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Vaiśravaṇa
(Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , zh, s=多闻天王, t=多聞天王, p=Duōwén Tiānwáng, ) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. He is the god of warfare and usually portrayed as a warrior-king. Vaiśravana is based on Kubera, the Hindu deity of wealth. Names The name is a derivative (used, e.g., for patronymics) of the Sanskrit proper name from the root "hear distinctly", (passive) "become famous". The name is derived from the Sanskrit ' which means "son of Vishrava", a usual epithet of the Hindu god Kubera. is also known as Kubera and Jambhala in Sanskrit and Kuvera in Pāli. Other names include: * , a calque of Sanskrit ' * . This was a loanword from into Middle Chinese with the addition of the word "heaven, god" * , THL ''Namthöse'', "Prince All-Hearing", a calque of Sanskrit ' * is a loan from Tibetan ''thos sras'', a short form of Tibetan ''rnam thos sras'' with the addition of an honorific * is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Heavenly Kings
The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhism, Buddhist gods or Deva (Buddhism), ''devas'', each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhist Buddhist temple, temples. Names The Kings are collectively named as follows: Individually, they have different names and features. File:Guardian of Phra Meru Mas of Bhumibol Adulyadej - Vessavana (right side).jpg, Vaiśravaṇa of the north direction, king of yakṣas. File:Guardian of Phra Meru Mas of Bhumibol Adulyadej - Virulhaka (right side).jpg, Virūḍhaka of the south direction, king of kumbhāṇḍas. File:Guardian of Phra Meru Mas of Bhumibol Adulyadej - Dhatarattha (left side).jpg, Dhṛtarāṣṭra of the east direction, king of gandharvas. File:Guardian of Phra Meru Mas of Bhumibol Adulyadej - Virupakkha (left side).jpg, Virūpākṣa of the west direction, king of nāgas. Mythology All four Kings ser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kubera
Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the world (''Lokapala''). His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species, and the owner of the treasures of the world. Kubera is often depicted with a plump body, adorned with jewels, and carrying a money-pot and a club. Originally described as the chief of evil spirits in Veda, Vedic-era texts, Kubera acquired the status of a ''Deva (Hinduism), deva'' (god) only in the Puranas, ''Purana''s and the Hindu epics. The scriptures describe that Kubera once ruled Lanka, but was overthrown by his half-brother Ravana, later settling in the city of Alaka in the Himalayas. Descriptions of the "glory" and "splendour" of Kubera's city are found in many scriptures. Kubera has also been assimilated into the Buddhist and Jain pa ... [...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 mostly consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings mentioned in Buddhist sūtras, as well as a few adapted from the Taoism, Taoist pantheon and converted into Buddhist Dharmapala, dharmapalas. 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, are mentioned in various Mahayana Buddhist sūtras, such as the Lotus Sutra, Lotus Sūtra and the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra. More deities, namely Surya, Chandra, Yama and Sāgara (Dragon King), Sāga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yaksha
The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval era temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The feminine form of the word is or Yakshini (, ; ). In Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, the s have a dual personality. On the one hand, a may be an inoffensive nature-fairy, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the , which is a kind of ( bhuta) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travellers, similar to the rakṣasas. Early yakshas Yakshas appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts. Several monumental yakshas are known from the time of the Maurya Empire period. They are variously dated from around the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century BCE. These statues are monumental (usua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guanyin
Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as male in Indian Buddhism, Guanyin has been more commonly depicted as female in China and most of East Asia since about the 12th century. Due to sociogeographical factors, Guanyin can also be historically depicted as genderless or adorning an androgynous apprentice. On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Guanyin has been incorporated in other religions, including Taoism and Chinese folk religion. Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a sacred lotus in religious art, lotus and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity" with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermitage Museum XX-2385 Golden Vaishravana
Hermitage, The Hermitage or L'Hermitage may refer to: Common uses * Hermitage (religious retreat), a place of religious seclusion * The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee), the estate of Andrew Jackson * The Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg Places Antarctica * Hermitage Peak (Antarctica) Australia * The Hermitage (Australia), a school in Geelong, Victoria * The Hermitage, Queensland, a locality in the Southern Downs Region * The Hermitage, Denistone, a historic house in Sydney * The Hermitage, Vaucluse, a historic house in Sydney * Upper Hermitage and Lower Hermitage, rural areas near Adelaide, South Australia * Parish of Hermitage, New South Wales Canada * Hermitage, Edmonton, Alberta * Hermitage-Sandyville, a town in Newfoundland * Hermitage Peak (British Columbia) * The Hermitage (Hamilton, Ontario), a historic house Denmark * Hermitage Hunting Lodge, a royal hunting lodge north of Copenhagen France * Crozes-Hermitage, a commune of the Drôme dépar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nāga
