The Six Realms of Existence 六道輪廻

Rebirth in Buddhism refers to its teaching that the actions of a person lead to a new existence after death, in endless cycles called saṃsāra. This cycle is considered to be dhukkha, unsatisfactory and painful. The cycle stops only if liberation is achieved by insight and the extinguishing of desire. Rebirth is one of the foundational doctrines of Buddhism, along with Karma, nirvana.

The rebirth doctrine in Buddhism, sometimes referred to as reincarnation or metempsychosis, asserts that rebirth does not necessarily take place as another human being, but as an existence in one of the six Gati (realms) called Bhava chakra. The six realms of rebirth include  God (heavenly), Asura (Demigod), Manusya (Human), Tiryak (Animals), Preta (Ghosts), and Naraka (Resident of hell).

The Six Karmic Realm of Rebirth. 

These are the fundamental factors that are determined by karma and connecting us to the six Gati or  “realms” :-

1 )  The God realm / 天道 - The suffering of the gods arises from foreseeing one’s fall from the god’s realm and these sufferings come from pride, arrogance and egotism. 

2) Asura The Demigod realm /  阿修羅道 - The suffering of Asura the Demigod is constant fighting and these sufferings come from jealously, resentment, and envy.  

3) The Human realm / 人道 - The sufferings of humans are birth, sickness, old age and death and these sufferings come from desire and attachment.

4) The Animals realm /  畜生道 - The sufferings of animals are being preyed upon one another, or being killed for meat, skin etc. These sufferings come from ignorance. 

5) The Hungry ghost realm /  餓鬼道 - The sufferings of hungry ghost is hunger and thirst and these sufferings come from greed.

6) The Hell realm / 地獄道 - The suffering of hell is hot and cold and these sufferings come from hatred and angers.  

This rebirth, state Buddhism traditions, is determined by karma, with good realms favored by Kushala (good karma), while a rebirth in evil realms is a consequence of Akushala (bad karma). While Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhist teaching, much of traditional Buddhist practice has been centered on gaining merit and merit transfer, whereby one gains rebirth in the good realms and avoids rebirth in the evil realms.

The rebirth doctrine has been a subject of scholarly studies within Buddhism since ancient times, particularly in reconciling the rebirth doctrine with its Anatman (no self, no soul) doctrine. Some Buddhist traditions assert that "no self" doctrine means that there is no per during self, but there is inexpressible self which migrates from one life to another.

The majority of Buddhist traditions, in contrast, asserts that Vijnana (a person's consciousness) though evolving, exists as a continuum and is the mechanistic basis of what undergoes rebirth, becoming and death. Some traditions assert that the rebirth occurs immediately, while others, such as the Tibetan Buddhism posits an “Bardo” interim state wherein as many of 49 days pass between death and rebirth and this belief drives the local funerary rituals.

Tibetan Buddhism holds that there are two ways that someone can take rebirth after death. The first is to be reborn involuntarily, under the sway of ‘karma’, drawn back to life by destructive emotions and desires. 

This is the fate of most of us, but there are a few, select others, through the power of compassion and prayer to benefit others, are believed to be able to choose their place and time of birth as well as their parents. The process of identifying these reincarnate beings is e called “Rinpoches, the precious one” or "tulkus" as we are known, is a unique mixture of magic and politics.

In a monastic society, where celibacy was the rule, it served for more than 900 years not only to affirm the Buddhist teachings of a realized soul choosing the circumstances of their rebirth for the benefit of mankind; it also ensured a continuity of spiritual and political hierarchy.

His Holiness Karmapas, who introduced the system of identifiable reincarnation in the 11th century, are unique in leaving a letter of prediction before their death, specifying where their next incarnation will be found. In other lineages, identification will usually involve a mixture of dreams, divinations and the consulting of oracles. It is an inexact science, practiced in different ways across the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

A New Tibet Comes With A Price

A few facts of Tibet Nowadays 

Modernization poses a new challenge for a new Tibet and herecomes with a price and the causes and effects of Urbanization and modernization of Tibet under People's Republic of China. 

Tibet in recent decades is transformed beyond recognition. Modern Face of Tibet is in fact, modernization poses a new challenge for a new Tibet and herecomes with a price.  What can we find true or real face of Tibet?

Pollution into the environment with new high rise apartment buildings, new highways, new railroads, new airports, new malls, business hotels, pubs and lounges, underground disco, KTV , alcohols, drug abuses , crime rate on the rise and diseases that easily find a place in Tibetan Soil.

