Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year 2010


Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year, Hope you have a great year ahead.

Happy New Year 2010

Meaning of Swastika

The swastika,
Swastika is a Sanskrit word and it’s come from the word Swasti, means, all is well, good fortune, luck and well being. Swastika is a cross with four arms of equal length, with the ends of each arm bent at a right angle. Sometimes dots are added between each arm.

Swastika is an ancient symbol, and found worldwide. It is a sacred and prehistoric symbol that predates all formal religions known to humankind. Hindu and Buddhist rank Swastika second only to OM.
In Hinduism and Buddhism many gods and goddess holding Swastika (See left Ganesha picture, click to enlarge). Swastika can be seen in the art of the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Celts, Native Americans, and Persians as well Hindus, Jain and Buddhists. Below is a chart that display swastika used in different religion.

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Meaning of prayer flags slide show

Previous Post you read about what is Prayer Flags. About prayer flags I made a slide show and posted in my another Blog topic What is Prayer Flag?

So i thought it is more convenient for you to watch this Slide show in this blog.

Read About This Video
Its believed that Prayer flags bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the surrounding area read more at http://mydzi.blogspot.com
Tibetan Buddhists have hung Prayer flags for centuries outside their homes, and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside.
Video Clips, in this Slide show is from documentry Lost treasure of Tibet. Back ground Music you can Listen in album Big Om of Tibet ( Om Chants, Prayers and Mantras)
Read more About Tibetan Prayer Flags

Tibetan Prayer Flags

Tibetan prayer flags or wind horse are square in shape, and traditionally printed in the color sequence of the five Buddha families; blue, white, yellow, red and green. These colors also represent the elements: earth (Yellow), water (Green), fire (Red), air/cloud (White), sky /space (Blue).
They are normally woodblock printed upon square of cottons, or more rarely upon silk and inscribed with various prayers, mantra, deity images, and auspicious signs. Tibetan Buddhists have hung Prayer flags for centuries outside their homes, and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside. It’s believed that Prayer flags bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the surrounding area.
Some Woodblock Hand Printed Prayer Flags in our Dharma Gallery

Visit here to watch a Small movie about What is Prayer Flag?

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Sanginee

Few days ago i made a slide show video with some pictures from Nepal and Tibet + Nepalese instrumental Song "Sanginee tune" by MR. Ram Sharan Nepali. Which you can heard in background, when you open this blog. yesterday i posted that video in Sanginee, An Old Nepali Song. this video is posted here again to give you some information about the back ground music which play all the time when you open this Blog. I hope, i can share this song with many readers in this blog.

This Song is called "Sanginee" Which means Darling or Beloved one. This is a song from East Nepal.
This song is sung by women in a festival called Teej. This is a festival celebrated by women. On this day they fast, wishing the best for their husbands or husbands to be.
(You can mute Back ground music. If you feel boring with listening same song all the time while you reading this blog. There is a small MUTE Sign on Slide show widget player.)
This is high quality video with HQ pictures this video can view excellent with high speed Internet(ADSL) or Broad Band Internet line but you may find some problem to watch this video if you are using dial-up Internet . That's why i uploaded this video in Low Bandwidth for your convenient.
Click Here for Low Bandwidth Video

An Invitation to Attend the Stupa Ceremony

Shanti Tara Maha Stupa sketch
Historic Tara Great Stupa Event
Grand Celebration of the First Day of Construction
Khadiravana Center, Hua-Hin
September 26-27, 2009
***
Last year (May 06, 2008), i informed you about a Nobel issue of establishment of First Vajrayana Buddhist Stupa of Thailand.Visit the link "The Shanti Tara Maha Stupa for Peace and Harmony", at the Tara Khadiravana of the Auspicious Aeon.
Good news!!
The Thousand Stars Foundation would like to invite members of the public to join the Foundation Construction Ceremony of the Tara Great Stupa and the Procession to carry the model stupa to the Khadiravana Center in Hua Hin from 26 to 27 September 2009.

