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106-580: Within the Vajra Dhātu Mandala (金刚界), Moonlight Bodhisattva resides in the western portion of the Second Court of the Micro Assembly. The figure is depicted with a white body, the left hand forming a fist at the waist and the right hand holding either a moon-shaped object or a lotus flower adorned with a half-moon. Moonlight Bodhisattva's secret name is Kṣīti-garbha Vajra, and their Samaya symbol takes

212-588: A silk tapestry from the Yuan dynasty that serves as a diagram of the Tibetan cosmology, which was given to China from Nepal and Tibet. In the mandala, the outer circle of fire usually symbolises wisdom. The ring of eight charnel grounds represents the Buddhist exhortation to be always mindful of death, and the impermanence with which samsara is suffused: "such locations were utilized in order to confront and to realize

318-545: A yantra is a reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists in the Tantras between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man's inner world (the microcosm), every symbol in a yantra is ambivalently resonant in inner–outer synthesis, and is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness. The term 'mandala' appears in the Rigveda as the name of the sections of the work, and Vedic rituals use mandalas such as

424-715: A Buddha which teaches in their Buddhafield. A Buddha such as Amitābha for example (one of the most popular Buddhas in East Asia), was associated with his vow that anyone who recited his name would be reborn in his pure land as well as with the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara . These other Buddhas were also seen as the source of some of the Mahayana sutras like the Pure land sutras and the Aksobhyavyuha sutras . The hagiographies of Indian Mahayana figures such as Asanga and Nagarjuna , and

530-587: A Thousand Faces , relying on the later Buddha legends. However, modern examination of Buddhist mythology is rare, and critics have argued that the emphasis on rationality in Buddhist modernism has obscured the role of mythology in Buddhist communities both past and present. Mythology in Buddhism is used at various intellectual levels in order to give symbolic and sometimes quasi-historical expression to religious teachings. As noted by scholars such as Thomas Rhys Davids ,

636-400: A circle with a center point . Each gate is in the general shape of a T. Mandalas often have radial balance . A yantra is similar to a mandala, usually smaller and using a more limited colour palette. It may be a two- or three-dimensional geometric composition used in sadhanas , puja or meditative rituals, and may incorporate a mantra into its design. It is considered to represent

742-459: A clear and vivid visualized image. With every mandala comes what Tucci calls "its associated liturgy ... contained in texts known as tantras ", instructing practitioners on how the mandala should be drawn, built and visualised, and indicating the mantras to be recited during its ritual use. By visualizing "pure lands", one learns to understand experience itself as pure, and as the abode of enlightenment. The protection that we need, in this view,

848-514: A fixed canonically portion was accompanied by a much larger and more fluid commentary, which itself would gradually become canon. When taught, the verses would typically be recited verbatim, while the story would be elaborated and adapted by each storyteller. By way of contrast, a developed literary work such as the Sanskrit epic poems of the great Indian poet Aśvaghoṣa such as the Buddhacarita and

954-557: A half-moon. The left hand forms a gesture at the chest, holding a pair of joined lotus flowers. The Bodhisattva sits upon a lotus throne in a cross-legged meditative pose. In this mandala , Moonlight Bodhisattva's secret name is Vajra-tejas, and their Samaya symbol is a blue lotus flower with a half-moon placed atop it. The Scripture of the Medicine Buddha (Bhaisajya-guru-vaidūrya-sūtra) states: "In that country, there are two Bodhisattvas, Mahāsattvas: one named Sun Illuminating All and

1060-435: A liminal space on the edge of the officially sanctioned Theravādin praxis. Buddhist myths also feature heavenly beings, called devas . Buddhist myth adopted several Indian figures such as Brahma , Indra (also known as Sakka ) and Prithvi . The schools of Buddhism told stories of the origin of their own particular school. These narratives function like creation myths, explaining how the school came to be, and why it has

1166-489: A long time society will reform, based on the principle of non-violence, and ultimately a golden age will arrive, with the future Buddha Metteyya as the teacher of that age. Later texts such as the Maitreyavyakarana introduce Mahayana elements to the prophetic story of Maitreya. A complex mythology developed around the messianic figure of the future Buddha Maitreya , which has inspired multiple Buddhist cults of both

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1272-486: A monastery. These sand mandalas are made to be destroyed to symbolize impermanence, the Buddhist belief that death is not the end, and that one's essence will always return to the elements. It is also related to the belief that one should not become attached to anything. To create these mandalas, the monks first create a sketch, then take colorful sand traditionally made from powdered stones and gems into copper funnels called Cornetts and gently tap sand out of them to create

1378-455: A notebook a small circular drawing, [...] which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time. [...] Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: [...] the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious. When I began drawing the mandalas, however, I saw that everything, all the paths I had been following, all the steps I had taken, were leading back to

1484-527: A single point—namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the center. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the center, to individuation....I saw that here the goal had been revealed. One could not go beyond the center. The center is the goal, and everything is directed toward that center. Through this dream I understood that the self is the principle and archetype of orientation and meaning. Therein lies its healing function. For me, this insight signified an approach to

