Buddha
Shakyamuni:
(Tibetan: sha kya tu
pa, sang gye, English: the Enlightened One, Sage of the
Shakya Clan)
Our teacher, the Sage of the Shakya clan, was born in India
and underwent hundreds of austerities to bring his meditative
experience and view to consummation. He was the first in
this human world to attain buddhahood and the first promulgator
of the tradition of the Buddhist teachings. He is the sublime
being who opened our eyes with his enormous compassion and
blessings.
The Buddha Shakyamuni,
at the moment of enlightenment, invoked the earth as witness,
as indicated by the fingers of his right hand, which spread
downward in the bhumisparsha mudra, the "gesture of
touching the earth." As the Buddhist Sutras relate,
the sun and moon stood still, and all the creatures of the
world came to offer obeisance to the Supreme One who had
broken through the boundaries of egocentric existence. All
Buddhist art celebrates this supreme moment and leads the
viewer toward the Buddha's experience of selfless and unsurpassed
enlightenment. The earliest forms of Buddhist art were semiabstract:
bodhi-trees, wheels, stupas, and even the Buddha's stylized
footprints served as supports for contemplating what was
ultimately beyond words or forms. As the Buddha himself
continually taught, it was not he who was continually revered
but the possibility he presented. "Don't look to me,"
he said, "but to the enlightened state."
The first anthropomorphic
representations of the Buddha are said to have been drawn
on canvas from rays of golden light emanating from his body.
Later Buddhist art pictured the Buddha in numerous manifestations,
but always as an archetype of human potential, never as
a historically identifiable person. All forms of the Buddha,
however, are commonly shown seated on a lotus throne, a
symbol of the mind's transcendent nature. As a lotus rises
from the mud to bloom unsullied in open space, so does the
mind rise through the discord of its own experience to blossom
in the boundlessness of unconditional awareness.
Buddhism is not a static
doctrine, but a creative expression of the interdependent
nature of all things. It is a means by which we can discover
in the heart of experience, not ourselves, but a luminous
and unfolding mystery. Buddhism envisions the universe as
a net of jewels, each facet of reality reflecting every
other facet. Our calling is not to escape this web of interdependent
origination, but to awaken to our indwelling Buddha nature,
to see the world for what it is, and to become Buddhas in
our own right - beings of infinite awareness and compassion.
"Be a light unto
yourself," Buddha Shakyamuni declared at the end of
his life. Become a Buddha, an awakened being, he urged,
but never a blind follower of tradition. Indeed the image
of the Buddha, transcending time and place, centers us in
our innermost being.
THE LIFE OF
BUDDHA
Buddha Shakyamuni was born Prince Siddhartha around 563
B.C. among the southern foothills of the Himalayas, the
son of the great king Shuddhodana Gautama and Queen Maya.
One night when the moon
was full, Queen Maya dreamed that a white elephant descended
and entered into her womb through the right side of her
chest, and she became pregnant. According to their custom,
the Queen Maya returned to her parents' home for the birth,
and on her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she took
a rest in the Lumbini Garden. All about her were Ashoka
blossoms. In delight she reached her right arm out to pluck
a branch, and as she did so, a prince was born. In great
joy King Shuddhodana Gautama named the child Siddhartha,
which means " Wish Fulfilled."
The Buddha's birthday
was on the eighth day of April.
The King and Queen then
consulted the hermit sage Asita, who came to the palace
to honor the child. He predicted: "This Prince, if
he remains in the palace, when grown up will become a great
king and subjugate the whole world. But if he forsakes the
court life to embrace a religious life, he will become a
Buddha, the Savior of the world."
At the age of seven,
Prince Siddhartha began his lessons in the civil and military
arts, but his thoughts more naturally tended to other things.
One spring day he went out of the castle with his father.
Together they were watching a farmer at his plowing when
he noticed a bird descended to the ground and carried off
a small worm which had been turned up by the farmer's plough.
He sat down in the shade of a tree and thought about it,
whispering to himself: "Do all living creatures kill
each other?"
The Prince, who had
lost his mother so soon after his birth, was deeply affected
by the tragedy of these little creatures. This spiritual,
wound deepened as day goes by; like a little scar on a young
tree, the phenomenon in worldly existence became more and
more deeply engulfed in his mind.
The King was increasingly
worried as he recalled the hermit's prophecy and tried in
every possible way to cheer the Prince and to turn his thoughts
in other directions. The King arranged the marriage of the
Prince at the age of nineteen to the Princess Yashodhara.
She was the daughter of Suprabuddha, the Lord of Devadaha
Castle and a brother of the late Queen Maya.
