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Prayer Wheel
A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in the Newari language of Nepal, on the outside of the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors, and very often the 8 auspicious symbols Ashtamangala. At the core of the cylinder is a "Life Tree" often made of wood or metal with certain mantras written on or wrapped around it. Many thousands (or in the case of larger prayer wheels, millions) of mantras are then wrapped around this life tree. The Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is most commonly used, but other mantras may be used as well. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on the lineage texts regarding prayer wheels, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.
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Origin
The earliest recorded prayer wheels were written of by a Chinese pilgrim around 400 C.E. in Ladakh.prayer wheel is a physical manifestation of the phrase "turning the wheel of Dharma," which describes the way in which the Buddha taught. Prayer Wheels originated from The School of Shakyamuni sutra, which states that, those who set up the place for worship, use the knowledge to propagate the dharma to common people, should there be any man or woman who are illiterate and unable to read the sutra, they should then set up the prayer wheel to facilitate those illiterate to chant the sutra, and the effect is the same as reading the sutra
According to the Tibetan tradition, the prayer wheel lineage traces back to the famous Indian master, Arya Nagarjuna. Tibetan texts also say that the practice was taught by the Indian Buddhist masters Tilopa and Naropa as well as the Tibetan masters Marpa and Milarepa.
Practice
According to the lineage texts on prayer wheels, prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativities (bad karma). In Buddhism, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have created a variety of skillful means (upaya) to help bring practitioners ever closer to realizing enlightenment. The idea of spinning mantras relates to numerous Tantric practices whereby the Tantric practitioner visualizes mantras revolving around the nadis and especially around the meridian chakras such as the heart and crown. Therefore, prayer wheels are a visual aid for developing one's capacity for these types of Tantric visualizations. The spiritual method for those practicing with a prayer wheel is very specific (with slight variations according to different Buddhist sects). The practitioner most often spins the wheel clockwise, as the direction in which the mantras are written is that of the movement of the sun across the sky. On rare occasions, advanced Tantric practitioners such as Senge Dongma, the Lion-Faced Dakini, spin prayer wheels counterclockwise to manifest a more wrathful protective energy. As the practitioner turns the wheel, it is best to focus the mind and repeat the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. Not only does this increase the merit earned by the wheel's use, but it is a mind-stabilization technique that trains the mind while the body is in motion. Intoning the mani mantra with mindfulness and the "Bodhicitta" motivation dramatically enhances the effects of the prayer wheel. However, it is said that even turning it while distracted has benefits and merits, and it is stated in the lineage text that even insects that cross a prayer wheel's shadow will get some benefit. Each revolution is as meritorious as reading the inscription aloud as many times as it is written on the scroll, and this means that the more Om Mani Padme Hum mantras that are inside a prayer wheel, the more powerful it is. It is best to turn the wheel with a gentle rhythm and not too fast or frantically. While turning smoothly, one keeps in mind the motivation and spirit of compassion and bodhichitta (the noble mind that aspires to full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings). The benefits attributed to the practice of turning the wheel are vast. Not only does it help wisdom, compassion and bodhichitta arise in the practitioner, it also enhances siddhis (spiritual powers such as clairvoyance, precognition, reading others thoughts, etc.). The practitioner can repeat the mantra as many times as possible during the turning of the wheel, stabilizing a calm, meditative mind. At the end of a practice session, there is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition of dedicating any accumulated merits that one may have gathered during practice to the benefit of all sentient beings. Then Om Ah Hum 3 times. This is customary with Tibetans upon completing any Buddhist practice, including the practice of the prayer wheel.
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche has commented that installing a prayer wheel has the capacity to completely transform a place, which becomes "...peaceful, pleasant, and conducive to the mind." Simply touching a prayer wheel is said to bring great purification to negative karmas and obscurations.
Pancha Buddha : About
Five Dhyani Buddhas, popularly known as Pancha Buddha are five representatives of five different qualities of Shakyamuni Buddha. Pancha Buddhas are also known as the Five Wisdom Tathagatas and are widely respected in Vajrayana Buddhism. In Sanskrit, they are known as the Five Conquerors, or Victor, and are a common subject in Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. As you may have noticed in many Thangkas or collections of five Buddha statues in Buddhist people's residences, these collections of Buddha statues are quite popular for their great five different qualities. These Pancha Buddhas are Vairochana, Akshobhaya, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi.
These Five Buddhas represent five paradises in five different directions i.e. Central, East, West, North, and South. In both Nepali Buddhism as well as Tibetan Buddhism, these Pancha Buddhas are represented in different Buddha statues, Buddha images, paintings as well as Thangkas, etc. The collection of Nepali Buddha statues must consist of a set of five Pancha Buddhas or it is considered incomplete. This state how much important the Pancha Buddhas are especially in Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhism.
Characteristics
The following shows the importance and characteristics of Pancha Buddhas in the life of Buddhist people.
Vairochana Buddha
Vairochana Buddha is considered as the supreme Buddha among Pancha Buddha. This Premordial Buddha represents the wisdom of Sunyata or essence of the Dharma realm meditation mudra. In Tibetan Buddhism, Pancha Buddha are drawn together in a mandala, it is always that Vairochana Buddha is in the center of Mandala. Vairochana Buddha statues are mostly depicted in white color and it is believed that if one meditate saying matra on Vairochana buddha, it helps to vanquish ingnorance. Vairocana Buddha Statues is quite popular among the Tibetan Buddha statues since the core of Jokhang temple is the Buddha image of Vairocana Buddha and Jokhang temple is one of the few important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Tibet.
