Category: Buddhism

Bhaisajyaguru (藥師佛／薬師 Ch. Yàoshī, Jp. Yakushi), more formally Bhaisajyaguruvaidūryaprabha (Jp. 薬師瑠璃光如来 Yakushirurikō nyorai) and also known as the Master of Healing or Medicine Buddha, is the Buddha of healing. His full name means “Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light”. In Mahayana Buddhism, Bhaisajyaguru represents the healing aspect of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. Contents Origin Iconography Role in Japan Role in Tibet...

Dharma-character school (Chinese: 法相宗 pinyin fa xiang zong) is the pejorative name for a stream of thought that represented the Indian Yogācāra system of thought in East Asia. Its proponents preferred the title Consciousness-only school (Chinese 唯識, pinyin wei shi, also romanized as wei shih). The movement that would eventually receive these names was initiated in China by Xuanzang(玄奘), who,...

Wylie: bar do thos grolliterally: Liberation through Hearing in the State of Bardo. The Bardo Thodol, sometimes called the Tibetan Book of the Dead, is a funerary text that describes the experiences of the consciousness after death during the interval known as bardo between death and rebirth. It is recited by lamas over a dying or recently deceased person, or...

This is an article on a Buddhist concept. For other meanings of the word Bardo see: Bardo (disambiguation) The Tibetan word Bardo means literally “intermediate state” – also translated as “transitional state” or “in-between state”. In Sanskrit the concept has the name antarabhava. Used somewhat loosely, the term “bardo” refers to the state of existence intermediate between two lives on...

Baoguo Temple (Chinese: 保国寺; Hanyu Pinyin: Bǎoguósì) is a Mahayana Buddhist temple located in Jiangbei district, 15km north of Ningbo, in Zhejiang, China. It is famous as the oldest surviving wooden structure in southern China, as the main hall of the present temple dates back to 1013 in the Northern Song dynasty. Contents History Transport Entry See also History The...

Baizhang Huaihai (Chinese: 百丈懷海; pinyin: Bǎizhàng Huáihái; Wade-Giles: Pai-chang Huai-hai; Japanese: Hyakujo Ekai) (720-814) was a Chinese Zen master during the Tang Dynasty. He was a dharma heir of Mazu Daoyi (Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu Tao-i). Baizhang’s students included: Huangbo and Lingyu. Baizhang stablished an early set of rules for Chan (Chinese Zen) monastic discipline, the Pure Rules of Huai Hai, which...

The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (or ‘Awakening of Mahayana Faith’, 大乘起信論) is a text of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. Contents Origin and History Content Influence References English Translations Other References Origin and History While the text is attributed by the faithful to Ashvaghosha, no Sanskrit version of the text is available. Instead, the earliest known versions are...

In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara (Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. It derives from the Sanskrit word avatāra which means “descent” and usually implies a deliberate descent into mortal realms for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many...

The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Chinese 華嚴經; pinyin hua yan jing) is one of the most influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture. This text describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing each other. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation...

Neo-Buddhism is a modern Buddhist revivalist movement in India. As a popular movement, Neo-Buddhism began on October 14, 1956 when B. R. Ambedkar, the 20th century’s most prominent Untouchable converted to Buddhism along with nearly 400,000 of his followers. Contents Origins 22 Vows Distinctive interpretation Buddhism in India after Ambedkar S. N. Goenka Recent developments See also Origins At the...

Avalokiteśvara or Avalokiteshvara (Sanskrit) is the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Avalokitesvara is the most widely revered bodhisattva in Buddhism. In East Asia the bodhisattva is known as Guan Yin or Kannon (cf. Guan Yin article), both of which are female manifestations. In Tibetan Buddhism Avalokiteśvara is known as Chenrezig, and also as Padmapāni (Holder of the...

The Aṭṭhakavagga and the Pārāyanavagga are two small collections of suttas within the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. They are considered by some modern scholars to be among the earliest existing Buddhist literature. We do not have a great deal of information about the earliest phases of Buddhist thought, the form of the religion predating its later codification in the...

Atman is a Sanskrit word, normally translated as ‘soul’ or ‘self’ (also ego). In Buddhism, the concept of Atman is the prime consequence of ignorance, – itself the cause of all misery – the foundation of Samsara itself. In a number of sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, as well as in certain Buddhist Tantras, however, the term “Atman” is used in...

Atiśa Dipamkara Shrijnana (Bangla: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান) (982 – 1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher who reintroduced Buddhism into Tibet after King Langdharma had nearly destroyed it. He studied and mastered all of the traditions of Buddhism in India. After different trials to invite him to Tibet, he finally accepted the invitation and came to Tibet for the rest of...