1590-577: A special authority to convey the Buddha's teaching. Unlike the pan-sectarian myths of the Buddha's life or the Jātakas, these exist specifically to promote one's own school in relation to contemporary rivals. Such sectarian myths also typically include an account of how the Dharma triumphed over primitive and violent religious cults, especially human or animal sacrifice in worship of yakkhas . The Theravāda origin story

1696-470: A spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. In the Eastern religions of Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Shinto it is used as a map representing deities, or especially in the case of Shinto, paradises, kami or actual shrines. In Hinduism, a basic mandala, also called a yantra , takes the form of a square with four gates containing

1802-462: A story-telling framework, a precursor to our modern graphic novels. A teacher, presumably a monk or nun, would tell the story illustrated by the pictures, or else people who knew the story would remind themselves of it. This method was developed fully in Borobudur, where the stories wind around the huge structure. In many modern Buddhist temples, especially those that are popular tourist sites, murals play

1908-625: A territorially defined state with fixed borders and a bureaucratic apparatus, but they diverged considerably in the opposite direction: the polity was defined by its centre rather than its boundaries, and it could be composed of numerous other tributary polities without undergoing administrative integration. Empires such as Bagan , Ayutthaya , Champa , Khmer , Srivijaya and Majapahit are known as "mandala" in this sense. Fashion designer Mandali Mendrilla designed an interactive art installation called Mandala of Desires (Blue Lotus Wish Tree) made in peace silk and eco friendly textile ink, displayed at

2014-606: A way to create easily accessible objects of reverence for the lower-classes of Japanese society. Shinran designed a mandala using a hanging scroll, and the words of the nembutsu ( 念仏 ) written vertically. This style of mandala is still used by some Jodo Shinshu Buddhists in home altars, or butsudan . Bodhimaṇḍala is a term in Buddhism that means "circle of awakening ". Sand mandalas are colorful mandalas made from sand that are ritualistically destroyed. They originated in India in

2120-539: A wide range of prophetic myths, which speak of future events. As with the Jātakas, there are a few such stories in the early texts. The most famous is the Cakkavatti Sīhanāda Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya . This is the only early text to mention Metteyya , the future Buddha. It is an apocalyptic text, which predicts that humanity's moral conduct will decline so far that civilization will utterly break down. After

2226-464: Is Vajrabhairava mandala a silk tapestry woven with gilded paper depicting lavish elements like crowns and jewelry, which gives a three-dimensional effect to the piece. A mandala can also represent the entire universe, which is traditionally depicted with Mount Meru as the axis mundi in the center, surrounded by the continents. One example is the Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru ,

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2332-456: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Buddhist mythology-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mandala A mandala ( Sanskrit : मण्डल , romanized :  maṇḍala , lit.   'circle', [ˈmɐɳɖɐlɐ] ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as

2438-400: Is a symbolic offering of the entire universe. Every intricate detail of these mandalas is fixed in the tradition and has specific symbolic meanings, often on more than one level. Whereas the above mandala represents the pure surroundings of a Buddha, this mandala represents the universe. This type of mandala is used for the mandala-offerings, during which one symbolically offers the universe to

2544-536: Is developed and includes significant mythic motifs. Most of these occur in relation to important events in the Buddha's life, especially those involving his family. But they also occur independently. Erich Frauwallner argued that the portion of Vinaya known as the Khandhakas was formed around one of the earliest versions of the Buddha's life story. Later Vinaya texts such as the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and

2650-546: Is found in multiple places, such as the Dīpavaṁsa , where the Buddha himself is said to have predicted the spread of Theravāda to Sri Lanka . Moreover, in both the Dīpavaṁsa (Island Chronicle) and the Mahāvaṃsa (Great Chronicle), the Buddha is said to have actually visited the island three times. The Sarvāstivādins located their origins in the time of Ashoka , claiming to be the true Dharma that spread to Kashmir when Buddhism in

2756-403: Is from our own minds, as much as from external sources of confusion. In many tantric mandalas, this aspect of separation and protection from the outer samsaric world is depicted by "the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the vajra circle, the circle with the eight tombs, the lotus circle". The ring of vajras forms a connected fence-like arrangement running around the perimeter of

2862-799: Is known to have written a Buddhist drama, the Sariputra -Prakarana, which only survives in fragments. It is the oldest dramatic work of Sanskrit literature yet discovered. Such performances became popular in Buddhist cultures. In pre-modern Asia, the oral and dramatic performance of Jātaka stories was another way in which Buddhist myth was propagated. This tradition remains active in Southeast Asian countries today, where Jātakas tales are performed in theater, dance and recitations during certain special occasions like during Buddhist holidays . In Tibet and other regions where Tibetan Buddhism has spread, various performances of sacred myth are also popular, such as

2968-483: Is now protected and announced as historical monument and site by the government of Manipur in the same year. The site is situated 12 km aerial distance from Kangla with the GPS coordinates of 24° 48' N and 93° 49' E. It covers a total area of around 224,161.45 square meters. This square mandala has four similar protruding rectangular ‘gates’ in the cardinal directions guarded each by similar but smaller rectangular ‘gates’ on

