Buddhism in Nepal

Introduction

Nepal, the land of the Himalayas, is also home to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha and millions of Buddhist followers. With a significant number of Buddhist residents, Nepal is considered to be the common meeting point between the Indian and Tibetan streams of Buddhism which is justified by the small nation's geographical location. Nepal is bordered to the north by Tibet and India to the east, west and south. This close proximity has helped both streams of Buddhism to flourish all over the nation. The religion of Buddhism is deeply embedded in the culture and traditions of the Nepali people. Though the majority of Nepali people identify themselves as Hindus, one can observe considerate amount of Buddhist influence in the daily lives of Nepali people. This is justified by the presence of various cultural and religious heritages sharing places of worship for the people of both the faiths. That is why the distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism is not always clear in Nepal.

Buddhism In Nepal

The history of Buddhism in Nepal dates back to the days of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince of Shakya clan of Kapilvastu which is located in the present day Rupandehi district in Nepal. Following his Buddhahood, his birthplace has been revered as a holy pilgrimage for millions of followers of Buddhism all over the world. Many legends also suggest that various Boddhisattvas and previous Buddhas visited the land. One can see various monuments and landmarks around the capital city of Kathmandu which are dedicated to them. Nepal has served asa great meeting point for many Indian and Tibetan teachers of Buddhism. One of the legends suggest that Nagarjuna, the great Boddhisatva visited, lived and taught in Nepal after the deity cut out the gorge from the lake, thus creating the Kathmandu Valley. Similarly, Emperor Ashoka erected a pillar at Lumbini to signify the birthplace of the Buddha in the second century BCE. It is also believed that his daughter, princess Charumati established the village of Chabahil and also built the Charumati Stupa in Kathmandu. The country later became one of the major locations for Buddhist education and Buddhist Sankrit Literature. The following years also saw the rise of Buddhist arts like Buddha Statues, miniature stupas, Buddhist manuscripts, images, Thangkas, etc. in Nepal, for which the country is still widely known for all over the world.

In traditional Nepali Buddhism, there are believed to have nine special texts which are called Nine Dharma Jewels or Navagrantha. These texts are:

• Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
• Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
• Ten Stages Sutra
• Samādhirāja Sūtra
• Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
• Lotus Sutra
• Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
• Lalitavistara Sūtra
• Golden Light Sutra

Buddhism in Nepal consists of basically three streams of Buddhism; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana streams. The Tibetan Mahayana stream has most of its followers in the northern part of Nepal. The Newari Buddhism, on the other hand is a form of Vajrayana Buddhism. Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism or the Thunderbolt way and is believed to have been derived from Mahayana Buddhism. This stream is popular religious system in the Kathmandu valley. These days some Nepali followers have turned to Theravada practice based on the Pali canon.

Nepal is also home to many Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Thousands of pilgrims visit the country every year to visit these sites in order to pay their respects to the enlightened one. Many famous Buddhist temples have been erected throughout the Nepal since the ancient times. One of the biggest Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal is Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha as mentioned earlier. Likewise, the ancient stupas of Swayambhu and Bouddhanath are regarded as most sacred sites for the followers of Buddhism. All of the above three sites are also listed as the World Heritage sites by UNESCO. The stupa of Swayambhunath, however has been the most sacred site and is considered as an important power place for the local Buddhists. Believed to have been "self-created" or "self-existent" form of Buddha, the premises of the stupa is surrounded by various Buddhist monasteries and quite a handful of ancient Buddha statues. The myth surrounding the stupa tells the story of the primordial Buddha's enlightenment and the spread of Buddhism in Nepal.

Bodhisattvas - Awakened One with Spiritual Essence

Bodhisattva is one of the important terms in the world of Buddhism. In general, Bodhisattva is the enlightened beings who devout themselves for the sole purpose of helping all sentient beings in the world. The word "Bodhisattva" is considered as the compound word and is formed from two basic words i.e. Bodhi and Sattva. Bodhi is basically the process of spiritual awakening i.e. enlightenment, and Sattva is being with spiritual essence. So basically Bodhisattva is the spiritual beings who have gone through the spiritual awakening and attained Enlightenment.

