One of the key and significant characters for the teachings of Feng Shui is a figurine of a laughing Buddha. The second name of the Hotei symbol. The figurine is a small figurine of a cheerful and broadly smiling plump man. A single life-size figurine of a fat man necessarily has an addition in the form of a burden in the hands or behind the shoulders and is often located on a stone or some other support.

The meaning of the figurine

The figurine belongs to the images of the gods of happiness. There are only seven such figures of the gods of fun. Since ancient times, the figurine of the laughing Buddha has occupied key positions in the homes of followers of the teachings of Feng Shui. It cleanses the house of harmful and negative energy and fills the house with good qi.

The figurine can be made from:

• wood;
• Ivory;
• porcelain;
• bronze;
• ceramics.

The Council of Feng Shui Masters states that to achieve happiness and longevity, it is necessary to regularly stroke Hotei's belly. This ritual will give the owners of the figurine good luck, abundance, wealth and health.

Figure placement

1. The best place for a figurine is the living room. The Buddha should be positioned facing east. Finding a Buddha in the living room will attract someone to climb the social ladder into the house.
2. Placing Hotei at the entrance to the house will give the owners honor and respect from their neighbors.
3. Installing a Buddha in the southern rooms of the home bestows wealth.

In the hands of the figurine there may be coins - wealth, a staff - a symbol of health, a pumpkin - prosperity, a pearl - a symbol of wisdom, which attract abundance and prosperity to the house. The placement of the Buddha should correspond to the sector in the house, which is called upon to be responsible for the good that is in the hands of Hotei.

There are several options depicting a laughing Buddha.

Buddha in a children's environment gives the house numerous offspring. People who dream of a large family should have such a figurine. Having a figurine of a laughing Buddha with children in the living room of a house will give the house many heirs, and parents patience and health.

In Asia, peach was considered a storehouse of useful substances that could give longevity. A Buddha with a peach can give its owners iron health and an endless series of happy years.

The fan will remove obstacles from life path. Buddha with a fan is able to clear the way for new beginnings and bring closer the successful completion of all difficult undertakings.

The umbrella protects the owner from the troubles that the sky sends us. A Buddha figurine with an umbrella will bring protection to your home from blows of fate and unpredictable disasters. This figure gives impetus to climbing the social ladder.

There are several options for this figurine. Buddha can sit on a dragon-turtle, or he can sit in an embrace with a real dragon. Both figures are designed to attract good luck and finances to business. The figurine with a turtle also symbolizes the acquisition of wisdom and longevity.

The figurine will give its owners untold riches.

Alexander, November 6, 2014.

The story of Buddha, an awakened sage from the Shakya family, the legendary founder of the world religion of Buddhism and spiritual teacher, dates back to the 5th-6th century BC ( exact date unknown). Blessed, revered by the world, walking in goodness, completely perfect... He is called by different names. Buddha lived a rather long life, about 80 years, and traveled an amazing path during this time. But first things first.

Biography reconstruction

Before Buddha, one important nuance should be noted. The fact is that there is no material for the scientific reconstruction of his biography. modern science very little. Therefore, all information known about the Blessed One is taken from a number of Buddhist texts, from a work called “Buddhacharita” for example (translated as “Life of the Buddha”). Its author is Ashvaghosha, an Indian preacher, playwright and poet.

Also one of the sources is the work of “Lalitavistara”. Translated as “Detailed description of the pastimes of the Buddha.” Several authors worked on the creation of this work. It is interesting that it is “Lalitavistara” that completes the process of deification, deification of the Buddha.

It is also worth mentioning that the first texts relating to the Awakened Sage began to appear only four centuries after his death. By that time, the stories about him had already been slightly changed by the monks to exaggerate his figure.

And we must remember: the works of the ancient Indians did not cover chronological aspects. Attention was focused on philosophical aspects. After reading many Buddhist texts, one can understand this. There, the description of the Buddha's thoughts prevails over the stories about the time in which all the events took place.