3074-737: Is the Taima mandala , dated to about 763 CE. The Taima mandala is based on the Contemplation Sutra , but other similar mandalas have been made subsequently. Unlike mandalas used in Vajrayana Buddhism, it is not used as an object of meditation or for esoteric ritual. Instead, it provides a visual representation of the Pure Land texts, and is used as a teaching aid. Also in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Shinran and his descendant, Rennyo , sought

3180-688: Is the 9th century Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia. It is built as a large stupa surrounded by smaller ones arranged on terraces formed as a stepped pyramid , and when viewed from above, takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. Other temples from the same period that also have mandala plans include Sewu , Plaosan and Prambanan . Similar mandala designs are also observable in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Circular diagrams are often used in phylogenetics , especially for

3286-556: The Cham Dance a costume dance which illustrates Buddhist moral values. There is no art, or any other physical remains, from the earliest period of Buddhism . The first Buddhist art appears in the Ashokan period. But Ashoka's pillars , while artistically superb, do not tell myths. Perhaps 100 years after Ashoka, we have our first known Buddhist stupa complexes, which contain substantial and elaborate art. As well as drawing on motifs from

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3392-684: The China Art Museum in Shanghai in November 2015. The pattern of the dress was based on the Goloka Yantra mandala, shaped as a lotus with eight petals. Visitors were invited to place a wish on the sculpture dress, which will be taken to India and offered to a genuine living Wish Tree . Buddhist mythology The Buddhist traditions have created and maintained a vast body of mythological literature . The central myth of Buddhism revolves around

3498-616: The Commentary on the Scripture of the Medicine Buddha (药师经疏): In the past world, during the time of Dipankara , a Brahman (a Hindu priest or ascetic) and his two sons made a shared Bodhisattva vow to alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings. Impressed by their determination, Dipankara advised the Brahman to change his name to "Yao Wang" (Medicine King) and his sons to "Ri Zhao" (Sunlight) and "Yue Zhao" (Moonlight). Through their spiritual journey,

3604-572: The Five Wisdom Kings , this forms the Mandala of the Two Realms . Mandalas are commonly used by tantric Buddhists as an aid to meditation. The mandala is "a support for the meditating person", something to be repeatedly contemplated to the point of saturation, such that the image of the mandala becomes fully internalised in even the minutest detail and can then be summoned and contemplated at will as

3710-548: The Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra , and thus their stories serve as spiritual bildungsroman . Buddhahood is also central to Mahayana mythology. A Buddha in Mahayana texts is also much more exalted and extraordinary than in earlier texts. A godlike being, a Buddha in the Mahayana imaginary has lived and will continue to live for countless eons preaching his doctrine in innumerable ways and means to innumerable numbers of beings. Regarding

3816-584: The Mahāvastu added even more mythic material while some texts also arose out of this material becoming detached from the Vinaya and beginning to circulate as independent biographies of the Buddha. Some of the myths told in the Vinayas include: While the early texts were mostly completed in the pre- Ashokan period, the post-Ashokan period saw the widespread adoption of Buddhism as a popular religion. At this time, Buddhism

3922-582: The Mandala of the Womb Realm and the Mandala of the Diamond Realm . These two mandalas are engaged in the abhiseka initiation rituals for new Shingon students, more commonly known as the Kechien Kanjō ( 結縁灌頂 ). A common feature of this ritual is to blindfold the new initiate and to have them throw a flower upon either mandala. Where the flower lands assists in the determination of which tutelary deity

4028-561: The Mid-Autumn Festival , a significant celebration in Han Chinese Buddhism. Therefore, on this day, devotees of Han Chinese Buddhism commemorate not only the harvest moon but also the birth of Moonlight Bodhisattva. The mantra of Moonlight Bodhisattva goes: "Namo Ratnasuhaaya, Arahata, Mitra Uddhaaya, Sankhadhaaraaya, Avalokitava, Jvalodhaaraaya, Kshitigarbhaaya, Sarva Sattva Hridayaya." This Mahayana -related article

4134-507: The Navagraha mandala to this day. In Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed also into sandpainting . They are also a key part of Anuttarayoga Tantra meditation practices. The man mandala can be shown to represent in visual form the core essence of the Vajrayana teachings. The mandala represents the nature of the Pure Land, Enlightened mind. An example of this type of mandala

4240-513: The Rāmayaṇa and Mahābharata , while others show similarities to Aesop's fables and other world literature. While most of the Jātakas contain a “moral”, in most cases these pertain to simple and universal ideas, such as non-violence or honesty, and only a few of the stories feature distinctively Buddhist ideas. A typical Jātaka tale features a conflict or challenge, which the hero overcomes through his courage, intelligence, or other virtues. The hero of

4346-463: The earliest texts of Buddhism (such as the Nikāyas and Āgamas ) do not present a single coherent and systematic biography of the Buddha. However, there are various references to numerous life events in these texts, and in a few cases gives more extensive accounts of important events in the Buddha's life. All later versions of the Buddha's life derive primarily from these sources. These include: Most of

