Buddhist symbolism appeared from around the 3rd century BCE, and started with aniconic symbolism, avoiding direct representations of the Buddha. Anthropomorphic symbolism appeared from around the 1st century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and were combined with the previous symbols. Various symbolic innovations were later introduced, especially through Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols. Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism ar ...

Including:

• Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols
• Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man, and 80 Secondary Characteristics
• Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras
• Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism
• Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

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Including:

• Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols
• Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man and 80 Secondary Characteristics
• Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras
• Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism
• Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

Read more here: » Buddhist symbolism: Encyclopedia - Buddhist symbolism

Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism are the dharma wheel and the lotus flower. The dharma wheel, traditionally represented with eight spokes, can have a variety of meanings. It initially only meant royalty (concept of the "Monarch of the Wheel, or Chakravatin), but started to be used in a Buddhist context on the Pillars of Ashoka during the 3rd century BCE. The Dharma wheel is generally seen as referring to the historical process of teaching the buddhadharma; the eight spokes refer to the Noble Eightfold Path. The lotus, as well, can have several meanings, ...

See also:

Buddhist symbolism, Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols, Buddhist symbolism - The 32 signs of a Great Man and 80 Secondary Characteristics, Buddhist symbolism - The Mudras, Buddhist symbolism - The eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan & Nepali Buddhism, Buddhist symbolism - International symbols of the World Fellowship of Buddhists

Read more here: » Buddhist symbolism: Encyclopedia II - Buddhist symbolism - Early aniconic symbols

Mandala Sand Painting

According to Buddhist scripture, mandalas (geometric designs symbolic of the universe) constructed from sand transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them. They are believed to affect purification and healing. Mandala sand painting was introduced by the Buddha himself and there are many different designs of mandala, each with different lessons to teach.

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Symbolism is the systematic or creative use of arbitrary symbols as abstracted representations of concepts or objects and the distinct relationships in between, as they define both context and the narrower definition of terms. In a narrow context, "symbolism" is the applied use of any iconic representations which carry particular conventional meanings. All forms of language are innately symbolic, and any system of symbols can form a "language;" at the minimum using only two arbitrary symbols in a binary system. Human language i ...

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See text The genus Strombus is made up of the true conches (pronounced "Konk") in the family Strombidae. A conch is a sea creature, a mollusk, and more specifically, a marine gastropod. Still, it should be noted that many other gastropods have common names using conch, such as the Horse Conch (Pleuroploca gigantea). While most Strombid species are extinct, at least 65 species are living. Of these, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans while six are in the greater Caribbean region. Living true conch species include the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, and the West Indi ...

Including:

• Conch - Anatomy
• Conch - Human use
• Conch - Playing the conch shell
• Conch - Religious symbolism
• Conch - Hindu tradition
• Conch - Buddhist tradition
• Conch - Literature

Read more here: » Conch: Encyclopedia - Conch

Aum (also Om, ॐ) is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, first coming to light in the Vedic Tradition. The syllable is sometimes referred to as the "Udgitha" or "pranava mantra" (primordial mantra); not only because it is considered to be the primal sound, but also because most mantras begin with it. As a seed syllable (bija), it is also considered holy in Esoteric Buddhism. In Devanagari it is written ॐ (Unicode U+0950) and in Tibetan script ༀ (Unicode U+0F00). Aum - The ...

Including:

• Aum - The Significance of the Symbol Om
• Aum - Aum in Hindu tradition
• Aum - Origin
• Aum - Philosophy of AUM
• Aum - Om in Jain tradition
• Aum - Om in Buddhist tradition
• Aum - Om in Sikh tradition
• Aum - When you pronounce AUM:
• Aum - Some quotations from Hindu scriptures regarding AUM
• Aum - Other traditions interpretations and understandings

Read more here: » Aum: Encyclopedia - Aum

A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words and vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in India with Vedic Hinduism and were later adopted by Buddhists and Jains, now popular in various modern forms of spiritual practice which are loosely b ...