According to Buddhist tradition, Bodhisattva possess three different meanings i.e. principle meanings of Bodhisattva. They are:

• In Early Buddhism, Bodhisattva are referred as the previous lives of a Buddha.
• In Mahayana Buddhism, Bodhisattva is referred as the beings who dedicated their life to seek Enlightenment for the sole purpose of helping all the other sentient beings to be free from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
• In Mahayana Buddhism, Bodhisattva are also referred as the objects of devotion to Buddhism i.e. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva Manjushree etc.

Important Bodhisattva in Buddhism

In Buddhism, Bodhisattva are also known by the name Arhat, Pratyekabuddha etc. The meanings and its importance may be different according to various Buddhist traditions in the world. But the following bodhisattvas are considered the most important in Buddhism. They are:

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is considered as the Thousand Hand Avalokiteshvara in Buddhism and is one of the most respected and widely revered Bodhisattva in Theravada as well as Mahayana Buddhism. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is basically translated as "The lord Who Looks Down in Pity", and "The One who hears the cries of the World". According to legend, Avalokiteshvara postponed attainment of Buddhahood in order to help all the sentient Beings who cries for the help. And Avalokiteshvara is known to be the manifestation of Amitabha Buddha.

Bodhisattva Manjushree

One of the most iconic figure among the Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism is Bodhisattva Manjushree. He is also known as the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom. The word Manjushree is translated as "He who is noble and gentle" and is the representation of spiritual insight and awareness. It is believed that Bodhisattva Manjushree sees all the phenomena of spiritual essence and boundless nature of self. Manjushree is depicted as holding Vajra Sword Of Discriminating Light in his right and his left hand wields beautiful blue lotus flower.

Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha

As one of the principal Bodhisattvas in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is known for his Buddhist vow i.e. vow to neglect Buddha until all sentient beings in hell are escaped and the hell is empty. Ksitigarbha is generally translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth womb" and "Earth matrix". Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is mostly depicted as the simple Buddhist monks with shaved heads and wields wish fulfilling jewel in one hand and six rings staff. The six rings in the staff means that Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha protects all six realms.

Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

As the protector of all those who teach Dharma, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is the part of trinity with Gautama Buddha and Bodhisattva Manjushree. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is also known by the name Fugen in Japan and Puxian in China. He is referred as "He who is All Pervadingly Good". Bodhisattva Samantabhadra was mostly associated with those who are involved with Buddhist practice as well as meditation.

Shwedagon Pagoda – Golden Symbol of Myanmar

One of the most popular Buddhist structures in all Burma is Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is officially known by the name of Golden Zedi Daw and international tourism knows this pagoda as Golden Pagoda and Great Dagon Pagoda. This 99 meters (325 ft) pagoda can be called as the Golden symbol of Yangon, Myanmar.  This gilded stupa lies in the Singuttara Hill that is west of Kandawgyi Lake. According to Tourism Statistics, Shwedagon Pagoda is enlisted as one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world.

View of Shwedagon Pagoda From Platform

Shwedagon Pagoda is considered as one of the most important Buddhist shrines in Myanmar. This pagoda has helped flourishing Buddhism in Burma quite a lot. What’s even more impressive about this pagoda is that it contains the relics of the four previous Buddha’s Kalpa, as well as the original staff of Kakusandha, water filter of Konagamana, and a piece of robe believed to be worn by Kassapa. This sacred Golden Pagoda also contains eight strands of hair believed to be from the head of Shakyamuni Buddha. The golden glow of this stupa shows the unimaginable sight to all around the area and it looks like its smooth curves raise high into the blue tropical sky. The platform of Shwedagon Pagoda is around 280 by 220 meters and is believed to exist even before 2000 years ago. Local people also believed that this golden existed even before the foundation of Rangoon or Yangon.

History

The rumor about the Shwedagon Pagoda can be found ages ago. Many archeologists believed that this golden Pagoda was built around 2000 years ago whereas Buddhist legend mentioned that this gilded pagoda was built around 2600 years ago which makes it one of the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world.

