Footprints of the Buddha

Images of footprints made by Buddha are from the earliest Buddhist art forms. Another word used when describing Buddhas footprints is “Buddhapada”, they are highly revered in all all Buddhist countries, especially Sri Lanka and Thailand, where the Buddha himself once walked. Buddhapada is a symbol that has been respected in India because for it's representation of the grounding of the transcendent.

In Modern Buddhism the Footprints have many different meanings, but they are all related to Buddhism, ultimately it is undisputed that they are a symbol of the existence of the Buddha. Some people believe that after the Buddha attained enlightenment, his feet made an imprint in the stone where he stood.

In a different tradition, the infant Buddha stood and walked for seven steps after his birth as a symbol of his spiritual domination of the universe. Ether way the footprints of the Buddha symbolize the Buddha's presence. Even today the Buddhapada are still revered in the Buddha's absence, now that he has entered nirvana they are a reminder of the Buddhist strides toward a life of nonattachment.

Physically the Buddha's footprints can come with different images, but most commonly they are depicted with the toes of all one length and a dharmachakra wheel on the soul. Other symbols that often
appear on the heel and toes are a lotus flower the swastika and the three Jewels or triratna.

On very large Buddhapada's there is enough room for more detail, so there is room for 32, 108 or even 132 distinctive marks of a Buddha usually in a checkerboard pattern. Any or all of these symbols can also seen on the bottoms of the feet of large statues of the Buddha when he is reclining.

The oldest and most precious sculptures of Buddha's footprints are protected in special temples and structures, where Buddhist monks and others who are faithful will bring offerings such as flowers, fruit, incense and money.

Tara is the Star who Saves

There is a very special deity known throughout Buddhism named Sgrol-ma, which means “she who saves”. This savior goddess is most popular in the regions of Tibet , Mongolia and Nepal. She is known simply as Tara or “star” in the Sanskrit language.

Tara is the goddess of universal compassion, she is the representation of all virtuous, enlightened action. Her love for all living things is stronger than the love of a mother for her child. Tara protects us during our earthly travels, giving us longevity and stands guards us as we fumble our way through the spiritual journey to enlightenment.

Before the sixth century CE Tara was not known to Buddhists but she was very well known in Hinduism by another name, the goddess Parvati. When Buddhists discovered Tara they say she was born out of Avalokiteshvara, through her tears of compassion. As the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara wept for the world and its beings who endure suffering, her tears formed a lake. Inside this lake of tears grew a lotus and when the lotus opened the goddess Tara was inside! In another legend Tara was born from a blue light beam coming from one of Avalokiteshvara's eyes.

The body of Tara is envisioned in different colours, each colour symbolizes separate things. In some traditions it is said that White Tara, with her lotus in full bloom, symbolizes the day, and was born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara's left eye. Green Tara with her half-open lotus, represents the night, and came from the tears of Avalokiteshvara's right eye. Green Tara is the embodiment of virtuous activity, White Tara symbolizes the immense compassion of the goddess who labors day and night to relieve suffering.

In Tibet,Every pious woman was believed to be an incarnation of Tara. She was associated with two wives of the first Buddhist king of Tibet, Srong-brtsan-sgam-po. The Buddhist kings wife from imperial China was known an incarnation of the White Tara, while the king's wife from Nepalese was an incarnation of the Green Tara. It is possible that the strong need to see both these pious women as incarnations of Tara was the reason Buddhists came up with the concept of green and white forms of this goddess.

Is What Buddha Did Not Teach, More Important?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bhaskar_Banerjee]Bhaskar Banerjee

Buddha, his childhood name was Gautama, was born in 536 BC. His father, the king of Kapilavastu, India (now known as Nepal) wished to learn the future of the boy, and an assemblage of seven great astrologers of the age sat to discuss mutually and make a correct foretelling. Six of them raised their middle and index fingers, indicating two possibilities: either that he would become a Chakravarti Raja, the all-conquering King of all four directions, or a foremost ascetic, the likes of which the world had never seen. Now this is no prediction at all, because every one of us has these two possibilities. Why we are not able to attain our pinnacle, and remain in a quandary all our lives, is quite another matter.

So, this group of the Six of the Wise Words, left Shuddodhana, because that was the name of Buddha's father, and meaning "the purity of opulence', in more confusion because, as a king he could make every necessary wherewithal available to make Gautama a great warrior, and that is what he had wanted his son to become. But there was one astrologer, his name was Kodanna, who sat silent, as if in meditation; he did not seem to have participated with the other greats in their findings. He was the youngest of the group and had, in a short span of time, earned quite a reputation. The King demanded of him his opinion. Unlike others, he raised but just one finger to the great happiness of Shuddodhana, in anticipation of what he wanted to hear. He was disappointed, however, because Kodanna merrily announced that there was no possibility ever other than the child growing to be the lotus of all asceticism.

The lotus has always been very symbolic of Indian philosophical thinking. It grows only in dirt and watery mire but is ever untouched by water. A drop just rolls over without wetting a lotus leaf, which symbolizes detachment - untouched by either happy or the sad events of life. Kodanna's prediction ended here, but what a living prediction for the world to remember of the Buddha's life!

I am reminded of another incident of Buddha's life. A middle-aged and very revered practitioner of the austere ways of life, called a sannyasin, once came to the house of Shuddodhana, and kept looking transfixed at the young Gautama for quite a while. A faint sign of recognition and veneration came about in his countenance, and he quietly got up, and bowed his head down at Gautama's feet, to the surprise of neither, excepting the father, who was simply amazed at the unbelievable goings-on before his eyes. To add to his astonishment, he saw a stream of tears running down the sannyasin's eyes.