STD and AIDS in Tibet autonomous region (TAR)

Tibet, one of the latest places in the world to be exposed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is now becoming a place of high prevalence rate, according to some studies that have been kept low key where the first case was diagnosed in 2002. 

While the number of HIV-positive Tibetans are going up yearly, many residents of major Tibetan regions in Gansu, Qinghai, Suchuan and Yunnan Provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region do now know what AIDS is or realize it is fatal, said Chupal Sangpo, deputy director of an NGO in Sichuan dedicated in educating Tibetans about HIV.

At the end of 2015, new HIV cases in Tibet went down, while 77,000 people diagnosed as HIV-positive received treatment in the past 12 months.

Tibetan Buddhism is a religion in exile, forced from its homeland when Tibet was conquered by the Chinese. At one time it was thought that 1 in 6 Tibetan men were Buddhist monks. The best known face of Tibetan Buddhism is the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since he fled the Chinese occupation of his country in 1959.

Tibetan Buddhism combines the essential teachings of the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism with Tantric and Shamanic, and material from an ancient Tibetan religion called Bon. Although Tibetan Buddhism is often thought to be identical with Vajrayana Buddhism, they are not identical - Vajrayana is taught in Tibetan Buddhism together with the other vehicles.

History

Buddhism became a major presence in Tibet towards the end of the 8th century CE. It was brought from India at the invitation of the Tibetan king, Trisong Detsen, who invited two Buddhist masters to Tibet and had important Buddhist texts translated into Tibetan.

First to come was Shantarakshita, abbot of Nalanda in India, who built the first monastery in Tibet. He was followed by Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava, who came to use his wisdom and power to overcome "spiritual" forces that were stopping work on the new monastery.

The Groups within Tibetan Buddhism

1) Nyingmapa: Founded by Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, this is oldest sect, noted in the West for the teachings of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

2) Kagyupa: Founded by Tilopa (988-1069), the Kagyupa tradition is headed by the Karmapa Lama. Important Kagyupa teachers include Naropa, Marpa, and Milarepa.

3) Sakyapa: Created by Gonchok Gyelpo (1034-1102) and his son Gunga Nyingpo (1092-1158).

4) Gelugpa: (The Virtuous School) Founded by Tsong Khapa Lobsang Drakpa (also called Je Rinpoche) (1357 - 1419), this tradition is headed by the Dalai Lama.

In addition, Tibetan is widespread as a liturgical language throughout the Tibetan Buddhist cultural area. Tibetan culture and language are today under strong pressure. Tibet has today the status of an autonomous region (TAR) in the People’s Republic of China. The number of Tibetans living in China is disputed. According to official Chinese statistics, the number is between 4 to 5 million, and under half of these live in the TAR, while the rest are found in other Chinese provinces.

Somewhat more than 100,000 Tibetans live in South Asia, primarily in India, and in the West. According to the Tibetan Government in Exile, the total number of Tibetans is approximately 5 - 6 million. Tibetan Buddhism is a strong and living religious tradition in Tibetan areas in China and parts of neighboring countries. 

Together with Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism is the Buddhist movement which has spread more widely in the West.  Buddhism came to Tibet in the 7th century A.D., first and foremost from India. It assimilated local religious traditions and became what we call Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetans adopted an Indian alphabet in order to translate Buddhist texts and for practical purposes in the country's administration, and is still used today.

Buddhism was transmitted into Tibet mainly during the 7th to 10th centuries. Notable early teachers were the illustrious 8th-century Tantric master Padmasambhava and the more orthodox Mahayana teacher Shantirakshita. With the arrival from India in 1042 of the great teacher Atisha, a reform movement was initiated, and within a century the major sects of Tibetan Buddhism had emerged. 

The Dge-lugs-pa, or One of the Virtuous System, commonly known as the Yellow Hats ( The Gelupa lineage ) the order of the Dalai and the Panchen Lamas, was the politically predominant Tibetan sect from the 17th century until 1959, when the hierocratic government of the Dalai Lama was abolished by the People’s Republic of China.

Much of the Buddhist literature that was lost in India exists today in Tibetan translations, and Tibetan is therefore one of the important languages in the study of Buddhism. Since the 11th century, Tibetans have also composed their own Buddhist literature, which consists of historical, biographical and liturgical texts, commentaries, meditational texts, poetry, grammar and philosophy and, since the twentieth century, also secular literature, which comprises poetry, novels and short stories. 