Life before birth

If you believe the stories and legends about the Buddha, then his path to enlightenment, a holistic and complete awareness of the nature of reality began tens of thousands of years before his actual birth. This is called the wheel of alternating lives and deaths. The concept is more common under the name “samsara”. This cycle is limited by karma - the universal law of cause and effect, according to which a person’s sinful or righteous actions determine his destiny, the pleasures and sufferings intended for him.

So, it all began with the meeting of Dipankara (the first of the 24 Buddhas) with a learned and rich brahmana, a representative of the upper class, named Sumedhi. He was simply amazed by his calmness and serenity. After this meeting, Sumedhi promised himself to achieve exactly the same state. So they began to call him a bodhisattva - one who strives for awakening for the benefit of all beings, in order to emerge from the state of samsara.

Sumedhi died. But his strength and desire for enlightenment are not. It was she who determined his multiple births in different bodies and images. All this time, the bodhisattva continued to improve his mercy and wisdom. They say that on his penultimate time he was born among the gods (devas), and was given the opportunity to choose the most favorable place for his final birth. Therefore his decision became the family of the venerable Shakya king. He knew that people would have more confidence in the preaching of one who had such a noble origin.

Family, conception and birth

According to the traditional biography of the Buddha, his father's name was Shuddhodana, and he was a rajah (ruler) of a small Indian principality and the head of the Shakya tribe - a royal family of the foothills of the Himalayas with the capital of Kapilavatthu. Interestingly, Gautama is his gotra, an exogamous clan, analogous to a surname.

There is, however, another version. According to it, Shuddhodana was a member of the Kshatriya assembly - an influential class in ancient Indian society, which included sovereign warriors.

Buddha's mother was Queen Mahamaya of the Koliya kingdom. On the night of Buddha's conception, she dreamed that an elephant entered her white with six light tusks.

In accordance with Shakya tradition, the queen went to her parents' house to give birth. But Mahamaya did not reach them - everything happened on the road. I had to stop in the Lumbini grove (modern location - the state of Nepal in South Asia, a settlement in the Rupandehi district). It was there that the future Sage was born - right under the Ashoka tree. This happened in the month of Vaishakha - the second from the beginning of the year, lasting from April 21 to May 21.

According to most sources, Queen Mahamaya died a few days after giving birth.

The hermit-seer Asita from the mountain monastery was invited to bless the baby. He found 32 signs of a great man on the child's body. The seer said - the baby will become either a chakravartin (great king) or a saint.

The boy was named Siddhartha Gautama. The naming ceremony was held on the fifth day after his birth. "Siddhartha" is translated as "one who has achieved his goal." Eight learned brahmins were invited to predict his future. All of them confirmed the boy's dual fate.

Youth

Talking about the biography of the Buddha, it should be noted that his younger sister Mahamaya was involved in his upbringing. Her name was Maha Prajapati. The father also took a certain part in the upbringing. He wanted his son to become a great king, and not a religious sage, therefore, remembering the dual prediction for the boy’s future, he tried in every possible way to protect him from teachings, philosophy and knowledge about human suffering. He ordered the construction of three palaces especially for the boy.

The future was ahead of all his peers in everything - in development, in sports, in science. But most of all he was drawn to reflection.

As soon as the young man turned 16, he was married to a princess named Yashodhara, the daughter of King Sauppabuddha of the same age. A few years later, they had a son, who was named Rahula. He was the only child of Buddha Shakyamuni. Interestingly, his birth coincided with a lunar eclipse.

Looking ahead, it is worth saying that the boy became a disciple of his father, and later an arhat - one who achieved complete liberation from kleshas (obscurations and affects of consciousness) and emerged from the state of samsara. Rahula experienced enlightenment even when he simply walked next to his father.

For 29 years Siddhartha lived as the prince of the capital Kapilavastu. He got everything he could want. But I felt: material goods- far from it final goal life.