All he could ask in his shock was "What happened?" The sage replied, "This boy, I could see, carried the Lotus of Renunciation, the highest realization of the order of our practice". "But why Sir, why those tears in your eyes", enquired Shuddodhana. "Because", said the hermit, "I will not be there alive any more to witness the greatest of events of the Buddha attaining to Buddhahood".

Let us now focus on our turn to be surprised: When this incident happened Buddha was not even the Buddha as we know of him today. He was all of twenty-four then, and was first initiated into a life of a Mendicant Wanderer at the age of twenty-nine. Protected by his father who was bent on proving Kodanna the forecaster wrong, Gautama was afforded a life of utter material affluence, the underlying idea being that he remained distracted from his predicted path of a life away from home. But this was not to be! Destiny had other greater design in store for him, and through him, for the benefit of mankind as a whole.

How could the sannyasin see the future so uncannily in its realism when it seemed inconsequentially improbable and out of place that not even an iota of wild imagination could have dreamt of, and the sage was yet a neophyte in the hierarchy ranks of enlightenment? In fact, it would be wrong to use the word "hierarchy", as there is no such prescribed rule in the course of one's enlightenment; the overwhelming effect being all so gripping, that one is from tip to toe wholly engulfed in it.

I am not in the least trying to impress upon anyone that these stories are true historic accounts of the life of the Buddha. It may be, it may be not; what science or what clairvoyance did Kodanna or the sannyasin possess or did not posses, is not the point in question. To me the yarns spun around such tales are very significant in that they hammer home the mysticism surrounding the lives of these man-gods, encapsulating subtle fleeting messages for the imagination to capture which would otherwise be very difficult to convey in words. What is not said, therefore, becomes more important than what is.

Indeed, what Buddha taught the world can not be understated; the teachings are immeasurably priceless. But think of it from another dimension: Did what Buddha not teach more important? To me, the answer is an affirmative "Yes", if only if we were to become receptive enough as also a receptacle to his all-pouring rain of Silence.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bhaskar_Banerjee http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-What-Buddha-Did-Not-Teach,-More-Important?&id=834556

She Is The Star Who Saves

There is a very special deity known throughout Buddhism named Sgrol-ma, which means “she who saves”. This savior goddess is most popular in the regions of Tibet , Mongolia and Nepal. She is known simply as Tara or “star” in the Sanskrit language.

Tara is the goddess of universal compassion, she is the representation of all virtuous, enlightened action. Her love for all living things is stronger than the love of a mother for her child. Tara protects us during our earthly travels, giving us longevity and stands guards us as we fumble our way through the spiritual journey to enlightenment.

Before the sixth century CE Tara was not known to Buddhists but she was very well known in Hinduism by another name, the goddess Parvati. When Buddhists discovered Tara they say she was born out of Avalokiteshvara, through her tears of compassion. As the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara wept for the world and its beings who endure suffering, her tears formed a lake. Inside this lake of tears grew a lotus and when the lotus opened the goddess Tara was inside! In another legend Tara was born from a blue light beam coming from one of Avalokiteshvara's eyes..

The body of Tara is envisioned in different colours, each colour symbolizes separate things. In some traditions it is said that White Tara, with her lotus in full bloom, symbolizes the day, and was born from the tears of Avalokiteshvara's left eye. Green Tara with her half-open lotus, represents the night, and came from the tears of Avalokiteshvara's right eye. Green Tara is the embodiment of virtuous activity, White Tara symbolizes the immense compassion of the goddess who labors day and night to relieve suffering.

In Tibet,Every pious woman was believed to be an incarnation of Tara. She was associated with two wives of the first Buddhist king of Tibet, Srong-brtsan-sgam-po. The Buddhist kings wife from imperial China was known an incarnation of the White Tara, while the king's wife from Nepalese was an incarnation of the Green Tara. It is possible that the strong need to see both these pious women as incarnations of Tara was the reason Buddhists came up with the concept of green and white forms of this goddess.

The Buddhist Lotus Symbol

In Buddhism the lotus flower is one of the most poignant representations of Buddhist teachings and is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. The lotus flower has a strong pleasant odor and is the only water dwelling plant to regularly rise eight to twelve inches above the surface. This flower has inspired many people through out many cultures, it is small, yet strong, carring deep rooted symbolism.

The Lotus is Buddhism's best recognized motif it is used in all kinds of Buddhist art across all Buddhist cultures. Scrolling lotuses often embellish Buddhist textiles, ceramics and architecture. They can also be found as part of the many symbols, where the number of pedals is of great importance.

The growth pattern of a lotus flower signify the progress of the soul. The roots of a lotus flower grow from the primeval mud of materialism, the stem then grows up through the waters of experience, where it lies pristinely above the water, and basks in the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

According to scholars, "in esoteric Buddhism, the heart of the being is like an unopened lotus: when the virtues of the Buddha develop therein, the lotus blossoms; that is why the Buddha sits on a lotus bloom." Almost every important Buddhist deity can be associated in some way with the lotus, either being seated upon a lotus in full bloom or holding one in their hands. Some images of standing Buddhas will go as far as to have each foot rests on a separate lotus.

Finally the color of the lotus is as important to the symbolism associated with it. The white Lotus represents a state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity. It is associated with the White Tara who will proclaim her perfect nature, a quality which is reinforced by the color of her body. Pink is the supreme lotus, mostly reserved for the highest deity. Naturally it is associated with the Great Buddha himself. Red signifies the original nature and purity of the heart. It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart. It is the flower of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The blue Lotus is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. It is the preferred flower of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.