For ten years, in the
different Pavilions of Spring, autumn and the rainy Season,
the Prince was immersed in rounds of music, dancing and
pleasure, but always his thoughts returned to the problem
of suffering as he pensively tried to understand the true
meaning of human life.
"The luxuries of
the palace, this healthy body, this rejoicing youth! What
do they mean to me?" he thought. "A man struggling
for existence will naturally look for something of value.
These pride of youth, pride of health, pride of existence
only veiled me from recognizing that there is no escape
from sickness, old age and death. In my life of pleasures
I seem to be living in falsehood."
Thus the spiritual struggle
went on in the mind of Prince Siddhartha... until his only
child, Rahula was born when he was 29. This seemed to bring
things to a turning point, for he then decided to leave
the palace and look for the solution of his spiritual unrest
in the homeless life of a mendicant. He left the castle
one night with only his charioteer, Chandaka, and his favorite
horse, the snow-white Kanthaka. His departure was silent
because earth spirits supported the horse hooves so their
sound would not awaken the palace guards.
The Prince first visited
the hermit Bhagava and watched his ascetic practices. He
then went to Arada Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra to learn
their methods of attaining Enlightenment through meditation;
but after practicing them for a time he became convinced
that they would not lead him to Enlightenment. Finally he
went to the land of Magadha and practiced asceticism in
the forest of Uruvilva on the banks of the Nairanjana River,
which flows by the Gaya Village.
The methods of Siddhartha
practice were rigorous. He spurred himself on with the thought
that "no ascetic in the past, none in the present,
and none in the future, ever has practiced or ever will
practice more earnestly than I do." Still the Prince
could not realize his goal. After six years in the forest
he gave up the practice of asceticism. He went bathing in
the river and accepted a bowl of milk from the hand of Sujata,
a maiden, who lived in the neighboring village. The five
companions who had lived with the Prince during the six
years of his ascetic practice were shocked that he should
receive milk from the hand of a maiden; they thought him
degraded and left him. Thus the Prince was left alone. He
was weak, but at the risk of losing his life he attempted
yet another period of meditation, saying to himself, "Blood
may become exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fall apart,
but I will never leave this place until I find the way to
enlightenment."
It was an intense and
incomparable struggle. He was desperate and filled with
confusing thoughts, dark shadows overhung his spirit, and
he was beleaguered by all the lures of the evils. Carefully
and patiently he examined them one by one and rejected them
all. It was a hard struggle indeed, making his blood run
thin, his flesh fall away, and his bones crack. But when
the morning star finally appeared in the eastern sky, the
struggle was over and the Prince's mind was as clear and
bright as the breaking day. He had, at last, found the path
to Enlightenment. It was December eighth, when Prince Siddhartha
became a Buddha at thirty-five years of age.
From this time on, Prince
Siddhartha was known by different names: some spoke of him
as Buddha, the Perfectly Enlightened One, Tathagata; some
spoke of him as Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakya clan;
others called him the World-honored One.
He went first to Mrigadava
in Varanasi where the five mendicants who had lived with
him during the six years of his ascetic life were staying.
At first they shunned him, but soon after the Buddha preached
his sermon at the Deer Park at Sarnath, they believed in
him and became his first followers. He then went to the
Rajagriha Castle and won over King Bimbisara who had always
been his friend. From there he went about the country living
on alms and teaching men to accept his way of life. Men
responded to him as the thirsty seek water and the hungry
food. Two great disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana came
to him. Soon afterward, two thousand and more followers
had joined the Buddha.
King Shuddhodana was
still inwardly suffering because of his son's decision to
leave the palace, remained aloof; but then he too became
his faithful disciple. Mahaprajapati, the Buddha's step-
mother, and Princess Yashodhara,his wife, and all the members
of the Shakya clan began to follow him. Multitudes of others
also became his devoted and faithful followers. For forty-five
years the Buddha went about the country preaching and persuading
men to follow his way of life. But when he was eighty, at
Vaisali and on his way from Rajagriha to Shravasti, he became
ill and predicted that after three months he would enter
Nirvana. Still he journeyed on until he reached Pava where
he fell seriously ill from some food offered by Chunda,
a blacksmith. Eventually, in spite of great pain and weakness,
he reached the forest that bordered Kusina- gara. Lying
between two large sala trees, he continued teaching his
disciples until his last moment. Thus he entered into perfect
tranquility after he had completed his work as the world's
greatest teacher.
Under the guidance of
Ananda, the Buddha's favorite disciple, the body was cremated
by his friends in Kusinagara. Seven neighboring rulers as
well as King Ajatasatru demanded that the relics be divided
among them. The People of Kusinagara at first refused and
the dispute even threatened to end in war; but under the
advice of a wise man named Drona, the crisis passed and
the relics were divided among the eight great countries.
