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Qixia Temple
Qixia Temple () is a Buddhist temple located on Qixia Mountain in the suburban Qixia District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, northeast of downtown Nanjing. It is one of Nanjing's most important Buddhist monasteries. The temple is the cradle of East Asian Mādhyamaka. History Built in AD 489, the 7th year of the Yongming era during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502), the temple is known for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist visual art and sculptural art in the grounds. These consist of pagodas, murals and artwork that date back to the 10th century. It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Gongde Temple" (; Tang dynasty), "Miaoyin Temple" (; Southern Tang dynasty), "Puyun Temple" (; Song dynasty), "Yanyin Chongbao Chan Temple" (; Song dynasty), "Jingde Qixia Temple" (; Song dynasty) and "Huxue Temple" (; Song dynasty). In 1372, at the dawn of Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was renamed "Qixia Temple" which is still in use now. In the lat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qixia District
Qixia District () is one of 11 districts of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, China, straddling both sides of the Yangtze River. It has an area of 80 km2 and a population of 400,000. Natural and historical sites Qixia Mountain is in Qixia District. Qixia Temple, a Southern Tang Buddhist temple, is there. During the Qing dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor praised it as the most elegant mountain in Jinling. A number of Liang dynasty tombs are in the district, primarily in and around the Ganjiaxiang section of the district. Among them, particularly well known is that of Xiao Xiu (475–518), containing one of the best surviving sets of the period's statuary. Geography Qixia District includes northern and northeastern parts of the greater Nanjing area, on the right (southeastern) side of the Yangtze River. Administration divisions Qixia District administers 10 subdistricts. They are: Subdistricts Economy Qixia Town is an important land and water transport hub. It is c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahasthamaprapta
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength". Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin. In Chinese Buddhism, Mahasthamaprapta is sometimes portrayed as a woman, Shih Chih, with a likeness similar to Avalokiteśvara. He is also one of the Thirteen Buddhas in the Japanese school of Shingon Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is equated with Vajrapani, who is one of his incarnations and was known as the Protector of Gautama Buddha. Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the oldest bodhisattvas and is regarded as powerful, especially in the Pure Land school, where he takes an important role in the ''Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra''. He is often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), es ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amitābha
Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awareness of emptiness for each phenomenon. According to a Pure Land Buddhist scripture, he possesses infinite merit that results from good deeds over countless past lives as Dharmākara. Doctrine Attainment of Buddhahood According to the '' Larger Sūtra of Immeasurable Life'', Amitābha was, in very ancient times and possibly in another system of worlds, a monk named Dharmākara. In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmākara is described as a former king who, having come into contact with Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokeśvararāja, renounced his throne. He then resolved to become a Buddha and to create a ' (literally "buddha-field", often called a "Pureland" or "Buddha Land": a realm existing in the primordial universe outside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twenty-Four Protective Deities
The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas (Chinese language, Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: ''Èrshísì Zhūtiān''), sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas (Chinese language, Chinese: 二十諸天; pinyin: ''Èrshí Zhūtiān''), are a group of dharmapalas in Chinese Buddhism who are venerated as defenders of the Buddhist dharma. The group consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings, mostly borrowed from Hinduism with some borrowed from Taoism. Overview In historical History of Buddhism in India, Indian Buddhism, there were originally sixteen devas who were considered as dharmapalas. These devas, such as Shiva, Indra and Brahma, were originally deities from early History of Hinduism, Hinduism and the Vedas who were syncretized into History of Buddhism in India, Indian Buddhism. However, more deities, namely Surya, Chandra, Yama and Sāgara (Dragon King), Sāgara, were later added to form a group of twenty. At ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sudhana