In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. Furthermore, nāgas are also known as Dragon, dragons and Water spirit, water spirits. A female nāga is called a Nagin, or a Naiṇī Devī, Nagini. According to legend, they are the children of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least 2,000 years. They are principally depicted in three forms: as entirely human with snakes on the heads and necks, as common serpents, or as half-human, half-snake beings in Hinduism and Buddhism. ''Nagaraja'' is the title given to the king of the nāgas. Narratives of these beings hold cultural significance in the mythological traditions of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures, and within Hinduism and Buddhism ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karma In Buddhism
Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म, Pāli: ''kamma'') is a Sanskrit term that literally means "action" or "doing". In the Buddhist tradition, ''karma'' refers to action driven by intention ('' cetanā'') which leads to future consequences. Those intentions are considered to be the determining factor in the kind of rebirth in '' samsara'', the cycle of rebirth. Etymology ''Karma'' (Sanskrit, also ''karman'', Pāli: ''kamma'', Tib. ''las'') is a Sanskrit term that literally means "action" or "doing". The word ''karma'' derives from the verbal root ''kṛ'', which means "do, make, perform, accomplish." ''Karmaphala'' (Tib. ''rgyu 'bras'') is the "fruit", "effect" or "result" of ''karma''. A similar term is ''karmavipaka'', the "maturation" or "cooking" of ''karma'': The metaphor is derived from agriculture: Buddhist understanding of ''karma'' ''Karma'' and ''karmaphala'' are fundamental concepts in Buddhism. The concepts of ''karma'' and ''karmaphala'' explain how intentional a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but Great Renunciation, renounced his Householder (Buddhism), home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation, he attained Nirvana (Buddhism), nirvana at Bodh Gaya, Bodh Gayā in what is now India. The Buddha then wandered through the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, teaching and building a Sangha, monastic order. Buddhist tradition holds he died in Kushinagar and reached ''parinirvana'' ("final release from conditioned existence"). According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to Vimutti, freedom from Avidyā (Buddhism), ignora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sotāpanna
In Buddhism, a (Pali) or (Sanskrit)—translated variously as "stream-enterer", "stream-entrant" or "stream-winner"—is one who has reached the first of the four stages of enlightenment. Stream entry is purportedly followed by three subsequent stages of awakening: '' Sakadāgāmi'' (once-returner), '' Anāgāmi'' (non-returner), and '' Arahant'' (fully liberated). The word ''sotāpanna'' literally means "one who entered (''āpanna'') the stream (''sota''); stream-enterer", after a metaphor which calls the noble eightfold path a stream which leads to a vast ocean, nibbāna. It describes a person who has grasped the ''dharma'' and thereby dropped the first three fetters (Pāli: '), namely self-view (''sakkāya-ditthi''), skeptical indecision ('' vicikicchā''), and clinging to rites and rituals (''sīlabbata-parāmāsa''). A stream entrant is said to be free from possible rebirth in one of the three lower realms. Attainment The is termed the path of stream-entry (''sotāpa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bimbisara
Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories ( or ) was the King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi 262010p. 166f. or ) and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.Peter N. Stearns (2001), ''The Encyclopedia of World History''. Houghton Mifflin, p. 76 ff. . He was the son of Bhattiya. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan Empire. According to Jain Tradition, he is said to be the first Tirthankara (''will be named as Padmanabha / Mahapadma'') out of 24th Tirthankara of the future cosmic age. He frequently visited Samavasarana of Lord Mahavira seeking answers to his queries. According to Buddhist Tradition, he is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. According to the 7th century Chinese monk Xuanzang, Bim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paritta
Paritta (Pali), generally translated as "protection" or "safeguard," refers to the specific Buddhist verses and discourses recited in order to ward off misfortune or danger, as well as to the practice of reciting the verses and discourses. The practice of reciting or listening to the paritta suttas began very early in the history of Buddhism. Uses In the Pali literature, these short verses are recommended by the Buddha as providing protection from certain afflictions. The belief in the effective power to heal, or protect, of the ''sacca-kiriya'', or asseveration of something quite true is an aspect of the work ascribed to the ''paritta''. It is also widely believed that all-night recitations of paritta by monks bring safety, peace and well-being to a community. Such recitations will also occur on auspicious occasions, such as the inauguration of a new temple or home or to provide blessings upon those who hear. Conversely, paritta discourses are recited on inauspicious occa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