The ashes of the funeral pyre and the earthen jar that contained
the relics were also given to two other rulers to be likewise
honored. Thus ten great towers commemorating the Buddha
were built to enshrine his relics and ashes.
The Mandala
- Sacred Geometry and Art
Perhaps the most admired
and discussed symbol of Buddhist religion and art is the
mandala, a word which, like guru and yoga, has become part
of the English language. Its popularity is underscored by
the use of the word mandala as a synonym for sacred space
in scholarship world over, and by its presence in English-language
dictionaries and encyclopedias. Both broadly define mandalas
as geometric designs intended to symbolize the universe,
and reference is made to their use in Buddhist and Hindu
practices.
The mandala idea originated
long ago before the idea of history itself. In the earliest
level of India or even Indo-European religion, in the Rig
Veda and its associated literature, mandala is the term
for a chapter, a collection of mantras or verse hymns chanted
in Vedic ceremonies, perhaps coming from the sense of round,
as in a round of songs. The universe was believed to originate
from these hymns, whose sacred sounds contained the genetic
patterns of beings and things, so there is already a clear
sense of mandala as world-model.
The word mandala itself
is derived from the root manda, which means essence, to
which the suffix la, meaning container, has been added.
Thus, one obvious connotation of mandala is that it is a
container of essence. As an image, a mandala may symbolize
both the mind and the body of the Buddha. In esoteric Buddhism
the principle in the mandala is the presence of the Buddha
in it, but images of deities are not necessary. They may
be presented either as a wheel, a tree, or a jewel, or in
any other symbolic manifestation.
Creation of a Mandala
The origin of the mandala
is the center, a dot. It is a symbol apparently free of
dimensions. It means a 'seed', 'sperm', 'drop', the salient
starting point. It is the gathering center in which the
outside energies are drawn, and in the act of drawing the
forces, the devotee's own energies unfold and are also drawn.
Thus it represents the outer and inner spaces. Its purpose
is to remove the object-subject dichotomy. In the process,
the mandala is consecrated to a deity.
In its creation, a line
materializes out of a dot. Other lines are drawn until they
intersect, creating triangular geometrical patterns. The
circle drawn around stands for the dynamic consciousness
of the initiated. The outlying square symbolizes the physical
world bound in four directions, represented by the four
gates; and the midmost or central area is the residence
of the deity. Thus the center is visualized as the essence
and the circumference as grasping, thus in its complete
picture a mandala means grasping the essence.
Construction of a Mandala
Before a monk is permitted
to work on constructing a mandala he must undergo a long
period of technical artistic training and memorization,
learning how to draw all the various symbols and studying
related philosophical concepts. At the Namgyal monastery
(the personal monastery of the Dalai lama), for example,
this period is three years.
In the early stages
of painting, the monks sit on the outer part of the unpainted
mandala base, always facing the center. For larger sized
Mandalas, when the mandala is about halfway completed, the
monks then stand on the floor, bending forward to apply
the colors.
Traditionally, the mandala
is divided into four quadrants and one monk is assigned
to each. At the point where the monks stand to apply the
colors, an assistant joins each of the four. Working co-operatively,
the assistants help by filling in areas of color while the
primary four monks outline the other details.
The monks memorize each
detail of the mandala as part of their monastery's training
program. It is important to note that the mandala is explicitly
based on the Scriptural texts. At the end of each work session,
the monks dedicate any artistic or spiritual merit accumulated
from this activity to the benefit of others. This practice
prevails in the execution of all ritual arts.
There is good reason
for the extreme degree of care and attention that the monks
put into their work: they are actually imparting the Buddha's
teachings. Since the mandala contains instructions by the
Buddha for attaining enlightenment, the purity of their
motivation and the perfection of their work allows viewers
the maximum benefit.
Each detail in all four
quadrants of the mandala faces the center, so that it is
facing the resident deity of the mandala. Thus, from the
perspective of both the monks and the viewers standing around
the mandala, the details in the quadrant closest to the
viewer appear upside down, while those in the most distant
quadrant appear right side up.
Generally, each monk
keeps to his quadrant while painting the square palace.
When they are painting the concentric circles, they work
in tandem, moving all around the mandala. They wait until
an entire cyclic phase or layer is completed before moving
outward together. This ensures that balance is maintained,
and that no quadrant of the mandala grows faster than another.
The preparation of a
mandala is an artistic endeavor, but at the same time it
is an act of worship. In this form of worship concepts and
form are created in which the deepest intuitions are crystallized
and expressed as spiritual art. The design, which is usually
meditated upon, is a continuum of spatial experiences, the
essence of which precedes its existence, which means that
the concept precedes the form.