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4452-629: The invocation that believers chant, are written down the center of all Nichiren-sect Gohonzons , whose appearance may otherwise vary depending on the particular school and other factors. Mandalas have sometimes been used in Pure Land Buddhism to graphically represent Pure Lands , based on descriptions found in the Larger Sutra and the Contemplation Sutra . The most famous mandala in Japan

4558-462: The oral tradition of the early Buddhist texts . The core of the story is a set of verses, which in the Pali tradition are the only part considered canonical. The story, and the framing narrative that tells the events of the Buddha's day, are commentary. However, as shown by Thomas Rhys Davids , verse and prose must have been passed down together in many cases. This is typical of Pali oral literature, where

4664-539: The "Five Buddhas", archetypal Buddha forms embodying various aspects of enlightenment. Such Buddhas are depicted depending on the school of Buddhism , and even the specific purpose of the mandala. A common mandala of this type is that of the Five Wisdom Buddhas (a.k.a. Five Jinas ), the Buddhas Vairocana , Aksobhya , Ratnasambhava , Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi . When paired with another mandala depicting

4770-534: The 8th–12th century but are now practiced in Tibetan Buddhism. Each mandala is dedicated to specific deities. In Buddhism Deities represent states of the mind to be obtained on the path to enlightenment, the mandala itself is representative of the deity's palace which also represents the mind of the deity. Each mandala is a pictorial representation of a tantra . for the process of making Sand mandalas they are created by monks who have trained for three–five years in

4876-808: The Buddha Dharma. This eventually led him to the discovery of the prajñaparamita sutras with the aid of the Naga king These stories and figures also further evolved in East Asian Buddhism , for example, in time the male figure of Avalokiteshvara transformed into the female motherly figure of Guanyin which has her own East Asian mythic corpus. East Asian Buddhism (all of which is Mahāyāna ) also developed further regional and school specific mythologies as Buddhism continued to evolve and adapt. Stories and legends about founding figures and patriarchs of East Asian Buddhist schools are one such development. One example are

4982-711: The Buddha Gautama, his limited "human" life on earth was merely an illusion, a docetic mirage which merely appears to perform human actions such as eating and so on. Another important feature of Mahāyāna Buddhist myths is that they include Buddhas other than Gautama Buddha, such as Amitābha , Bhaisajyaguru , Vairocana and Akshobhya , each with their own texts. These Buddhas are said to live in other realms, called Buddhafields ( buddhakṣetra, also known as Pure Lands) and to still be reachable in meditation, visions or through their intermediaries. These other worlds are said to extend infinitely in all directions, each containing

5088-409: The Buddha achieved that status by making offerings to a Buddha in a past life. The doctrinal texts ( suttas ) of the early period contain little narrative and less myth. However, in the texts on monastic discipline ( Vinaya ), each rule or procedure must be preceded by an origin story. These are frequently simple narratives that merely give a context for the rule. However, in several cases the narrative

5194-684: The Buddha which included Mahayana elements, such as the biography in the Tibetan Bu-ston's (1290–1364) Chos ’byung (“History of Buddhism”). Similarly, the promoters of the Theravādin Abhidhamma claimed that Abhidhamma had been taught by the Buddha to his mother in Tusita heaven. Other myths follow inanimate objects such as Buddhist relics. For example, the Pali text called the Bodhivamsa describes

5300-403: The Buddha, such as Mahapajapati Gotami (the first nun) and his wife Yaśodharā . Another important figure is Aṅgulimāla , who was a mass murderer before becoming a monk under the Buddha. His tale serves as a story of redemption. Later Buddhist saints such as Mahinda and Sanghamitta , both children of Ashoka are also part of Buddhist myths. Another example are stories related to the cult of

5406-667: The Buddhas or to one's teacher. Within Vajrayana practice, 100,000 of these mandala offerings (to create merit) can be part of the preliminary practices before a student even begins actual tantric practices. This mandala is generally structured according to the model of the universe as taught in a Buddhist classic text the Abhidharma-kośa , with Mount Meru at the centre, surrounded by the continents, oceans and mountains, etc. Various Mandalas are described in many Pali Buddhist texts . Some of

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5512-472: The Buddhist world. These royal myths touch on more secular issues such as the relationship between the monastic community and the state as well as the king's role in the world (and by extension the role of laypersons). Buddhist myths also tell stories about important disciples of the Buddha and later Buddhist saints (known as arahants ). Especially important are his Ten Principal Disciples such as Śāripūtra and Maudgalyāyana as well as female disciples of

5618-456: The Middle Country had become corrupt. Other stories developed to give authority to certain texts. The Mahāyānists needed to address the fact that their texts were unknown in the initial period of Buddhism, and developed stories such as that they had been hidden in the realm of the nagas (snake-like supernatural beings) until people wise enough to understand them were born. Some versions of

