Posted in Z, tagged Asia, awareness, buddha, buddhism, china, enlightenment, india, koan, life, master, religion, satori, spirit, spirituality, zen on May 15, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Zen Garden
Originally uploaded by euart
Zen This is a Japanese form of Buddhism, introduced to Japan by the monk Eisai (1141-1215 CE).
Dissatisfied with formalistic Buddhism, Esai traveled to China and returned to Japan bringing this new form of the old religion.
The word Zen is derived from the Chinese Ch’an (Ch’an Buddhism).
Ch’an was apparently introduced to [...]
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Posted in A, tagged aggression, ahimsa, augustine, battle, buddhism, catholic, catholicism, christianity, conflict, confrontation, dharma, Gandhi, ghandi, harmony, hinduism, jainism, just war, non-violence, non-violent, peace, religion, violence, war on April 23, 2008 | No Comments »
Mahatma Ghandi
Originally uploaded by dbking
Ahimsa Mohandas Gandhi’s life exemplified this Jain ideal of non-violence.
Himsa means “harming.” The prefix a implies the opposite, “not-harming.”
Ahimsa is based on respect for all life. It’s believed that violence to the living merely harms self and others, binding the doer to undesirable future incarnations on Earth.
The ideal is central to [...]
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candle without wind
Originally uploaded by topher76
Anatman (Pali anatta: “no self” 
This is a Theraveda Buddhist theory stipulating the non-existence of the soul.
Aspects of anatman theory resemble but also differ from the idea of reincarnation.
In anatman theory, the temporary seat of consciousness is said to be exterminated like a candle flame at death, to be re-lit as [...]
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Posted in A, tagged anatman, arhat, arhat ideal, belief, buddhism, buddhism. arhat, faith, life, reason, religion, spirit on March 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Arhat According to Hinayana Buddhism, an arhat is a person who has negated all karmic debts, escaped the wheel of rebirth (samsara), will not be reincarnated and will achieve Nirvana after his or her lifetime.
Unlike the bodhisattva, the arhat is not concerned about guiding or assisting others toward liberation.
Critics, such as the Mahayana Buddhists, say [...]
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Posted in A, tagged anatman, arhat, arhat ideal, belief, buddhism, faith, life, reason, religion, spirit on March 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Arhat Ideal » Arhat
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Aum-Mani-Padme-Hum This popular Tibetan mantra, composed in Sanskrit and associated with Avilokiteshvara, is of uncertain origin.
The repetition of the four syllables is said to recreate the ebb and flow of the universe and engender an attitude of compassion appropriate to Tibetan Buddhism.
Image Source:
Resized from original (http://www.onwardtibet.org/index.html), Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 license.
Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or [...]
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Avalokiteshvara (Skt. isvara = The Lord).
Major bodhisattva of the Mahayana school of Buddhism.
His name means “The one who looks down” or “The one who hears the sound” and is associated with compassion and divinity.
He is often represented in Tankas (elaborate Buddhist art) with several heads and up to a thousand arms.
Image Source:
Cropped and resized from [...]
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Posted in A, tagged avatar, buddha, buddhism, computers, cyberslang, dharma, evil, graphics, hinduism, reincarnation, religion, web on March 11, 2008 | No Comments »
Avatar (Skt.=”descent” In Hinduism the avatar is an incarnation of God who takes birth on earth to restore dharma.
In Hindu thought, God comes to earth to restore order whenever morality becomes too imbalanced.
Jesus Christ is sometimes seen as one of a series of avatars.
In orthodox Hinduism, there are generally ten avatars of Vishnu.
The first is [...]
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Posted in B, tagged buddha, buddhism, nirvana, religion on February 22, 2008 | No Comments »
Bodhi Tree According to Buddhist legend, the tree under which the seated Buddha-to-be resolved to find Truth.
Apparently the future Buddha was first pursued by demons and then received what he believed were heavenly visions.
Rejecting both as temporary and thus unreal, he attained Nirvana, which for him and his followers is the ultimate, true and unchanging [...]
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Bodhisattva [Sanskrit bodhi = enlightenment + sattva = existence]
According to the parameters of Mayhayana Buddhist belief and experience, the bodhisattva is the near enlightened being who forestalls complete enlightenment in order to lead others to a similar state of awareness.
The bodhisattva is said to have seen the proverbial door leading to total enlightenment but waits before [...]
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