Those who are interested in joining the Procession by their private cars please gather at the Foundation House, 695 Ladprao 11 before 6 am. The Procession led by Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche and Dr. Krisadawan Hongldarom will start at 6 am on September 26, and will arrive at its destination at the Khadiravana Center around 11 am.
More details you can read at Invitation to Attend the Stupa Ceremony

Also visit Prof. Krisadawan’s Blog to read updated news about "Shanti Tara Maha Stupa". Also visit this link if you want to know more about What is Stupa

MASTERPIECES OF HIMALAYAN ARTS

Good News! You are going to read a blog post about Himalayan Arts Exhibition but venue is not in Bangkok and also not by us. See Previous Post about Tibetan Exhibition in Bangkok by Tibet Arts Gallery. Carlton Rochell Asian Art brings you the Exhibition MASTERPIECES OF HIMALAYAN ARTS since September 11 to 25, 2009. This exhibition is held in the Fuller Building, a New York City. Even though this exhibition is held in New york. we can enjoy this exhibition by view Online catalogue for this exhibition. I got this link in my email, which i would like to share with you.

If you Like to know more about Carlton Rochell Asian Art
Carlton Rochell Asian Art opened in October 2002 in the Fuller Building, a New York City landmark home to many prominent art dealers.

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Tibetan Lama

I was reading a book Buddhism (Endless Path) by Diane and Jon Sutherland. It’s a book about Buddhism, this book give you some Information about early Buddhism to present Buddhism including Theravada , Mahayana , Vajrayana ( or Tibetan Buddhism) and Zen Buddhism. So today I would like to share what is Tibetan Lama, from this book.
TIBETAN LAMAS
Tibetan Buddhism was often referred to as religious teachers and central to the Buddhist doctrine and their institutions in the Himalayan region and in Tibet.

Certain Lamas have reincarnation lineages, known as Tulku. The most famous example of this is the Dalai Lama, who is said to be the Incarnation of the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshwor. Believers are convinced that he has existed in 14 reincarnations since 1391.

Generally, Lama is a Tibetan title for a religious teacher. It is not applied to Tibetan monks generally, but does suggest spiritual attainment and an authority to teach.

Dalai Lama
Tibetan Buddhist believes that the Dalai Lama can trace back their linage to 1391. From the 17th century to 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government.

Dalai means “Ocean” in Mongolian and Lama is broadly the Tibetan equivalent to the Sanskrit word for spiritual teacher Guru. The Dalai Lama is more commonly translated as Ocean of Wisdom.

On the death of the Dalai Lama, the hunt begins for his reincarnation, a small child. Familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is usually the main sign of the reincarnation. The search usually takes a few Years.

Karmapa Lama
The Karmapa Lama is the head of the Kagyu School, one of the four major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Karmapa dates back to 12th century. The current holder of the Black crown or Black hat is the 17th reincarnation, although there is dispute between two candidates. read more about Karmapa here.
The Current Dalai Lama
The 14th and current Dalai Lama was born on 6 July 1935. Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of the nine children from a farming family in Amdo province of Tibet. He was proclaimed to be the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of three. He was enthroned as Tibet’s head of state on 17 November 1950. Read more about H.H. Dalai Lama here

Tibet faced occupation from China and when the Tibetan resistance movement collapsed in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he set up a Tibetan government in Exile.

Book Details
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing Co Ltd (October 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 1844515184
ISBN-13: 978-1844515189
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
Weight: 1.6 pounds
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,903,806 in Books

Green Tara Thanka

This is an old Thanka painting of Green Tara, painted in Newari style. Green Tara is represented seated on a lotus-throne, the right leg pendant, with the foot supported by a small lotus, the stem of which is attached to the lotus throne. She is slender, graceful in her pose, and dressed like a Bodhisattva and wears the five-leafed crown. These leaves of crown symbolize five Dhyani-Buddhas.

Some time in her crown, the five Dhyani-Buddhas are figured.
Her hair is abundant and wavy. Her right hand is in varad or 'charity' mudra, and her left, which is in 'argument' mudra, holds the lotus.
She has two full open [human] eyes, where as her another manifestation the White Tara has seven meditation [half-closed] eyes. The goddess may also be represented with a small image of Amoghasiddhi [one of the five Dhyani-Buddhas] in her headdress.

Green Tara is represented seated on a lotus-throne, the right leg pendant, with the foot supported by a small lotus, which symbolize she is free from samsara – through her practice and attainments. She is ready to help for her practitioner. Green tara is very immediate and quick. One calls to her for immediate assistance, and also often for help with worldly things like lover, wealth and so on, as well as spiritual things.
Newari Green Tara Thanka 4

Ganesha's broken tusk

We have read many posts about Ganesha. In the post Ganesha the God of Wisdom you can read about Ganesha’s broken tusk in briefly. There is several myth about his broken tusk, so in this post I will share some Stories behind how Ganesha lost his one tusk.