5724-464: The Padhāna Sutta, an early text, depicts the assault of Māra in purely psychological terms, while the developed versions imagine a vast army of demons attacking the Buddha, an image which is frequently depicted in Buddhist artwork. These later works also show a much greater emphasis on the miraculous and extraordinary character of the Buddha, as they depict him more like a godlike being in contrast to

5830-736: The Saundarananda were written down and carefully planned examples of the Indian Mahākāvya genre. Drawing on the already elaborate literary heritage of Indian Buddhism, Aśvaghoṣa employed a huge vocabulary and complex poetic methods to create sophisticated texts for the enjoyment of an educated class. Aśvaghoṣa 's compositions, written in polished Sanskrit, are carefully structured and arranged. In these texts, there are also numerous allusions to Brahmanical legends and epic narratives. There are indications that Indian Buddhists developed edifying dramas, perhaps with musical accompaniment. Aśvaghoṣa

5936-585: The West , which developed around stories of the Chinese monk Xuanzang and his travels to India. These stories merge Buddhist myth with ideas from Chinese folk religion , Chinese mythology , as well as Confucian and Taoist beliefs. The primary source for Buddhist myth is the vast Buddhist literature . The corpus is extensive; over 500 Jātakas exist in Pali alone and there are various complete Buddhist canons in different languages. The Jātakas remain closely linked to

6042-526: The abode of the deity. Each yantra is unique and calls the deity into the presence of the practitioner through the elaborate symbolic geometric designs. According to one scholar, "Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths and as instructional charts of the spiritual aspect of human experience" Many situate yantras as central focus points for Hindu tantric practice. Yantras are not representations, but are lived, experiential, nondual realities. As Khanna describes: Despite its cosmic meanings

6148-603: The ages. All previously created images are standing figures, with Moonlight Bodhisattva standing to the right of the Medicine Buddha. It's believed that Moonlight Bodhisattva, like Sunlight Bodhisattva, also has a close connection to the Great Compassion Mantra ( Da Bei Zhou ) of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. For all practitioners who wholeheartedly recite the Great Compassion Mantra, Moonlight Bodhisattva, along with countless divine beings, will come to enhance

6254-628: The bringing of a cutting from the Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka, while the Thūpavaṃsa tells the story of the Mahathupa ('Great Stupa ') at Anuradhapura . Likewise, with the development of Tantric Buddhism and their new texts called Tantras , they also developed legends which sought to legitimate these texts as Buddhavacana (word of the Buddha) despite the fact that historically they could not have been taught during

6360-445: The center and therefore to the goal. Jung claimed that the urge to make mandalas emerges during moments of intense personal growth. He further hypothesized their appearance indicated a "profound re-balancing process" is underway in the psyche; the result of the process would be a more complex and better integrated personality. The mandala serves a conservative purpose – namely, to restore a previously existing order. But it also serves

6466-456: The centuries. Some of the most popular continue to be the Mahanipata Jataka which depict the final ten lives of the Buddha before his last birth. The Jātakas appear to be mostly derived from vernacular Indian folk tales , fables and legends in mixed prose and verse. Like the lives of the Buddha, they are not sectarian, as many Jātakas are shared among traditions. Some of the stories are related to Brahmanical legends, such as those found in

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6572-462: The common appearance of a circle motif across religions and cultures. He hypothesized that the circle drawings reflected the mind's inner state at the moment of creation and were a kind of symbolic archetype in the collective unconscious. Familiarity with the philosophical writings of India prompted Jung to adopt the word "mandala" to describe these drawings created by himself and his patients. In his autobiography, Jung wrote: I sketched every morning in

6678-430: The creative purpose of giving expression and form to something that does not yet exist, something new and unique. [...] The process is that of the ascending spiral, which grows upward while simultaneously returning again and again to the same point. American art therapist Joan Kellogg later created the MARI card test, a free response measure , based on Jung's work. Transpersonal psychologist David Fontana proposed that

6784-458: The earlier texts. These developments in the mythology have their counterparts in the more philosophical texts, where the Buddha is conceived as omniscient and with trascendental powers ( lokuttara ). Buddhist mythology contains legends of the Buddhas of past ages , such as Vipassi . An important source for these is the Pali Theravāda Buddhavamsa (Buddha Chronicle) which chronicles the stories of 24 past Buddhas. Buddhist works also include

6890-558: The earlier texts. These vary from dramatic or humorous tales, to abstract philosophical parables. Mahayana sutras such as the Lotus sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra contain popular stories and parables which have been widely influential in Mahayana Buddhism. A central figure in Mahāyāna myths is the Bodhisattva , a spiritually advanced being who is on the path to Buddhahood . Some of these beings, such as Tara , Avalokiteshvara , Manjushri and Vajrapani , while not yet Buddhas, have developed extraordinary godlike powers by reaching

6996-454: The early texts, these frequently depict episodes from Jātakas and from the evolved form of the Buddha's life. The art that has survived is sculpture in stone, although this must be the remnants of a much richer heritage in more perishable materials. In addition to purely decorative motifs, we frequently find art arranged in a sequence, or a roundel, depicting various events selected from a particular story. These would presumably have been used as