In its most common form,
the mandala appears as a series of concentric circles. Each
mandala has its own resident deity housed in the square
structure situated concentrically within these circles.
Its perfect square shape indicates that the absolute space
of wisdom is without aberration. This square structure has
four elaborate gates. These four doors symbolize the bringing
together of the four boundless thoughts namely - loving
kindness, compassion, sympathy, and equanimity. Each of
these gateways is adorned with bells, garlands and other
decorative items. This square form defines the architecture
of the mandala described as a four-sided palace or temple.
A palace because it is the residence of the presiding deity
of the mandala, a temple because it contains the essence
of the Buddha.
The series of circles
surrounding the central palace follow an intense symbolic
structure. Beginning with the outer circles, one often finds
a ring of fire, frequently depicted as a stylized scrollwork.
This symbolizes the process of transformation which ordinary
human beings have to undergo before entering the sacred
territory within. This is followed by a ring of thunderbolt
or diamond scepters (vajra), indicating the indestructibility
and diamond like brilliance of the mandala's spiritual realms.
In the next concentric
circle, particularly those mandalas which feature wrathful
deities, one finds eight cremation grounds arranged in a
wide band. These represent the eight aggregates of human
consciousness which tie man to the phenomenal world and
to the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Finally, at the center
of the mandala lies the deity, with whom the mandala is
identified. It is the power of this deity that the mandala
is said to be invested with. Most generally the central
deity may be one of the following three:
Peaceful Deities
A peaceful deity symbolizes
its own particular existential and spiritual approach. For
example, the image of Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes
compassion as the central focus of the spiritual experience;
that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the central focus; and
that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength
in the quest for sacred knowledge.
Wrathful Deities
Wrathful deities suggest
the mighty struggle involved in overcoming one's alienation.
They embody all the inner afflictions which darken our thoughts,
our words, and our deeds and which prohibit attainment of
the Buddhist goal of full enlightenment. Traditionally,
wrathful deities are understood to be aspects of benevolent
principles, fearful only to those who perceive them as alien
forces. When recognized as aspects of one's self and tamed
by spiritual practice, they assume a purely benevolent guise.
Sexual Imagery
Sexual imagery suggests
the integrative process which lies at the heart of the mandala.
Male and female elements are nothing but symbols of the
countless pairs of opposites (e.g. love and hate; good and
evil etc.) which one experiences in mundane existence. The
initiate seeks to curtail his or her alienation, by accepting
and enjoying all things as a seamless, interconnected field
of experience. Sexual imagery can also be understood as
a metaphor for enlightenment, with its qualities of satisfaction,
bliss, unity and completion.
Color Symbolism of the Mandala
If form is crucial to
the mandala, so too is color. The quadrants of the mandala-palace
are typically divided into isosceles triangles of color,
including four of the following five: white, yellow, red,
green and dark blue. Each of these colors is associated
with one of the five transcendental Buddhas, further associated
with the five delusions of human nature. These delusions
obscure our true nature, but through spiritual practice
they can be transformed into the wisdom of these five respective
Buddhas. Specifically:
* White - Vairocana:
The delusion of ignorance becomes the wisdom of reality.
* Yellow - Ratnasambhava: The delusion of pride becomes
the wisdom of sameness.
* Red - Amitabha: The delusion of attachment becomes the
wisdom of discernment.
* Green - Amoghasiddhi: The delusion of jealousy becomes
the wisdom of accomplishment.
* Blue - Akshobhya: The delusion of anger becomes the mirror
like wisdom.
The Mandala as a Sacred
Offering
In addition to decorating
and sanctifying temples and homes, in Tibetan life the mandala
is traditionally offered to one's lama or guru when a request
has been made for teachings or an initiation - where the
entire offering of the universe (represented by the mandala)
symbolizes the most appropriate payment for the preciousness
of the teachings. Once in a desolate Indian landscape the
Mahasiddha Tilopa requested a mandala offering from his
disciple Naropa, and there being no readily available materials
with which to construct a mandala, Naropa urinated on the
sand and formed an offering of a wet-sand mandala. On another
occasion Naropa used his blood, head, and limbs to create
a mandala offering for his guru, who was delighted with
these spontaneous offerings.
Conclusion
The visualization and
concretization of the mandala concept is one of the most
significant contributions of Buddhism to religious psychology.
Mandalas are seen as sacred places which, by their very
presence in the world, remind a viewer of the immanence
of sanctity in the universe and its potential in himself.
In the context of the Buddhist path the purpose of a mandala
is to put an end to human suffering, to attain enlightenment
and to attain a correct view of Reality. It is a means to
discover divinity by the realization that it resides within
one's own self.
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