Category: Buddhism

Buddharupa (literally, ‘Form of the Awakened One’) is the Sanskrit term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha. Despite cultural and regional differences in the interpretations of texts about the life of the Buddha, there are some general guidelines to the attributes of a Buddharupa: – Fingers and toes are elongated proportionately. – Long, aquiline nose. –...

Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa was a 5th century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar. Buddhaghosa means “Voice of the Buddha” in the Pali language. Writings and translations He translated extensive Sinhalese commentaries on the Pali Buddhist texts in Pali. Certain commentaries are also attributed to him, including one on the Vinaya and one on the Dhammapada that includes 305 stories for context....

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (Thai: พุทธทาสภิกขุ, May 27 1906 – May 25 1993) was one of the most influential Theravada Buddhist monks of the 20th century. Known as an innovative interpreter of Buddhist beliefs, Buddhadasa helped reform Buddhism in his home country of Thailand and inspired persons such as Pridi Phanomyong, leader of that country’s 1932 revolution, and the Thai social activists...

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km (143 miles) northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters (8,202.1 feet). Most likely built in the fifth or sixth centuries, the statues represented a classic blending of Greek and Buddhist...

The Buddha Dordenma statue is a large bronze statue of the Buddha being constructed on the mountainside above Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. It is sited amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of Sherab Wangchuck, the 13th Desi Druk. Upon completion in 2007 it will be the largest Buddha rupa in the world, at a height of 169...

Buddha (Pali and Sanskrit) means ‘one who is awake’ (see Bodhi) or ‘one who knows’. A Buddha is a human being who has, through his or her own efforts and wisdom, awoken to the Truth (Dharma) behind appearance, having abandoned and overcome greed, hatred and delusion; attained liberation (moksa) from all suffering (a state of bliss and inner peace called...

Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, “Buddha-dhatu” – “Buddha Element”, “Buddha-Principle”) is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddha-nature (“Buddha-dhatu”) is taught to be a truly real eternal potential or principle, present in all sentient beings, for awakening and becoming Enlightened. The Buddha-nature doctrine relates to the possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha-mind or buddha-element (“Buddha-dhatu”),...

Brahmaviharā (Pali and Sanskrit) can be translated as Sublime Attitudes or Abodes of God. They form a sequence of Buddhist meditations recommended in the Pali Brahmavihara Sutta and the Sanskrit Brahmavihara Sutra. 1. Metta/Maitri: lovingkindness towards all; the hope that a person will be well. 2. Karuna: compassion; the hope that a person’s sufferings will diminish. 3. Mudita: altruistic joy...

Borobudur is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indonesia. It is located at , in the province of Central Java, 40 kilometers (25mi) north-west of Yogyakarta. It is a Buddhist stupa related to the Mahayana tradition, and is the largest Buddhist monument on earth. It was built between 750 and 850 CE by the Javanese rulers of the...

Bodhisena (Sanskrit बोधिसेन Chinese 菩提僊那) was an Indian Buddhist scholar-monk. He visited Japan, arriving in August 736 on the invitation of Emperor Shōmu, to Sanskrit and Huayan Buddhism in many Japanese monasteries. Bodhisena also petitioned the emperor to found a temple on Mount Tomi, which he found to strongly resemble the mountain in India where Buddha preached, known as Vulture...

In Buddhist thought, bodhicitta (Ch. 菩提心, pudixin, Jp. bodaishin) is the motivation of a bodhisattva.Etymologically, this is the combination of the words Bodhi or enlightenment, and Citta – mind, and is sometime translated as mind of enlightenment. Bodhicitta is invariably taught to be selfless determination, as the purpose of enlightenment is not for ones-self, but for the benefit of all...

The term bodhimandala (Sanskrit for “buddha position” or “buddhahood”), in its original meaning, is the achievement of enlightenment, or the meditative posture adopted by a Buddhist to that end. By metonymy, the term bodhimandala is also (perhaps more frequently) used to describe a place, often a city, monastery, or temple, where a particular bodhisattva is believed to have achieved buddhahood,...

Bodhidharma (Sanskrit: बोधिधर्मChinese 菩提達摩, pinyin Pútídámó or simply Dámó; Wade-Giles Tamo; Japanese ダルマ, Daruma, Vietnamese: Bồ-đề-đạt-ma), also known as the Tripitaka Dharma Master, was a legendary Buddhist monk.Bodhidharma is traditionally held in Shaolin mythology to be the founder of the Chan school of Buddhism (known in Japan and the West as Zen), and the Shaolin school of Chinese martial arts....

The Bodhi tree was a large and very old specimen of the Sacred Fig, located at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya (about 100 km from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar) under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later know as Gautama Buddha, arrived at Bodhi. The Bodhi Tree belongs to the Sacred Figs...