In the second half of the 20th century Tibetan Buddhism spread to the West, particularly after the subjugation of Tibet to Chinese Communist rule sent many refugees, including highly regarded “reincarnated lamas,” or tulkus, out of their homeland. Tibetan religious groups in the West include both communities of refugees and those consisting largely of Westerners drawn to the Tibetan tradition.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

The Two Accumulations – Merit and wisdom

Merit is to be accumulated.

Evil is to be abandoned.

Merit and wisdom in Sanskrit are known as “Punya and “Jnana” . 

In Tibetan  known as “Sonam” and  “Yeshi”.  

In Chinese is “功德” and “智慧”

1 ) Merit

Is a concept considered fundamental to Buddhist ethics. It is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts. Merit-making is important in Buddhist practice: merit brings good and agreeable results, determines the quality of the next life and contributes to a person's growth towards enlightenment. In addition, merit is also shared with a deceased loved one, in order to help the deceased in their new existence. 

Merit is a force that results from good deeds done; it is capable of attracting good circumstances in a person's life, as well as improving the person's mind and inner well-being. Moreover, it affects the next lives to come, as well as the destination a person is reborn.

Merit can be gained in a number of ways, such as giving, virtue and mental development. There are many forms of merit-making described in ancient Buddhist texts. The most fruitful form of merit-making is those good deeds done with regard to the Triple Gem, that is, the Buddha, his teachings, the Dhamma and the Sangha. 

Merit has become part of rituals, daily and weekly practice, and festivals. In addition, there is a widespread custom of transferring merit to one's deceased relatives. Merit is a "beneficial and protective force which extends over a long period of time and is the effect of Karma done through physical action, words, or thought.

The way meritorious works, is that acts of merit bring good and agreeable results, whereas demeritorious acts bring bad and disagreeable results. A mixture of the two generates mixed results in a person's life. This explains why people are different and lead different lives in many ways.

Karma is self-regulatory and is the cause and effects of positive and negative actions. In today's world we called it the Law of the Universe: it operates without divine intervention and human intention is fundamental to it.

Internally, merit makes the mind happy and virtuous. Externally, present good circumstances, such as a long life, health and wealth, as well as the character and abilities someone is born with, arise from merits done in the past and vice versa, with demerits.

The merits and demerits a person has done may take a while to bear fruit. This is how most often people arguing that ones had done many good deeds, yet still facing many harsh ship or unpleasant incidents or bad things happens to them. Likewise, those who has done bad karma , yet he or she is still having a very happy and luxurious life.

Merit or demerit may cause a good or bad future respectively, including in the next lives to come. A bad destination after rebirth may be caused by demerit, but merely a lack of merit may also lead a person to be born in an unhappy destination.

When someone is reborn in a happy destination, however, one can only stay there as long as merits last. Thus, it is stated in the Buddhist scriptures that people cannot take anything with them when they die, except for whatever merit and demerit they have done, which will affect their future. 

Merit can be accumulated in different quantities, and stored up, but also has an impermanent character: it can run out. 

How to generate merits?

Merit is not only a concept, but also a way of living. Three bases of merit :-

1) Generosity or giving 

2) Virtue - The defined by the three factors of the Eightfold Path:-
Right Speech,  Right Action ,  Right Livelihood.

3) Mental development / Samadhi – Meditation

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Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).
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Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's The Ten Great Vows

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's The Ten Great Vows

Samantabhadra is a Sanskrit language and literally means "The Universal Worthy". Samantabhadra is a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Gautama Buddha and his fellow Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. 

In the Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha – in indivisible Yab-Yum position with his consort, Samantabhadri. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, particularly the Nyingmapa school, Dharmakaya Samantabhadra (not the Bodhisattva of the Mahayana) is considered the most primordial Buddha, akin in status to Vajradhara for the Sarma traditions. Samantabhadra appears in the Vajrayana tantric text the Kunjed Gyalpo Tantra, as the Primordial Buddha. 

Therefore, in the Nyingmapa tradition, or 'Oldest Translation' school in Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakya tradition and the Bon schools view Samantabhadra as the Primordial Buddha. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana, Samantabhadra is considered a primordial Buddha in indivisible yab-yum union with his consort Samantabhadri. However, the Kagyu and Gelug schools use Vajradhara to represent the Primordial Buddha.

In the Avataṃsaka-sutra, the Shakyamuni Buddha states that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva made Ten Great Vows in his path to full Buddhahood. The Great vows as follows:-

Samantabhadra 's The Ten Great Vows 普賢菩薩十種廣大之行願

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1-To pay homage and respect to all Buddhas.