Platform of Shwedagon Pagoda

According to Legend, two of the first lay disciples of Buddha, Taphussa and Bhalika met Gautama Buddha after Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. They learned primary teachings of Lord Buddha and were offered 8 strands of hairs of Lord Buddha. Later these two brothers went to ancient Burma and is believed to discovered Singuttara Hill with the great help from the local ruler, King Okkalpa. In the present, the Shwedagon Pagoda holds these 8 strands of hair inside a golden vessel studded with jewels, in the form of a mythical bird, the Karaweik.
There is a myth that upon opening the casket with Buddha’s hair inside by King Okkalpa,

“There was a tumult among men and spirits… rays emitted by the Hairs penetrated up to the heavens above and down to hell….. the blinds held objects… the deaf hear sounds…. the dumb spoke distinctly… the earth quaked…. The winds of the ocean blew …. Mount Meru shook …. Lightning flashed …. Gems rained down until they knee deep …. All trees of the Himalaya though not in season, bore blossoms and fruit.”

Later this stupa was in a very bad shape until 14th Century, when King Binnya U ordered to rebuild this magnificent stupa. King Binnya rebuilt this stupa to a height of 18m and was raised to a height of 40m after a century under the orders of Queen Binnya Thau.  But Shwedagon Pagoda suffered from series of earthquake and took much damage. The worst damage took by this golden stupa was by the massive earthquake of 1768. That was when King Hsinbyushin built and raised it to a height of 99m, whereas the new crown umbrella was put in the stupa under the donation provided by King Mindon min in 1871.

Festivals

Religious festivals occurred almost every month of the Myanmar, according to lunar calendar. These religious festivals draw a large number of Buddhist monks and devotees as well as many local devout and tourists. During the special festivals, the stairways and platform of Shwedagon Pagoda are decorated by thousands of endless streams of devotees. The most important and significant religious festivals celebrated in Shwedagon Pagoda are as follows:

1. Tabaung Festival – Held during the month of February and March. 
2. Thin-Gyan Festival – also known as Water Pouring Festival and held in April. 
3. Kasone festival – Held during the month of April and May and known as Buddha Day Festival. 
4. The Waso Festival – Held in July.
5. Thadingyut Festival – Held in October.
6. Tazaungdaing Festival – Held in November.

Buddhism And It's influence in Burma

There are many countries where Buddhism is predominant. These countries are mostly from eastern as well western Asian Countries such as Burma, Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, Bhutan etc. If we talk about the total population who follows Buddhism, then Burma is number one. Around 89% of total population in Burma follows Buddhism, especially Theravada Buddhism. Burma can also be considered as the most religious country in terms of the total population of Buddhist monks and economy spent on religions. If we talk about Burma economy, most of it came from the Tourism which flourished due to the attraction of cultural heritage resided in Burma. According to Tourism statistics, Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the most visited Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world.

Buddhism in day to day Life

Theravada Buddhism has played an important role in the daily life of Burmese People. In the morning, many devotees visit monasteries, stupa, pagoda, Buddha statues and started praying. The senior monks in the monasteries, Buddhist temples started their day by cleaning the temple, whereas junior monks start their day by reading Theravada Buddhist sutra either in Pali language or translated. In Burma, even small children are sent to study Buddhism so, despite the nature of weather, they study their sutras and translation outside the monastery.

Bagan - View of Burmese Buddhism

The tourism is one of the most influential businesses in Burma. Many people live their life as a guide to help the tourists to visit them around the Burma. There are around 2200 Buddha stupa, Buddha images, monasteries, pagoda in Burma. Burma is also known in the world for its excellent Buddhist art and craft. Many craftsmen are all busy crafting and casting Buddha Statues. Buddha Statues are quite famous inside and outside the Burma.

