - US
Chokhor Duchen – Great Wheel Day
3
Aug
2019
Historical Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India
In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance.
Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or to a shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith.
Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.
Among the four major Buddhism sites of pilgrimage one is in Nepal:
- Lumbini, where Buddha was born
and the three .
The 8 Stupas in Buddhism
The 8 Stupas in Buddhism are different with each other and represents an important event in Buddha Shakyamuni's life. In his Astamahasthanacaitya-stotras, Nagarjuna connects the eight Stupas to specific events and places in the Buddha's life.
Chorten, Chaitya or Stupa (མཆོད་རྟེན་དཀར་པོ།) is an important religious monument in Buddhism, symbolizing Buddha’s presence. It also holds precious Buddhist relics and sometimes even preserved bodies of renowned lamas. Tibetans believe that performing Koras of the monument is an .
Buddha Vairocana – The embodiment of Dharmakaya
Vairocana is a Buddha who has also known as the embodiment of Dharmakaya and therefore can be seen as the universal aspect of the historical Gautama Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, he seems to the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or Emptiness. In the fifth Buddhism Conception of Vajrayana Buddhism, he is at the center.
His consort is White Tara. The Vairocana statue in Nara's Todai-Ji which is located in Japan is the largest .
The origin of the Graphic Arts of Buddhism
Buddhist art is the artistic implementations that are perused by Buddhism. It includes art media which idolize Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other forms of remarkable Buddhist figures, both ancient and mythical.
Buddhist art explains the scenes from the lives of all of the mandalas and other graphic that helps to practice as well as physical objects connected with Buddhist practice, such as vajras, bells, stupas and Buddhist temple designs.
Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama, 6th to 5th century BCE, and .
About 8 Auspicious Symbols in Buddhism – Ashtamangala
The eight auspicious symbols are called as Astamangala in Sanskrit and bkra-shis rtags-brgyad in Tibet.
These symbols are the most well-known group of Buddhist symbols and are traditionally listed in the
order of:
A white parasol
A pair of golden fishes
A treasure vase
A lotus
A right-spiraling white conch shell
An endless knot or ‘lucky diagram’
A victorious banner
A golden wheel
8 Auspicious Symbols of Early Indian Assembly
Originally the eight auspicious symbols formed an early .
The 4 Phases of The Development of Buddhism in India
Buddhism was introduced to Indians by Shakyamuni Buddha who lived in India in the sixth century BCE,
a time of boom of religious and philosophical thought from Greece to China. Born as the crown prince of the great Shakya Kingdom, the youth Siddhartha Gautama was prepared to be a king in accordance
with the wishes of his royal father.
However, at the age of 28 years old, he learned of the deep suffering experienced in life by most .
Dharmachakra Mudra a Symbolic Gesture in Buddhism and Hinduism
First of all, mudra is the Sanskrit word for “gesture,” “mark,” or “seal,” is a symbolic gesture in Buddhism and Hinduism.
What is the meaning of Dharmachakra Mudra?
Dharmachakra Mudra is called as the gesture of Teaching of the Wheel of Dharma that describes one of the most important moments in the Buddha's life.
Buddha performed the Dharmachakra mudra in his first sermon in Sarnath after he attained enlightenment. It is performed with the help of both the hands which .
All about Manjushri Bodhisattva – Meaning, Iconography and Belief
Manjushri is the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. The sword in the hand of Manjushri is called the Prajna khadga or the Sword of Wisdom, which is believed to destroy the darkness of ignorance by the luminous rays issuing out of it.
Manjushri, the full name of Manjushri, is a transliteration of the Brahman, which translates into a wonderful virtue, a wonderful head, and wonderful auspiciousness. Manjushri is a representative of prajna wisdom, often appearing in the classics of .
Thrangu Rinpoche Sixteenth Karmapa
Thrangu Rinpoche was born in Kham in 1933. At the age of five, he was formally recognized by the Sixteenth Karmapa and the previous Situ Rinpoche as the incarnation of the great Thrangu tulku. Entering Thrangu monastery, from the ages of seven to sixteen he studied reading, writing, grammar, poetry, and astrology, memorized ritual texts, and completed two preliminary retreats. At sixteen under the direction of Khenpo Lodro Rabsel, he began the study of .