7102-447: The efficacy of their mantra recitation. After reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, if practitioners can further recite the Moonlight Bodhisattva Dharani, Moonlight Bodhisattva will come to offer protection, enabling the practitioner to eliminate all obstacles and illnesses, accomplish all virtuous dharmas, and stay away from various fears. Regarding the origin of Moonlight Bodhisattva, Buddhist scriptures also suggest Moonlight Bodhisattva

7208-452: The examples of the Theravada Buddhist Mandalas are: In Sigālovāda Sutta , Buddha describes the relationships of a common lay persons in Mandala style. One Japanese branch of Mahayana Buddhism – Shingon Buddhism – makes frequent use of mandalas in its rituals as well, though the actual mandalas differ. When Shingon's founder, Kūkai , returned from his training in China, he brought back two mandalas that became central to Shingon ritual:

7314-460: The fact that these texts emerged in different schools over a long period, in different literary forms, they each share a range of motifs in the Buddha's life that is not found in the early texts. Such motifs include: Many of these motifs are represented in early artwork, and one of the motivating factors in such developments was to present the teachings in a way that could form a dramatic personal story, which could be visually represented. For example,

7420-429: The famed Mauryan emperor Ashoka (recorded in texts such as the Ashokavadana ) as well as other Buddhist monarchs such as the indo Greek Milinda ( Menander I ) and Sri Lankan Buddhist kings (in texts like the Dipavamsa ) are also important sources of Buddhist mythology. These stories serve as morality tales and as models for Buddhist kingship which were emulated and used by later Buddhist monarchies throughout

7526-412: The form of a half-moon. In the Garbhadhātu Mandala (胎藏界), Moonlight Bodhisattva occupies a place in the Mañjuśrī Courtyard (Mañjuśrī-vihāra). Positioned to the right of Maitrīyaka (the Auspicious One) and situated between Viśvabhūṣaka (the Bodhisattva of Melodious Sound) and Amitābha Prabhā (the Bodhisattva of Immaculate Light), Moonlight Bodhisattva holds a lotus flower in the right hand, upon which rests

7632-511: The form of the mandala, the sacred enclosure consisting of concentric squares and circles drawn on the ground and representing that adamant plane of being on which the aspirant to Buddha hood wishes to establish himself. The unfolding of the tantric ritual depends on the mandala; and where a material mandala is not employed, the adept proceeds to construct one mentally in the course of his meditation." A "mandala offering" in Tibetan Buddhism

7738-421: The founder of this branch of Japanese Buddhism , during the late 13th Century. The Gohonzon is the primary object of veneration in some Nichiren schools and the only one in others, which consider it to be the supreme object of worship as the embodiment of the supreme Dharma and Nichiren's inner enlightenment. The seven characters Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō , considered to be the name of the supreme Dharma, as well as

7844-567: The graphical representation of phylogenetic relationships. Evolutionary trees often encompass numerous species that are conveniently shown on a circular tree, with images of the species shown on the periphery of a tree. Such diagrams have been called phylogenetic mandalas. Mandala as an art form first appeared in Buddhist art that were produced in India during the first century B.C.E. These can also be seen in Rangoli designs in Indian households. One of

7950-579: The highest bodhisattva level . According to Paul Williams, Avalokiteshvara "is perhaps the most popular of all Mahayana Bodhisattvas" and is seen as the compassionate savior of all beings, working constantly using infinite forms and means to help others. Important sources for this figure are the Lotus sutra and the Karandavyuha sutra . Other bodhisattvas are depicted as being still in the process of developing their skill in means ( upaya ) such as Sudhana of

8056-523: The initiate should follow. The mandala in Nichiren Buddhism is a moji-mandala ( 文字曼陀羅 ), which is a paper hanging scroll or wooden tablet whose inscription consists of Chinese characters and medieval-Sanskrit script representing elements of the Buddha's enlightenment , protective Buddhist deities, and certain Buddhist concepts. Called the Gohonzon , it was originally inscribed by Nichiren ,

8162-455: The king's state. In historical, social and political sense, the term "mandala" is also employed to denote traditional Southeast Asian political formations (such as federation of kingdoms or vassalized states). It was adopted by 20th century Western historians from ancient Indian political discourse as a means of avoiding the term 'state' in the conventional sense. Not only did Southeast Asian polities not conform to Chinese and European views of

8268-505: The latest strata of those texts. However, in a short time the Buddhist community developed a vast repertoire of stories associated with the Buddha's past lives, known as the Jātakas . There are 550 such stories in the Pali canon , and hundreds more in Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit sources. Several Jātakas are depicted in visual form on the monuments at Sanchi , dating around the 1st century BCE. The corpus of Jātaka stories continued to grow over

8374-438: The left and right. Within the square there is an eight petalled flower or rayed-star, recently called as Maklang ‘Star fort’ by the locals, in the centre covering a total area of around 50,836.66 square meters. The discovery of other five giant mandalas in the valley of Manipur is also made with Google Earth. The five giant mandalas, viz., Sekmai mandala, Heikakmapal mandala, Phurju twin mandalas and Sangolmang mandala are located on