What changed his life

One day, in the 30th year of his life, Siddhartha Gautama, the future Buddha, went outside the palace, accompanied by the charioteer Channa. And he saw four sights that changed his life forever. These were:

• Poor old man.
• A sick man.
• Decaying corpse.
• Hermit (ascetic renouncer) worldly life Human).

It was at that moment that Siddhartha realized the harsh reality of our reality, which remains relevant to this day, despite the past two and a half millennia. He understood that death, aging, suffering and illness are inevitable. Neither nobility nor wealth can protect you from them. The path to salvation lies only through self-knowledge, since it is through this that one can comprehend the causes of suffering.

That day really changed a lot. What he saw inspired him to leave his home, family and all his property. He abandoned his previous life to go in search of a way to get rid of suffering.

Gaining knowledge

From that day began new story Buddha. Siddhartha left the palace with Channa. Legends say that the gods muffled the sound of his horse's hooves to keep his departure secret.

As soon as the prince left the city, he stopped the first beggar he met and exchanged clothes with him, after which he released his servant. This event even has a name - “The Great Departure”.

Siddhartha began his ascetic life in Rajagriha, a city in the Nalanda district, which is now called Rajgir. There he begged on the street.

Naturally, they found out about this. King Bimbisara even offered him the throne. Siddhartha refused it, but made a promise to go to the kingdom of Magadha after achieving enlightenment.

So the Buddha's life in Rajagriha did not work out, and he left the city, eventually coming to two brahmin hermits, where he began to learn yogic meditation. Having mastered the teaching, he came to a sage named Udaka Ramaputta. He became his disciple, and after achieving the highest level of meditative concentration, he set out on the road again.

His target was southeastern India. There, Siddhartha, along with five other people seeking the truth, tried to come to enlightenment under the leadership of the monk Kaundinya. The methods were the most severe - asceticism, self-torture, all kinds of vows and mortification of the flesh.

Being on the verge of death after six (!) years of such existence, he realized that this does not lead to clarity of mind, but only clouds it and exhausts the body. Therefore, Gautama began to reconsider his path. He remembered how, as a child, he fell into a trance during the plowing holiday, and felt that refreshing and blissful state of concentration. And plunged into Dhyana. This is a special state of contemplation, concentrated thinking, which leads to calming the consciousness and subsequently to a complete stop of mental activity for a while.

Enlightenment

After renouncing self-torture, the Buddha’s life began to take a different turn - he went to wander alone, and his path continued until he reached a grove located near the town of Gaya (Bihar state).

By chance, he came across the house of a village woman, Sujata Nanda, who believed that Siddhartha was the spirit of a tree. He looked so exhausted. The woman fed him rice with milk, after which he sat down under a large ficus tree (now it is called and vowed not to get up until he comes to the Truth.

This did not please the tempter demon Mara, who headed the kingdom of the gods. He seduced the future God Buddha with various visions, showed him beautiful women, trying in every possible way to distract him from meditation by demonstrating the attractiveness of earthly life. However, Gautama was unshakable, and the demon retreated.

He sat under the ficus tree for 49 days. And on the full moon, in the month of Vaisakha, on the same night when Siddhartha was born, he achieved Awakening. He was 35 years old. That night he gained a complete understanding of the causes of human suffering, of nature, and also of what it takes to achieve the same state for other people.

This knowledge later became known as the “Four Noble Truths.” Briefly they can be stated as follows: “There is suffering. And there is a reason for it, which is desire. The cessation of suffering is nirvana. And there is a path that leads to its achievement, called the Eightfold.”

For several more days, Gautama thought, being in a state of samadhi (disappearance of the idea of ​​one’s own individuality), whether to teach the acquired knowledge to others. He doubted whether they would be able to achieve Awakening, because they were all filled with deception, hatred and greed. And the ideas of Enlightenment are very subtle and deep to understand. But the highest deva Brahma Sahampati (god) stood up for the people, who asked Gautama to bring the Teaching into this world, since there will always be those who will understand it.

