Bharhut relief with Diamond throne and Mahabodhi Temple around the Boddhi Tree

Bodhimaṇḍa (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

) or daochang (; J. dōjō; T. byang chub snying po) is a term used in

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

meaning the "seat of awakening" or "platform of enlightenment". According to Haribhadra, it is "a place used as a seat, where the essence of enlightenment is present". In our world, this refers to the specific spot in

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

under the bodhi tree, where Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, but technically, it can be used to refer to the place of awakening of any Buddha or

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

.Buswell, Robert E; Lopez, Donald S. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 132. Princeton University Press, Nov 24, 2013. In

Buddhist cosmology Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to Buddhist Tripitaka, scriptures and Atthakatha, commentaries. It consists of a temporal and a spatial cosmology. The temporal cosmology describes the ...

, the bodhimaṇḍa is also said to be the center or navel of the world, i.e. an

axis mundi In astronomy, is the Latin term for the axis of Earth between the celestial poles. In a geocentric coordinate system, this is the axis of rotation of the celestial sphere. Consequently, in ancient Greco-Roman astronomy, the is the axis of ...

which connects the divine and profane worlds. Bodhimaṇḍas are regularly visited by Buddhist pilgrims, and some have gone on to become popular secular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

destinations as well. In many forms of Buddhism, it is believed that bodhimaṇḍas are spiritually pure places, or otherwise conducive to meditation and enlightenment.

Famous bodhimaṇḍas in India

* The Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya:

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 lege ...

* Mount Potalaka:

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...

Bodhisattva

Famous bodhimaṇḍas in China

* Mount Putuo:

Bodhisattva * Mount Emei: Samantabhadra Bodhisattva *

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks or mesas roughly correspondin ...

: Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva * Mount Jiuhua: Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva

References

Buddhist philosophical concepts {{Buddhist-philo-stub

Famous bodhimaṇḍas in India

Famous bodhimaṇḍas in China

See also

References