8480-627: The life of the Buddha is featured as the opening framing narrative of the Jātaka collection. There is a similar class of literature known as Apadāna . Originally the term seems to have simply meant a tale of the past, as the Mahāpadāna Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya tells the story of a Buddha in a past age. However it came to refer to a class of stories about the past lives of the Buddha's monk and nun disciples. These often depict how enlightened disciples of

8586-406: The monk Upagupta who, according to legend, lived in the time of Ashoka. He does not appear in central Pali texts, but is a well known figure in the northern regions of Theravāda, including northern Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In these regions a variety of tales with related themes and motifs occur, and form the basis of ritual activity, usually carried out by the lay people. Such activities occur in

8692-625: The most intense archaeological discoveries in recent years that could redefine the history of eastern thought and tradition of mandala is the discovery of five giant mandalas in the valley of Manipur , India, made with Google Earth imagery. Located in the paddy field in the west of Imphal , the capital of Manipur, the Maklang geoglyph is perhaps the world's largest mandala built entirely of mud. The site wasn't discovered until 2013 as its whole structure could only be visible via Google Earth satellite imagery. The whole paddy field, locally known as Bihu Loukon ,

8798-407: The myth state that the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna magically flew to the city of the nagas and retrieved the hidden sutras. Other myths deal with Buddhas in other worlds which can be reached through dreams or meditative visions such as Maitreya or Amitabha and who reveal new texts and teachings such as the five treatises of Maitreya . Later Mahayana Buddhists also wrote their own biographies of

8904-688: The numerous stories which developed around the Zen patriarch Bodhidharma which serve to explain how Zen Buddhism is supposed to have arrived in China. Another widely recognized figure which developed in China is the fat and jolly figure named Budai , which developed in Zen texts such as the Transmission of the Lamp . Another very popular example of East Asian Buddhist myth is contained in one of China's classical novels, Journey to

9010-459: The orthodox texts, but are found widely in popular culture. Various figures other than the Buddha appear in these myths, including Buddhist kings, important monastics and saints, as well as heavenly beings or gods ( devas ). Indian kings feature in many Buddhist stories and myths. The earliest texts speak of various kings paying respects to the Buddha such as Pasenadi of Kosala and Bimbisara of Magadha . The Buddhist myths which developed around

9116-490: The other named Moon Illuminating All. They are the supreme among the countless Bodhisattvas." The Empowerment Sutra (灌顶经) states: "There are two Bodhisattvas, one named Sun Radiance (Nichiyō) and the other named Moon Purity (Gekjō). They are the successors to the Buddha's position, both have the ability to uphold the true Dharma Treasure of the Medicine Buddha ." The Record of Awakening and Zen quotes from Volume 1 of

9222-570: The outer mandala circle. As a meditation on impermanence (a central teaching of Buddhism ), after days or weeks of creating the intricate pattern of a sand mandala , the sand is brushed together into a pile and spilled into a body of running water to spread the blessings of the mandala. Kværne in his extended discussion of sahaja , discusses the relationship of sadhana interiority and exteriority in relation to mandala thus: ...external ritual and internal sadhana form an indistinguishable whole, and this unity finds its most pregnant expression in

9328-485: The past and the present. He became an influential figure in the millennarian and messianic movements throughout East Asia. According to Paul Williams, there were "nine such movements in China in the fifth and early sixth centuries alone." Buddhist traditions contain large numbers of stories and spiritual narratives in addition to the above. These are often simple moral fables, similar to Jātakas. In some cases, mythic complexes can be discerned that have no counterparts in

9434-616: The popular Jātakas , folk tales or legends believed to be past lives of Gautama Buddha . Since these are regarded as episodes in the life of the Buddha, they are treated here as “myth”, rather than distinguishing between myth, legend, and folk-tale. Buddhist mythology is maintained in texts , but these have always existed alongside oral traditions of storytelling, as well as creative retellings of myths as drama or artworks . This creative mythology continues to this day, and includes film , television , and musical adaptions of Buddhist myths. Myth has always been an important part of

9540-563: The purported events of the life of the Buddha . This is told in relatively realistic terms in the earliest texts , and was soon elaborated into a complex literary mythology . The chief motif of this story, and the most distinctive feature of Buddhist myth, is the Buddha's renunciation : leaving his home and family for a spiritual quest. Alongside this central myth, the traditions contain large numbers of smaller stories, which are usually supposed to convey an ethical or Buddhist teaching. These include

9646-467: The relevant texts from the Pali canon have been gathered and arranged in Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli 's The Life of the Buddha. Bhikkhu Sujato has shown that the events of the Buddha's life in the early texts fulfill almost all the stages of Campbell's Hero's Journey , despite the fact that they are not arranged as a coherent narrative. The Hero's Journey becomes much more prominent and complete in later versions of