2-To praise the Thus Come One-Tathagata.

3-To make abundant offerings. (i.e. give generously)

4-To repent misdeeds and evil karmas.

5-To rejoice in others' merits and virtues.

6-To request the Buddhas to continue teaching.

7-To request the Buddhas to remain in the world.

8-To follow the teachings of the Buddhas at all times.

9-To accommodate and benefit all living beings.

10-To transfer all merits and virtues to benefit all beings.

The Samantabhadra's Ten Great Vows have become a common practice in East Asian Buddhism, particularly the tenth vow, with many Buddhists traditionally dedicating their merit and good works to all beings during Buddhist liturgies.

普賢菩薩十種廣大之行願

1：禮敬諸佛、2：稱讚如來

3：廣修供養、4：懺悔業障

5：隨喜功德、6：請轉法輪

7：請佛住世、8：常隨佛學

9：恆順眾生、10：普皆迴向

經中一一述此十大願，明其功德無量，臨命終時，得此願王引導，往生阿彌陀佛極樂世界。然此十大願為一切菩薩行願之標幟，故亦稱普賢之願海。以此菩薩之廣大行願，一般稱為大行普賢菩薩。

普賢菩薩儀軌

聖祝儀規：

(香贊）戒定真香，焚起衝天上，弟子虔誠，熱在金爐上，頃刻紛紜，即遍滿十方，昔日耶輸，免難消災障。南無香雲蓋菩薩摩訶薩（三稱）

(稱聖號）南無大行普賢菩薩（三稱）

如意寶輪王陀羅尼.......

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Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

The Smiling Buddhas

Why the Buddhas and His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama are always smiling?

When we look at a statue of the Buddha or the image of great enlightened beings with their serene smiles, it’s easy to say that these enlightened beings do not or never experienced the same reactive emotions or negative thoughts that swirl around in our mind.

The answer, it would be incorrect.

The Buddhas and sages faced the same reactive emotions and negative thoughts that you face today. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. Doubt. Overwhelm all of those and more if we could name all of these negativities. The Buddhas and enlightened beings faced them and through persistent compassionate facing and meditation discovered something remarkable.

The Buddhas and sages  discovered that every emotion & thought no matter how challenging can be transformed, healed, and expressed as a life-giving energy. They discovered how to experience freedom, not by suppressing, defeating, or avoiding emotions, but by transforming them. They discovered that freedom can be realized in the midst of life’s inevitable ups and downs.

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings developed a method we can use to realize how to be free in life. This method is based tapping into the life sources or forces  that underlying all emotions.

What are the sources or forces that underlies all emotions?

The sages traced emotions back to their original sources or nature of the sources, in their original form and found that reactive emotions are simply life energy running wild.

There’s power, juice, creativity, and aliveness in that wildness. But there’s also destruction, chaos, confusion and suffering. If you suppress the emotion—you suppress your life. But if you let it run wild, it destroys your well-being and happiness.

So what to do? 

The Buddhas discovered that at the heart of every emotion and every thought is an essential wisdom quality; at the still, radiant center of every emotion is a pure creative impulse. When you lose your connection with that pure creative impulse, your life gets tangled up in reactive emotions and conflicting thoughts.

When you reconnect to that essential quality, to that pure creative impulse, reactive emotions and negative thoughts are transformed into wisdom, creativity and bliss. The sages realized that the secret of transformation lies in attuning to the nature of the sources.

They called the underlying nature of forces and the answer is the six syllables Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum Hri

There are many others lives-enriching mantras. The Buddha has once say that the mantras and the Dharma teachings are many as 48,000 pulsing at the heart of every emotion; there is a wisdom-bearing mantra resonating at the still center of every thought.

Mantra meditation attunes your mind to the original source that lies at the heart of every emotion and every thought. Through the practice of mantra meditation, you untangle your consciousness from the reactive patterns that create confusion and chaos in your life.

That’s why the Buddha and the sages are smiling. Not because they never experience reactivity, but because they know how to transform, emotion into wisdom and blissful state.

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Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva 南無大願地藏王菩薩

“If the Hell is not empty, I shall not attain Buddhahood”

The Great Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha and the incoming of Maitreya the next future Buddha,

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Tibetan word is "Sa Yi Nyingpo". In Sanskrit name is "Ksitigarbha". In Chinese name is "地藏王菩薩" with his great vow- “If the Hell is not empty, I shall not attain Buddhahood”. Having vowed not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied, his activity focuses more particularly on helping those who suffer in the hell realms.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has received great respect and trust from all since long ago. Not only did he point out to us a road to achieving Buddhahood, but he also lighted up for us a hope in Dharma. For these reasons, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is known as “The King of Great Vows”. 

