Buddhism, religion and philosophy that developed from the teachings of the Buddha (Sanskrit: “Awakened One”), a teacher who lived in northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries bce (before the Common Era). Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and...
of pious actions performed on behalf of the dead. Yet many take the view that heaven is attainable only as the free gift of adivinebeing. Adherents ofPure Land Buddhism, for example, rely upon the vow ofAmitabhaBuddha to bring toSukhavati(the Pure Land, or Western Paradise) all who ...
Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, marking the spot of the Buddha’s Enlightenment (Bodhi). It is located in Bodh Gaya in northeastern India on the banks of the Niranjana River. It is one of the oldest brick temples in India and is a
Known asmalas, prayer beads are a traditional tool inBuddhismand are especially common among Tibetan Buddhists. It was likely adapted from Hinduism. Amalatypically features 108 beads, which are said to represent humanity’s mortal desires, and often ends in a tassel oramulet. The beads are comm...
(e.g., thedharmachakra, or wheel of the law, ofBuddhism). Other nonreligious types of symbols achieved increasing significance in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those dealing with human beings’ relationship to and conceptualization of the material world. Rational, scientific-technical ...
(e.g., thedharmachakra, or wheel of the law, ofBuddhism). Other nonreligious types of symbols achieved increasing significance in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially those dealing with human beings’ relationship to and conceptualization of the material world. Rational, scientific-technical ...
In the Buddhist tradition the swastika symbolizes the feet, or the footprints, of theBuddha. It is often placed at the beginning and end of inscriptions, and modern Tibetan Buddhists use it as a clothing decoration. With the spread ofBuddhism, the swastika passed into the iconography of China...