Ratnasambhava Buddha
Ratnasambhava Buddha represents the South Skandha and is believed to reign over it just like other Buddha. Ratnasambhava Buddha statues is especially depicted in yellow color and represents richness. Ratnasambhava Buddha is shown in Varada Mudra, also known as Boon giving mudra, one of the different styles of Buddha statues. In Mandala, Ratnasambhava Budhda is shown facing South.
Amoghasiddhi Buddha
As the Buddha reigning over North Skandha, Amoghasiddhi Buddha is believed to protect or destroy every ounce of envy or jealousy from the heart of people who meditate on Amoghasiddhi Buddha. Amoghasiddhi Buddha statues are depicted in green color holding double vajra. Since he is represented as the protector from envy, Amoghasiddhi Buddha is shown in Abhaya mudra.
Akshobhaya Buddha
Among Pancha Buddhas, Akshobhaya Buddha is quite popular representations of Buddha. Akshobhaya Buddha is depicted in Blue color, holding vajra with left hand and touching the earth using earth touching Mudra. Akshobahaya Buddha is considered as the heavenly Buddha who reign over the eastern Paradise and represents the fifth Skandha. By meditating on the name of Akshobhaya Buddha, one can overcome any kind of anger as well as hatred.
Amitabha Buddha
In many Asian countries, Amitabha Buddha of Pancha Buddha is greatly respected and followed by large number of Buddhist people as well as Buddhist monks. Amitabha Buddha is also the heavenly Buddha who reign over the Western Paradise and is represented in red Color, holding lotus which symbolizes gentle and pure. Amitabha Buddha stands in the center of Pure Land which is considered as heavenly place where one can be free from all cycles of life. Only who speaks or meditate on Amitabha Buddha can go to Pure Land according to Buddhist doctrines of Amitabha Buddha. Two major Bodhisattvas i.e. Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta are depicted with Amitabha Buddha statues.
These Pancha Buddha are greatly respected by Newari Buddhism as well as Nepali-tibetan Buddhist ethnicities. These five Buddhas of five different skandha shows the qualities of Living Buddha and depicted in form of crown known as Five Buddha Crown or Rig Nga in Tibetan Buddhism. One of the key features of Pancha Buddha statues is that the hand postures of each Pancha Buddha are not considered mudra if all five Buddha statues are not placed together.
Our Buddha statue collection provides different styles of antique Pancha Buddha statues, Nepal Tibet Buddha statues, Tibetan Buddha statues, and Buddha sculptures, based on the mudras, etc. You can view our onlince collection for rare, old and antique Pancha Buddha Statues.
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OM - Hindu : About OM
It is the most sacred syllable symbol and mantra of Brahman, the Almighty God in Hinduism. Brahman is the Supreme Self, Ultimate Reality, and Creator of all Existence. The syllable is often chanted either independently or before a mantra; it signifies the essence of the ultimate reality, consciousness, or Atma. The Om sound is the primordial sound and is called the Shabda-Brahman (Brahman as sound). In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual sounds. It refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passage (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga. Om came to be used as a standard utterance at the beginning of mantras, chants, or citations taken from the Vedas. For example, the Gayatri mantra, which consists of a verse from the Rigveda Samhita (RV 3.62.10), is prefixed not just by Om but by Om followed by the formula bh?r bhuva? sva?. Such recitations continue to be in use in Hinduism, with many major incantations and ceremonial functions beginning and ending with Om. Maheshwarananda (2002) suggests that the Om reflects the cosmological beliefs in Hinduism, as the primordial sound associated with the creation of the universe from nothing.
Detail Description
The syllable Om is referred to as praṇava. Other used terms are akṣara (literally, letter of the alphabet, imperishable, immutable) or ekākṣara (one letter of the alphabet) and omkāra (meaning literally
"Om syllable", and connoting: a beginning and female divine energy). Udgitha, a word found in Sama Veda and bhasya (commentaries) based on it, is also used as a name of the syllable. The word has three phonemes: "a-u-m", though it is often described as trisyllabic despite this being either archaic or the result of translation.
The syllable Om is first mentioned in the Upanishads, the mystical texts associated with the Vedanta philosophy. It has variously been associated with concepts of "cosmic sound" or "mystical syllable" or "affirmation to something divine", or as symbolism for abstract spiritual concepts in the Upanishads. In the Aranyaka and the Brahmana layers of Vedic texts, the syllable is so widespread and linked to knowledge, that it stands for the "whole of Veda". The etymological foundations of Om are repeatedly discussed in the oldest layers of the Vedantic texts (the early Upanishads). The Aitareya Brahmana of Rig Veda, in section 5.32, for example suggests that the three phonetic components of Om (pronounced AUM) correspond to the three stages of cosmic creation, and when it is read or said, it celebrates the creative powers of the universe. The Brahmana layer of Vedic texts equate Om with Bhur-bhuvah-Svah, the latter symbolizing "the whole Veda". They offer various shades of meaning to Om, such as it being "the universe beyond the sun", or that which is "mysterious and inexhaustible", or "the infinite language, the infinite knowledge", or "essence of breath, life, everything that exists", or that "with which one is liberated". The Sama Veda, the poetical Veda, orthographically maps Om to the audible, the musical truths in its numerous variations (Oum, Aum, Ovā Ovā Ovā Um, etc.) and then attempts to extract musical meters from it.
The syllable Om evolves to mean many abstract ideas in the earliest Upanishads. Max Müller and other scholars state that these philosophical texts recommend Om as a "tool for meditation", explain various meanings that the syllable may be in the mind of one meditating, ranging from "artificial and senseless" to "highest concepts such as the cause of the Universe, essence of life, Brahman, Atman, and Self-knowledge".
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