Eightfold Path

When talking about who the Buddha is, one cannot fail to mention the Noble Eightfold Path, which the Awakened One himself traversed. This is the road leading to the cessation of suffering and liberation from the state of samsara. We can talk about this for hours, but in short, the Eightfold Path of the Buddha is 8 rules, following which you can come to Awakening. Here's what they are:

1. Correct view. It implies the comprehension of the four truths that were indicated above, as well as other provisions of the teaching that need to be experienced and formed into the motivation of one’s behavior.
2. Right intention. One must be firmly convinced of one's decision to follow the Eightfold Path of the Buddha, which leads to nirvana and liberation. And begin to cultivate metta in yourself - friendliness, benevolence, loving kindness and kindness towards all living things.
3. Correct speech. Refusal of foul language and lies, slander and stupidity, obscenity and meanness, idle talk and strife.
4. Correct behavior. Do not kill, do not steal, do not be promiscuous, do not get drunk, do not lie, do not commit any other atrocities. This is the path to social, contemplative, karmic and psychological harmony.
5. The right way of life. We must give up everything that can cause suffering to any living beings. Choose the appropriate type of activity - earn money in accordance with Buddhist values. Give up luxury, wealth and excesses. This will get rid of envy and other passions.
6. The right effort. The desire to realize oneself and learn to distinguish between dharmas, joy, peace and tranquility, and concentrate on achieving the truth.
7. Right mindfulness. Be able to be aware of your own body, mind, sensations. Try to learn to see yourself as an accumulation of physical and mental states, to distinguish the “ego”, to destroy it.
8. Correct concentration. Entering into deep meditation or dhyana. Helps to achieve extreme contemplation and liberation.

And that's it in a nutshell. The name of Buddha is primarily associated with these concepts. And, by the way, they also formed the basis of the Zen school.

On the spread of the teaching

From the moment Siddhartha realized who the Buddha was, they began to know. He set about spreading knowledge. The first students were traders - Bhallika and Tapussa. Gautama gave them several hairs from his head, which, according to legend, are kept in a 98-meter gilded stupa in Yangon (Shwedagon Pagoda).

Then the Buddha's story takes shape in such a way that he goes to Varanasi (a city for Hindus that means the same thing as the Vatican for Catholics). Siddhartha wanted to tell his former teachers about his achievements, but it turned out that they had already died.

Then he headed to the suburb of Sarnath, where he held his first sermon, in which he told his fellow asceticists about the Eightfold Path and the Four Truths. Everyone who listened to him soon became an arhat.

Over the next 45 years, the name of Buddha became increasingly recognizable. He traveled throughout India, teaching the Teaching to everyone, no matter who they were - be it cannibals, warriors, or cleaners. Gautama was also accompanied by the sangha, his community.

His father, Shuddhodana, found out about all this. The king sent as many as 10 delegations to fetch his son and bring him back to Kapilavastu. But this is in ordinary life Buddha was a prince. Everything has long since become the past. Delegations came to Siddhartha, and eventually 9 out of 10 joined his sangha, becoming arhats. The tenth Buddha accepted and agreed to go to Kapilavastu. He went there on foot, preaching the Dharma along the way.

Returning to Kapilavastu, Gautama learned of the impending death of his father. He came to him and told him about the Dharma. Just before his death, Shuddhodana became an arhat.

After this he returned to Rajagaha. Maha Prajapati, who raised him, asked to be accepted into the sangha, but Gautama refused. However, the woman did not accept this and went after him along with several noble girls of the Koliya and Shakya clans. As a result, the Buddha nobly accepted them, seeing that their capacity for enlightenment was on par with men's.

Death

The years of Buddha's life were eventful. When he turned 80, he said that he would soon achieve Parinirvana, the final stage of immortality, and free his earthly body. Before entering this state, he asked his disciples if they had any questions. There weren't any. Then he said his last words: “All composite things are short-lived. Strive for your own liberation with special diligence.”