Including:

• Mantra - Introduction
• Mantra - Mantra in Hinduism
• Mantra - Mantra Japa
• Mantra - Some Hindu mantras
• Mantra - Lead me from Ignorance to Truth
• Mantra - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
• Mantra - The shanti mantras
• Mantra - Universal prayer
• Mantra - Other examples
• Mantra - The Hindu Bija Mantra
• Mantra - Remarks
• Mantra - What is Dharma?
• Mantra - The Significance of the Symbol Om
• Mantra - Mantras and Prayers
• Mantra - Kirtan and Bhajan
• Mantra - Vedic Conception of Sound
• Mantra - Mantra in Buddhism
• Mantra - Mantra in Shingon Buddhism
• Mantra - Mantra in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
• Mantra - Om mani padme hum
• Mantra - Some other mantras used by Tibetan Buddhists
• Mantra - Mantra in other traditions or contexts

Read more here: » Mantra: Encyclopedia - Mantra

The Indo-Greeks (or sometimes Greco-Indians) designate a series of Greek kings, who invaded and controlled parts of northwest and northern India from 180 BCE to around 10 CE. They were the successors in India of the Greco-Bactrian dynasty of Greek kings (the Euthydemids) founded by the military governor Diodotus around 250 BCE when he established the independence of his Bactrian territory from the Seleucid Empire. During the two centuries of their rule, the Indo-Greek kings combined the Greek and Indian languages and sym ...

Including:

• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Historical outline
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Occupation of Northern India
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Consolidation
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Eastern territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Western territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and Indian culture
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and Buddhism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The conversion of Menander
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Buddhist proselytism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Buddhist symbolism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Representation of the Buddha
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Incipient Greco-Buddhist art
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - The Indo-Greeks and other faiths
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Hinduism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Zoroastrianism
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Indo-Greeks in the art of Gandhara
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Scythian and Kushan invasions
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Aftermaths
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Art and religion
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Astronomy
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Military role
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Linguistic legacy
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Influence of Indo-Greek coinage
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Genetic contribution
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Greco-Roman exchanges with India
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Main Indo-Greek kings timeline and territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Eastern territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Western territories
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Indo-Greek princelets Gandhara
• Indo-Greek Kingdom - Notes

Read more here: » Indo-Greek Kingdom: Encyclopedia - Indo-Greek Kingdom

In the dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism), the wheel of life (also called by a variety of other names; see the Names section below) is a mandala or symbolic representation of samsara, the continuous cycle of birth, life, death. One is liberated from this endless cycle of rebirth when bodhi, enlightenment, nirvana, moksha, or samadhi is reached. There are two primary forms of the wheel of life. The more elaborate form is usually six-spoked, though it is sometimes five-spoked. The simple ...

Including:

• Wheel of life - Names of the wheel of life
• Wheel of life - The six-spoked wheel of life
• Wheel of life - Background
• Wheel of life - Outer rim
• Wheel of life - Six Worlds
• Wheel of life - Hub
• Wheel of life - The eight-spoked wheel in Buddhism
• Wheel of life - The wheel in Tibetan Buddhism
• Wheel of life - Doctrine of Three Wheels
• Wheel of life - In Vajrayana Buddhism
• Wheel of life - Other Wheels of Life
• Wheel of life - Reference

Read more here: » Wheel of life: Encyclopedia - Wheel of life

Trisula is the Pali word for a "Trident". The symbolic weapon of the Hindu god Shiva is a trisula. Trisula can sometimes also designate the Buddhist symbol of the triratna. ...

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A dakini (Sanskrit: "sky dancer") is a Tantric priestess of ancient India who "carried the souls of the dead to the sky". This Buddhist figure is particularly upheld in Tibetan Buddhism. The dakini is a female being of generally volatile temperament, who acts as a muse for spiritual practice. Dakinis can be likened to elves, angels, or other such supernatural beings, and are symbolically representative of testing one's awareness and adherence to Buddhist tantric sadhana. Dakini - Origin. According to legend ...

Including:

• Dakini - Origin
• Dakini - Doctrine
• Dakini - Iconography
• Dakini - External link

Read more here: » Dakini: Encyclopedia - Dakini

The Dakini (lit. Sky Dancer) is a Buddhist Tantric concept particularly upheld in Tibetan Buddhism. The Dakini is a female being of generally volatile temperament, who acts as a muse for spiritual practice. Dakinis can be likened to elves, angels, or other such supernatural beings, and are symbolically representative of testing one's awareness and adherence to Buddhist tantric sadhana. Many stories of the Mahasiddhas in Tibet contain passages where a Dakini will come to perturb the would-be Mahasiddha. When the Dakini's ...