Sudhanakumāra (), mainly known as Sudhana and Shancai or Shancai Tongzi in Chinese, and translated as ''Child of Wealth'', is the protagonist in the last and longest chapter of the ''Avatamsaka Sutra''. Sudhana appears in Buddhist, Taoist and folk stories; in most of them he is one of the acolytes of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) and is paired with Longnü "Dragon Girl". He and Longnü being depicted with Guanyin was most likely influenced by Yunü (''Jade Maiden'') and Jintong (''Golden Youth'') who both appear in the iconography of the Jade Emperor. A fictionalised account of Sudhana is detailed in the classical novel ''Journey to the West'', where Sudhana is portrayed as a villain, Red Boy, who is eventually subdued by Guanyin and becomes the bodhisattva's attendant. Gandavyuha Sutra Sudhana was a youth from India who was seeking bodhi (enlightenment). At the behest of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Sudhana takes a pilgrimage on his quest for enlightenment and stud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Longnü
Longnü (; Sanskrit: ''nāgakanyā''; Vietnamese: ''Long nữ''), translated as ''Dragon Girl'', along with Sudhana are considered acolytes of the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) in Chinese Buddhism. Her presence in Guanyin's iconography was influenced by tantric sutras celebrating the esoteric Amoghapāśa and Thousand-armed forms of Guanyin, which mention Longnü offering Guanyin a priceless pearl in gratitude for the latter visiting the Dragon King's palace at the bottom of the ocean to teach the inhabitants her salvific dharani. There are no scriptural sources connecting both Sudhana and Longnü to Avalokiteśvara at the same time. It has been suggested that the acolytes are representations of the two major Mahāyāna texts, the ''Lotus Sūtra'' and the '' Avataṃsaka Sūtra'', in which Longnü and Sudhana appear, respectively. The depiction of Longnü and Sudhana with Avalokiteśvara may have been influenced by Yunü (''Jade Maiden'') and Jintong (''Golden Youth'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World." On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity" with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the ''Pumen chapter'' of ''Lotus Sutra'' and ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra''. Several large temples in East Asia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> Indra's myths and powers are similar to other Indo-European deities such as Jupiter, Perun, Perkūnas, Zalmoxis, Taranis, Zeus, and Thor, part of the greater Proto-Indo-European mythology. Indra is the most referred deity in the ''Rigveda''. He is celebrated for his powers, and as the one who killed the great evil (a malevolent type of asura) named Vritra, who obstructed human prosperity and happiness. Indra destroys Vritra and his "deceiving forces", and thereby brings rains and sunshine as the saviour of mankind. He is also an important deity worshipped by the Kalash people, indicating his prominence in ancient Hinduism. Indra's significance diminishes in the post-Vedic Indian literature, but he still plays an important role in various m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the ''Vedas''. Brahma is prominently mentioned in creation legends. In some ''Puranas'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha. Brahma is frequently identified with the Vedic god Prajapati.;David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, everything that is, owes its existence to Brahman. In this sense, Hinduism is ultimately monotheistic or m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vairocana
Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East Asian Buddhism (Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhism), Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of śūnyatā. In the conception of the 5 Jinas of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at the centre and is considered a Primordial Buddha. Vairocana is not to be confused with Vairocana Mahabali, son of Virochana. Literary and historical development Vairocana Buddha is first introduced in the ''Brahmajala Sutra'': Vairocana is also mentioned in the ''Avatamsaka Sutra''; however, the doctrine of Vairocana is based largely on the teachings of the ''Mahavairocana Tantra'' (also known as the ) and to a lesser degree the ''Vajrasekhara Sutra'' (also known as the Tantra). In the ''Avatamsaka Sutr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Jing (Southern Tang)
Li Jing ( zh, 李璟, later changed to ; 916''Old History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 134. – August 12, 961''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 2.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), originally Xu Jingtong (), briefly Xu Jing () in 937–939, courtesy name Boyu (), also known by his temple name Yuanzong (), was the second ruler (sometimes called Zhongzhu, , ) of imperial China's Southern Tang state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned his state from 943 until his death. During Li Jing's earlier reign, he expanded Southern Tang's borders by extinguishing smaller neighboring states: Min in 945 and Chu in 951. However, the warfare also exhausted the wealth of the country, leaving it ill-prepared to resist the Later Zhou invasion in 956. Forced to cede all prefectures north of the Yangtze River, he also had to relinquish his title as an emperor and accept Later Zhou's overlordship in 958, and later Song dynasty's overlordship after 960 when So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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