There is a Sanskrit name for Ganesha is Ekadanta (right picture) or one tusk Ganapati, read 32 forms of Ganesha. Some of the earliest icons show him handling his broken tusk. We can find many stories about how Ganesha lost his one tusk. In this post you will read three story behind it.

GANESHA battle with Parashuram

Ganesha said to have lost his one tusk in a fight with Parashuram

He said to have lost his tusk in a fight with Parashuram. "When Parashuram one of Shiva's favorite disciples, came to visit him, he found Ganesha guarding Shiva's inner apartments. His father being asleep, Ganesha opposed Parshuram's entry. Parashuram nevertheless tried to urge his way, and the parties came to blows. Ganesha had at first the advantage, seizing Parashuram in his trunk, and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless. When Parashuram recovering, he threw his axe at Ganesha, who recognizing it as his father's weapon (Shiva having given it to Parashuram) received it with all humility upon one of his tusks, which it immediately severed, and hence Ganesha has but one tusk.

A different legend narrates that Ganesha was asked to scribe down the epic of Mahabharata, dictated to him by its author, sage Vyasa. Taking into note the enormity and significance of the task, Ganesha realized the inadequacy of any ordinary 'pen' to undertake the task. He thus broke one of his own tusk and made a pen out of it. The lesson offered here is that no sacrifice is big enough in the pursuit of knowledge." In Some Ganesha Image, the broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata.

Another Story I found in the web is from Ganesha Chaturthi (the birth day of Lord Ganesha), which tells a third story:
"Indra, the god of the rain and skies, invited Ganesha to a feast. Taking his vehicle (his mouse), Ganesha began his journey to Indra’s palace. Because the mouse could not carry all his weight, he lost his balance and fell. The moon, shining in the night sky, laughed at him. Angered by this insult,Ganesha broke off his left tusk and threw it to the moon. And that’s why he may be called Ekadanta (means “with one tooth”). Ganesha also cursed the moon “that whoever looked at the moon on the Ganesha chaturthi night, they would undergo privations.” Even today, devotees avoidlooking at the moon on Ganesha days."
Visit source of this post http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/171854

Hope you have enjoyed reading these stories. If you have some different stories about Ganesha, you can share your stories in this blog.

Recommend Books On Ganesha

Also read WHY GANESHA HAS ELEPHANT HEAD and Ganesha Symbolism

Dharmapala Mahakala

If you visit this blog regularly you may have notice with some deities’s statues or thanka paintings, which is in terrifying or wrathful forms. Wrathful deities looks terrified, hideous and hair raising and different then other Buddhist ideals. But They are not personifications of evil or demonic forces. Wrathful deities are kindly gods who symbolize the tremendous effort it takes to vanquish evil, the violence that is a fundamental reality of the cosmos and the human mind and protect the faithful by instilling terror in evil spirits. In Sanskrit, the wrathful deities are known as Dharmapalas, which means "Dharma Protector".


There is a group of eight Dharmapalas. Dharmapalas are divinities with the rank of Bodhisattva who wage war without any mercy against the demons and enemies of Buddhism.

Mahakala is one of the eight dharmapala of the Buddhist pantheon. Mahakala's name translates as the "Great Black," one, or "Great time." The latter is a reference to the deity's ability to transcend all time. In Tibet we can found more then seventy five manifestations of Mahakala. As dharma protector, images of the wrathful deities are given a good position at the entrance doors of home and Buddhist Shrines.
Mahakala is one of the most popular terrific protectors in Tibetan Buddhism. Mahakala is worship in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He frequently appears at the inner entrance of a temple or is afforded a special shrine. His myth speaks of his having been tamed by Avalokiteshvara. He is sometimes even considered to be a fierce form of that Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Origin of Mahakala

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High Quality Thanka Paintings

Some Very High Quality Thanka Paintings
If you are a reguler reader of this blog you may have seen these Thanka paintings before in several posts. I hope this post will help you to get some idea about Thanka Paintings Collection in our Dharma Gallery Shop.
GOLD THANKA PAINTINGS In Our Dharma Gallery

MANDALA THANKA PAINTINGS In Our Dharma Gallery
I will try to post sitemap for Our Arts Collection in this blog. which help you to know about Our product. Click small picture to enlarge and detail.


FIGURE THANKA PAINTINGS In Our Dharma Gallery

WHEEL OF LIFE THANKA PAINTINGS In Our Dharma Gallery

NEWARI THANKA PAINTINGS In Our Dharma Gallery