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of the most wonderful dimensions of the Mahayana Tradition of Buddhist practice and teaching are the different manifestations of Buddha’s Qualities of compassion and wisdom. These emanate as different Buddha deities. The form, appearance, costumes, mudras, implements and jewellery of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva differ quite considerably under Mahayana & Tibetan Buddhism. 

Manifestation in Mahayana Buddhism 

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is typically depicted with a shaven head, dressed in a monk's simple robes (unlike most other bodhisattvas, who are dressed like Indian royalty). In his left hand, Ksitigarbha holds a cintamani; in his right hand, he holds a staff "錫杖" , which is used to alert insects and small animals of his approach, so that he will not accidentally harm them. He is often depicted as white in color, holding a staff in his right hand and a jewel that symbolizes wisdom in his left hand.

Manifestation in Tibetan Buddhism

Ksitigarbha is shown wearing a crown depicting the Five Dhyani Buddhas as worn by Tibetan and in Tantric rituals.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is revered as the protector of stillborn, miscarried and aborted babies. He is the protective deity of travelers and guardian of pregnant women. He protects against earthquakes; he prolongs life and is a guardian of children.

The practice and prayers 

His mantra in Mahayana is “南無大願地藏王菩薩”

His mantra in Sanskrit is “oṃ ha ha ha vismaye svāhā”

I prostate, go for Refuge, make offerings, please grant blessings. The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who has unbearable compassion for me and all sentient beings (whose minds are obscure and who are suffering), who has qualities like the sky and liberates sentient beings from all the sufferings and gives all the happiness. (Recite three times.)

Five Reasons for Being Born into Poverty according to the Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva:-

1. The first of these is arrogance, particularly toward one’s parents.
2. The second is obstinacy, that is, refusing to listen to teachers and elders.
3. The third is lack of diligence in honoring the Triple Gem.
4. The fourth is thievery.
5. The fifth reason for being born into poverty is accumulation of unpaid debts. Although money is false and empty, it cannot be used casually and wasted. To borrow money and not repay it, thinking that you have no obligation because money is of no true importance, will lead to rebirth as a servile and poor person.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Pictures are intended for editorial use only.

The Divine Manifestation - Sacred Mudras

The sacred Mudras are symbolic ritual hand gestures that play a major role in Hinduism and Buddhism. In addition, some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. Mudras are also present in the Indian dancing tradition, Mudras are an important part of yoga, where Yoga should also have an effect on the body and mind. 

Mudras are a non-verbal modes of communication and self-expression, consisting of hand gestures and finger-postures. They are symbolic signs based finger patterns taking the place, but retaining the efficacy of the spoken word, and are used to evoke in the mind ideas symbolizing divine powers or the deities themselves. 

The composition of a mudra is based on certain movements of the fingers. They constitute a highly stylized form of body or hand language. It is an external expression of 'inner resolve', suggesting that such non-verbal communications are more powerful than the spoken word.

Mudras were used in the Buddhist sculpture and painting of India, Tibet. Mudras indicate to the faithful in a simple way the nature and the function of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and deities represented. 

Mudras are thus gestures which symbolize divine manifestation. They are also used by Lamas in their spiritual exercises of ritual meditation and concentration, and are believed to generate forces that invoke the enlightened beings.

A mudra is used not only to illustrate and emphasize the meaning of an esoteric ritual but also it gives significance to a sculptural image, a dance movement, or a meditative pose, intensifying their potency. In its highest Tantric practice, it is a magical art of symbolical gestures through which the invisible forces may operate on the earthly sphere. 

The symbolic of the esoteric ritual

An interesting meaning of the mudra reveals the secret imbibed in the five fingers. In such an interpretation, each of the fingers, starting with the thumb, is identified with one of the five elements, namely the sky, wind, fire, water, and the earth. 

Their contact with each other symbolizes the synthesis of these elements, significant because every form in this universe is said to be composed of a unique combination of these elements. 

This contact between the various elements creates conditions favorable for the presence of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Deities at rites performed for securing some desired object or benefit. That is, mudras induce the deity to be near the worshiper.

9 important mudras of Buddhism

• Bhumisparsa Mudra – “Gesture of the Earth Witness”. 