History of Buddhism in Burma

Around 3rd Century CE, when Great Emperor Ashoka was reigning over India, Burma had a good trade relationship with India. And after Emperor Ashoka became Buddhist devout, he sent many messengers and Buddhist monks to spread Buddhism all around the Asia and Europe. According to Burmese History, one of the main trade hub of Burma, increased the contact with the traders of India, thus religious beliefs begin to prosper in Burma. After the success of Buddhist missionaries from India, the influence began to increase among the royalty. And people started to practice the mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Local Craftsman crafting Buddha Statues

In 11th Century AD, King Anawrahta strongly supported Theravada Buddhism and cast out the Tantric Buddhism that resided in Burma. A Large number of Buddhist monks and Buddhist sutras are brought to Burma from the island of Sri Lanka. Many early cities of Burma (or Myanmar) such as Mandalay, Arakan, Shan was influenced by Buddhism and Pagan was considered as the centre of Theravada Buddhist art and culture. Pagan in the present, is known by the name Bagan, is one of the most visited cities in the world. These cities later discovered their own style and culture, such as Mandalay style, Shan Style and Arakan style.

Buddhist Culture in Burma

The religious and cultural aspect of Burma is greatly influenced by Buddhism and the people following the Theravada Buddhism. Burmese culture is quite rich in itself since it bends the faiths of ancient Hindu beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, and other early religious beliefs. One of the popular Buddhist festivals in Burma is Burmese Water Festival, which is believed to have originated from the Hindu traditions. Burma is also known in the world for its unique history of religions and cultures, and the sheer beautifulness of Burmese art. Burmese Art has greatly made the Burma the stronghold of Theravada Buddhism.

Buddha Statues : What are they for?

Recently, I came across a man who collected statues of Buddha. Even though he was not a Buddhist, he claimed to have felt the sense of calm from the statues. Someone told him that his collection of Buddha statues may be blasphemous as he was not a Buddhist. He inquired if it was true or not. Well, the simple answer from my side was a big "NO".

These statues symbolize calmness and peace of mind. They come in various forms, Mudras and in various styles. These statues often have different places of origins and their styles differ according to the place of their origins. The most famous representation of Buddha statues is of Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. Others represent various aspects of Buddha's teachings and the events of his life.

In early 2001, when Afghanistan was still controlled by the Taliban, who decided to destroyed two enormous Buddha statues in a mountainside. They considered these statues as an insult to their religious beliefs. The news disturbed the historical and artistic communities all over the world. From their point of view, the statues were an important pieces of ancient art. Even, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York offered the insurgent government $20 million to spare the statues. I did agree that it was not a good thing for the statues to be destroyed but I disagreed with the museum's effort to save them. Buddhism teaches impermanence. Non attachment is one of the main teaching of the Buddha. The effort to give money to the Talibans just to save some statues contradicted the enlightened one's teachings and sermons because, even if all the Buddha statues in the world were destroyed, or if they would cease to exist, the divine teachings or the Dharma teachings would never cease to continue. The philosophy of Buddhism would not die.

Buddhist do not take Buddha statues as the objects of worship. After all, they are just statues. There is am interesting Buddhist story which illustrates this point. Hundreds of years ago, a Zen monk stopped at a temple for shelter in the middle of a winter night with freezing temperature. The insides of the temple was not much warmer than the outside. The freezing temperature made the resident monks shiver as the fire was almost out with nothing more to burn. Then, the wandering monk bowed to the woodenBuddha statue and threw it into the fire. He then proclaimed, "Now it is finally good for something". After all, it was just a statue.

There is a huge difference between respect and worship. When anyone worships a statue or an image, it should be out of respect. Any attack or insult directed at this object results in anger of the followers. The blasphemer must pay for their sins. There are wars, people die, all because the objects are disrespected and not properly worshiped. Bowing or offering incense to the statues are the acts of respect and gratitude towards the Buddha's teachings but not for the statue itself. the Buddha attained enlightenment and experienced his own awakening  and later chose to share his knowledge with everyone. The statues represent his generosity and we should be grateful for that.

Buddha Statues

Buddha statues can be seen in many postures and each posture and hand gestures hold different meaning and signifies the aspect of spirituality. The Buddhist Statues explain the aspect of life, death, peace and many others. In addition to it, Buddhist Statues inspire us human to develop the inner qualities and traits to gain good lucks/ fortunes, happiness, internal peace and satisfaction to our life etc. There is also a saying that -

“For daily motivation or inspiration and to know the capacity of oneself in order to achieve a good life, one should place the Buddhist Statues in the central area of one’s home or office.”