Including:

• Dakini Buddhism - Iconography

Read more here: » Dakini Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Dakini Buddhism

A notable feature of Tibetan Buddhism is the emphasis on wrathful deities, often alternative manifestations of normally peaceful deities. True to their name, in Tibetan art, wrathful deities are presented as fearsome, demonic beings adorned with human skulls. Though these awesome, hair-raising images seem contradictory to Buddhist ideals, they are not personifications of evil or demonic forces. Rather they symbolize the violence that is a fundamental reality of the cosmos in general, and of the human mind in particular. In addi ...

Read more here: » Wrathful deities: Encyclopedia - Wrathful deities

Esotericism refers to knowledge suitable only for the advanced, privileged, or initiated, as opposed to exoteric knowledge, which is public. It is used especially for mystical, occult and spiritual viewpoints. Esotericism - Etymology. Esoteric is an adjective originating in Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: "within". Esoteric refers to anything that is inner and occult. It ...

Including:

• Esotericism - Etymology
• Esotericism - Esoteric vs. Esotericism
• Esotericism - Nuances
• Esotericism - Scope
• Esotericism - Historical sketch
• Esotericism - Esoteric themes
• Esotericism - Traditions
• Esotericism - Esotericism in popular culture

Read more here: » Esotericism: Encyclopedia - Esotericism

Vajrapani (Sanskrit Vajra:thunderbolt/diamond, Pani:lit.in the hand; chn. Jin Gang) is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one of the Buddha's virtues:Manjusri (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' wisdom), Avalokitesvara (the manifestation of all the Buddhas' compassio ...

Including:

• Vajrapani - Doctrine
• Vajrapani - Iconography
• Vajrapani - Notes

Read more here: » Vajrapani: Encyclopedia - Vajrapani

Yab-yum (Tibetan for "father-mother") is a symbol in the Buddhist art of India, Nepal, and Tibet representing the male deity in sexual union with his female consort. It is generally understood to represent the primordial (or mystical) union of wisdom and compassion. The masculine form is passive, representing the compassion and skillful means (upaya) that have to be developed in order to reach enlightenment. The feminine form is active and represents wisdom (prajna), which is also necessary to enlightenment. United, the figures symbolize the union necessary to overcome the veils of ...

Read more here: » Yab-Yum: Encyclopedia - Yab-Yum

The Indus Valley Civilization, 3300 BCE–1700 BCE, was an ancient civilization thriving along the lower Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra river in what is now Pakistan and western India. Among other names for this civilization is the Harappan Civilization of the Indus Valley, in reference to its first excavated city of Harappa. Indus Valley Civilization - Overview. The Indus Civilization is among the world's earliest civilizations, contemporary to the Bronze Age civilizations of Mesopotamia and Anci ...

Including:

• Indus Valley Civilization - Overview
• Indus Valley Civilization - Settlements
• Indus Valley Civilization - Predecessors
• Indus Valley Civilization - Emergence of Civilization
• Indus Valley Civilization - Cities
• Indus Valley Civilization - Science
• Indus Valley Civilization - Arts and Culture
• Indus Valley Civilization - Trade
• Indus Valley Civilization - Agriculture
• Indus Valley Civilization - Writing or Symbol System
• Indus Valley Civilization - Geography
• Indus Valley Civilization - Decline collapse and legacy
• Indus Valley Civilization - Bibliography

Read more here: » Indus Valley Civilization: Encyclopedia - Indus Valley Civilization

Conches have spirally constructed shells. Depending on species (or aberrant growth patterns), shell growth can be sinistral (left-handed) or dextral (right-handed). Conches have long eye stalks, a long and narrow aperture, and a siphonal canal with an indentation near the anterior end called a stromboid notch. They also have a foot ending in a pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum. They grow a flared lip on their shells upon reaching sexual maturity. Conches have a characteristic leaping motion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward. They lay ...

See also:

Conch, Conch - Anatomy, Conch - Human use, Conch - Playing the conch shell, Conch - Religious symbolism, Conch - Hindu tradition, Conch - Buddhist tradition, Conch - Literature

Read more here: » Conch: Encyclopedia II - Conch - Anatomy

Conch - Hindu tradition. The conch is a major Hindu article of prayer, used as a trumpeting announcement of all sorts. The God of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life as it has come out of life-giving waters. In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India would blow conch shells to announce battle, such as is famously represented in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. The ...

See also:

Conch, Conch - Anatomy, Conch - Human use, Conch - Playing the conch shell, Conch - Religious symbolism, Conch - Hindu tradition, Conch - Buddhist tradition, Conch - Literature

Read more here: » Conch: Encyclopedia II - Conch - Religious symbolism