This mudra represents the historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama with His right hand touches the earth with the tips of its fingers (the palm inwards) while the legs remain in meditation posture.

The Bhumisparsa Mudra plays an important role in the history of the historical Buddha Shakyamuyni. While Buddha meditated under the Bodhi tree, he was disturbed by Mara, who tempted him by taking the form of a naked girl. But Siddhartha wouldn’t deviate from his path to enlightenment, and so he touched the earth with the fingertips of his right hand and said, “the earth shall be my witness, I will not let myself be seduced”

• Dharmachakra Mudra - "Turning the Wheel of Dharma". 

This mudra symbolizes one of the most important moments in the life of Buddha, the occasion when he preached to his companions the first sermon after his Enlightenment in the Deer Park at Sarnath. In this mudra the thumb and index finger of both hands touch at their tips to form a circle. 

This circle represents the Wheel of Dharma, or in metaphysical terms, the union of method and wisdom. Significantly, in this mudra, the hands are held in front of the heart, symbolizing that these teachings are straight from the Buddha's heart.

• Varada mudra - "Boon granting".

This mudra symbolizes charity, compassion. It is the mudra of the accomplishment of the wish to devote oneself to human salvation. It is nearly always made with the left hand, and can be made with the arm hanging naturally at the side of the body, the palm of the open hand facing forward, and the fingers extended.

The five extended fingers in this mudra symbolizes of perfections, Generosity, Morality, Patience, Effort and Meditative Concentration.

• Dhyana Mudra - "Meditation"

The Dhyana mudra may be made with one or both hands. When made with both hands, the hands are generally held at the level of the stomach or on the thighs. The right hand is placed above the left, with the palms facing upwards, and the fingers extended.  In some cases the thumbs of the two hands may touch at the tips, thus forming a mystic triangle. 

The esoteric sects obviously attribute to this triangle a multitude of meanings, the most important being the identification with the mystic fire that consumes all impurities. This triangle is also said to represent the Three Jewels of Buddhism. The Dhyana mudra is the mudra of meditation, of concentration on the attainment of spiritual perfection. 

According to tradition, this mudra derives from the one assumed by the Buddha when meditating under the pipal tree before his Enlightenment. This gesture was also adopted since time immemorial, by yogis during their meditation and concentration exercises. It indicates the perfect balance of thought, rest of the senses, and tranquility.

• Abhaya Mudra – “Protection, Reassurance and Blessing”

Abhaya in Sanskrit means fearlessness. Thus this mudra symbolizes protection, peace, and the dispelling of fear. It is made with the right hand raised to shoulder height, the arm crooked, the palm of the hand facing outward, and the fingers upright and joined. 

Abhaya Mudra can be found in images of standing Buddhas and Tara. The fifth Dhyani Buddha Amogasiddhi is also represented with the Abhaya mudra.

• Vitarka Mudra – “Gesture of Teaching, Giving Instruction“

The Vitarka Mudra is the gesture of discussion and Teaching, Giving Instruction. It is characteristic of those regarded as teachers and instructors. In this Mudra the right arm is bent, the hand raised with the palm outwards. Thumb and forefinger touch and thus form the “Wheel of Dharma”. One finds this gesture often in depictions of the Buddha, but also in pictures and sculptures of the Tara.

• Tarjani Mudra – “Gesture of Warning” 

In Buddhism it is also an expression of warning or admonition. In this Mudra, the right hand is held vertically in front of the chest and only the index finger is stretched upward while the other fingers and thumb roll into a fist.  

One finds this gesture especially in the wrathful deities, Dakinis and Dharmapala ( Dharma Protectors) 

• Karana Mudra – “Gesture to ward off the evil“

The Karana Mudra is a symbolical protection to keep demons and other negative influences at bay. In this Mudra, the hand is outstretched vertically or horizontally and with the palm facing forward. The two middle fingers are held down under the thumb. The index and the little fingers extend upwards. 

One finds this gesture often in depictions of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava right hand is holding a Vajra that symbolize divine manifestation of gesture to ward off the evil forces.

• Uttarabodhi Mudra – “Gesture of Perfection“

The Uttarabodhi Mudra represents supreme enlightenment and should bring positive energy and vibrations. By performing this Mudra, we connect with the universal divine energy. 

In this Mudra, both hands are folded across the chest. The two index fingers touch each other and point upwards. The thumbs are interwoven. The remaining fingers encircle each opposite hand.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

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