9752-508: The same role. The key event in the life of the Buddha is his leaving home. This event dramatizes the conflict between the “worldly” values of sex, family, career, and prosperity and the “spiritual” values of renunciation and dispassion ( virāga ). This tension is a defining characteristic of Buddhist myth. Numerous Buddhist stories each tell the event in different ways, sometimes evoking the bodhisattva's pain in leaving his wife and child, as well as his father's efforts to entice him to stay and

9858-426: The sand mandala. Each color represents attributes of deities. While making the mandalas the monks will pray and meditate, each grain of sand represents a blessing. Monks will travel to demonstrate this art form to people, often in museums. The re-introduction of mandalas into modern Western thought is largely credited to psychologist Carl Gustav Jung . In his exploration of the unconscious through art, Jung observed

9964-411: The stories associated with them are also important in the mythology of Mahayana Buddhism. Biographies of the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna for example, depict him as a great brahmin sorcerer with powerful magics who made himself and his friends invisible once to enter a palace and violate the women. After his escape, his friends were all killed and this led him to the spiritual life and to the study of all

10070-400: The story is identified with the Buddha, while other characters in the story are often identified with familiar associates of the Buddha, such as his close disciples, family, or Devadatta as the antagonist. Since the Jātakas are in essence the preliminary chapters of the Buddha's spiritual development, they are sometimes included together with the Buddha's life. In the Pali sources, for example,

10176-403: The story. The early texts also include references to Indian deities ( devas ), extraordinary beings such as Yakkhas , Nagas and other mythic content. One of the “three knowledges” ( tevijjā ) of the Buddha was recollecting past lives. However, early texts contain very few actual narratives of past lives. Such stories as are found in the early texts almost always show signs of belonging to

10282-452: The symbolic nature of a mandala may help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises." Buddhist architecture often applied mandala as the blueprint or plan to design Buddhist structures, including temple complex and stupas. A notable example of mandala in architecture

10388-463: The time of Gautama Buddha. One of the most prominent of these are the various legends surrounding a figure known as king Indrabhuti . In one version of the myth translated by Ronald M. Davidson, it states that during the Buddha's time, nobody was ready for tantra on earth, so it was taught in Tusita heaven. Afterwards, Vajrapani brought the tantric teachings to the country of Zahor to King Indrabhuti, who

10494-412: The transient nature of life". Described elsewhere: "within a flaming rainbow nimbus and encircled by a black ring of dorjes , the major outer ring depicts the eight great charnel grounds, to emphasize the dangerous nature of human life". Inside these rings lie the walls of the mandala palace itself, specifically a place populated by deities and Buddhas . One well-known type of mandala is the mandala of

10600-608: The trio achieved enlightenment —the Brahman becoming the Medicine Buddha and his sons attaining the forms of Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva. According to the Ritual for Arranging the Altar in the Medicine Buddha Practice (修药师仪轨布坛法), Moonlight Bodhisattva is depicted with a white body, seated on a goose throne, and holding a moon wheel. However, this image differs considerably from those traditionally passed down through

10706-453: The way Buddhists see themselves and form communities. Attitudes to myths vary, with some people seeing the stories as entirely factual, while others see them as symbolic. In this article, as in scholarly study of mythology generally, the use of the term “myth” does not imply a value or truth judgement. Rather, it refers to the study of sacred stories and their meaning within a community. Scholars have long recognized that Buddhism contains one of

10812-644: The western bank of the Iril River. Another two fairly large mandala shaped geoglyph at Nongren and Keinou are also reported from Manipur valley, India, in 2019. They are named as Nongren mandala and Keinou mandala. The Rajamandala (or Raja-mandala ; circle of states) was formulated by the Indian author Kautilya in his work on politics, the Arthashastra (written between 4th century BCE and 2nd century BCE). It describes circles of friendly and enemy states surrounding

10918-452: The world's great mythologies. TW Rhys Davids said that the Jātakas are “the most reliable, the most complete, and the most ancient collection of folklore now extant in any literature in the world.” CAF Rhys Davids said that the Jātakas are “collectively the greatest epic, in literature, of the Ascent of Man”. Joseph Campbell discussed the life of the Buddha extensively in his The Hero with

11024-487: Was a previous incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha before he embarked on his path to enlightenment as a Bodhisattva. Another interpretation suggests that Medicine Master Buddha of the Eastern Pure Land and Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas are in a parent-child relationship. According to tradition, the auspicious birth date of Moonlight Bodhisattva is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This coincides with

11130-553: Was instructed in their meaning by a teacher called Kukuraja . Such mythologies developed, not just as “official” sectarian doctrines, but as local tales. For example, in most Buddhist countries there is a story of how the historical Buddha visited their country and foretold that the Dharma would be established there. In addition to the Mahāyāna origin story, Mahāyanist texts include a wide variety of narratives and mythologies, with numerous divine figures and stories that do not appear in

11236-423: Was spreading across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, and several distinct schools were emerging in different regions. It seems likely that each school would have used the life of the Buddha as a primary teaching vehicle. Several distinctive versions of this story survive. While these vary greatly in their literary forms, there is little doctrinal difference between them. Such texts include the following: Despite

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