Symbol of Buddhist Statues:

As mentioned earlier, Buddhist statues carry the symbol of internal satisfaction and peace, good lucks and fortunes and also act as a inspiration for every human beings. Whenever we concentrate at the Buddhist statue, it gives us inner peace which enlightens our mind, heart and soul. According to the great Buddhist Mythology, a Buddhist statue is considered as a symbol for many subjects, such as:

Buddhist Statue: A Symbol of Enlightenment:

In ancient time, Gautama Buddha found the answer for all his queries through enlightenment. He achieved enlightenment after he left his royal life and went for meditation. He meditated under a Bodhi tree where after many years of struggle, he finally achieved enlightenment. The Buddhist Statue describes the Enlightenment and preaches the lessons of life and death. In addition to it, Gautama Buddha preached Buddhism where he explained the fourNoble Truths of Life. The Four Noble Truths of life are:

1.    Dukha [Suffering]

2.    Samudaya [Cause of Suffering]

3.    Nirodha [Cessation of Suffering]

4.    Magga [Extinction of Suffering]

Buddhist Statue - signifies Belief:

Belief is the internal power to make people stand in their words. It is the thing that keeps people alive and help people to live their life. The symbol of belief in oneself is the greatest weapon to fight against Suffering.

Buddhist Statue - signifies of Hope:

Buddhist statues also stand as a symbol of HOPE. Hope is the only thing that has motivated people to struggle in life.

Shop Antique Buddhist Statues:

If you follow Buddhism and believe on it, you must definitely have a passion of collecting Buddhist Arts or Statues. So, if you want to collect such statues then you must go through the online gallery of beautiful collections of Antique Buddha Statues. They have original & antique Buddha statues as well as rare Buddha Images in their gallery. They travel across many Asian countries in search of beautiful Arts which depicts the Symbols of Buddhism. So, if you are looking for such good fortune statues, you have to visit their website. They have the largest collection of Buddha statues in every posture.

Difference Between Shakyamuni Buddha Statues and Laughing Buddha Statues

People are often confused with the statues depicting Buddha and their meanings in one way or the other, especially the ones between the statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and Laughing Buddha or Budai. Generally these are the two Buddha Statues which are famous all over the world. One of the main reasons for the confusion may be the name as they both has the term “Buddha” used to refer either of them.  The main difference, though, is that one of them is the statue of the Buddha while the other is the statue of a Buddha.

The following descriptions, however, may help clear up any confusion regarding these famous statues of Buddha.

Statue of Sidhhartha/Shakyamuni Buddha (The Buddha)

Shakyamuni Buddha Statue
Image source:
(www.burmese-art.com)

The statue of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha, depicts the image of a spiritual leader or the teacher who originated from the northern South Asian region. Born as a prince in a state of Kapilvastu almost 2600 years ago, he left all the earthly belongings he had as a prince and his palace to medidate to find a true meaning of life. After achieving enlightenment following years of medidation, his teachings became the foundation of what we know today as the religion of Buddhism. 

He is the one whom the Buddhist refer to when the talk about the Buddha. The statues of Gautam Buddha or Buddharupa are often depicted in various poses, including seated meditation (with various hand gestures or mudras), standing or walking and lying down on his side, representing various stages of his life and his teachings.

Statue of Laughing Buddha

The statue of Laughing Buddha is that of the character Hotei, who is based on an eccentric monk who lived at the time of Lian Dynasty in ancient China. Also famous as Budai, this statue has become associated as the bringer of good luck and good fortunes across many Asian countries. He is usually identified with (or as an incarnation of) Maitreya, so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya is depicted in East Asia.

Laughing Buddha Statue
Image source:
(www.burmese-art.com)

In Buddhism, the term Buddha is referred to the person who has attained enlightenment through the practice of medidation. . Eventhough, the Theravada Buddhists refer to Budai as an Arhat rather than a Buddha, the statues of Laughing Buddha are often depicted him as an obese bald man who is smiling or laughing, hence earning him the name Laughing Buddha.

Here you go, the difference between the statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Laughing Buddha.

So, after reading this article, if you are interested in purchasing Buddha Statues, be it Shakyamuni or Laughing Buddha statues, do visit our Buddha Statues Catalog to choose suitable Buddha Statues for you.