When he died, he was cremated according to the rules of the rite for the Universal Ruler. The remains were divided into 8 parts and placed at the base of stupas, specially erected for this purpose. It is believed that some monuments have survived to this day. Dalada Maligawa Temple, for example, which houses the tooth of the great sage.

In ordinary life, Buddha was simply a man of status. And having gone through a difficult path, he became the one who was able to achieve the highest state of spiritual perfection and impart knowledge into the minds of thousands of people. It is he who is the founder of the most ancient world teaching, which has indescribable significance. It is not surprising that the celebration of Buddha's birthday is a large-scale and high-profile holiday, celebrated in all East Asian countries (except Japan), and in some it is official. The date changes annually, but always falls in April or May.

Who is Buddha? Buddhism originates from Buddha. The word "Buddha" is a title that means "one who has awakened" in the sense of "awakened to reality." Buddha was born about two and a half thousand years ago under the name Siddhartha Gautama. He did not proclaim himself to be a god or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened by experiencing life in the deepest way possible.

Siddhartha was born into a royal family in a small country on the border of India and Nepal. According to traditional life stories, he had a privileged upbringing, but abandoned his carefree and protected existence when he realized that life involved such cruel things as aging, illness and death.

This made him think about the meaning of life. He was eventually inspired to leave the palace and follow the traditional Indian path of a wandering hermit, a seeker of Truth. He studied meditation diligently from many teachers, and then began to lead an ascetic lifestyle. These actions were based on the belief that the spirit could be freed by rejecting the flesh. He became such a strict ascetic that he almost died of hunger.

But he never managed to solve the mystery of life and death. It seemed that true understanding was as far away as ever.

So he abandoned that path and looked into his own mind, into his own heart. He decided to trust his intuition and learn from direct experience. He sat down under the bodhi tree and vowed to remain in that place until he achieved Enlightenment. Forty days later, on the full moon of May, Siddhartha achieved final Liberation.

Buddhists believe that he has achieved a state of existence that is superior to everything else in the world. While ordinary experience is conditioned by upbringing, psychology, beliefs, and perceptions, Enlightenment is Unconditional. Buddha is free from attachment, anger and ignorance. His qualities are wisdom, compassion and freedom. An enlightened mind penetrates into the essence of the deepest processes of life, and therefore into the cause of human suffering - the problem that originally prompted Siddhartha on a spiritual quest.

During the remaining forty-five years of his life, the Buddha traveled widely throughout northern India, spreading his views. His teachings are known in the East as the Buddha Dharma, or "Teaching of the Enlightened One." He addressed people of all social groups. Many of his students achieved Enlightenment. They, in turn, taught other people, and thus the unbroken line of transmission of teaching continues down to the present day.

Buddha was not a god and did not claim to be divine origin. He was a man who, through great efforts of heart and mind, surpassed all his limitations. He confirmed that every being has the potential to achieve Buddha nature. Buddhists see him as an ideal human being and a guide who can lead us all to Enlightenment.

Greetings, dear readers!

Today we will talk about what kind of buddhas there are. We have already mentioned that in Buddhism there is no one main god, i.e. Buddha himself can be expressed in several various images and manifestations. The history of Eastern teachings has over three thousand incarnations.

Of course, we won’t be able to talk about so many deities in one article, so let’s find out about the most revered and famous.

What are bodhisattvas?

In Buddhism there is such a thing as Addi Buddha, or the Primordial Buddha. This is the symbol of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the personification of the enlightened mind. There are different Addi Buddhas in different schools. Bodhisattva means "enlightened one." For example, Gautama Buddha considered himself a Bodhisattva.

How do you become a bodhisattva? IN spiritual development Buddhist teachings there are ten steps. Having reached the seventh stage, one can become a Bodhisattva and be freed from constant rebirths. However, this fact does not mean complete liberation from karmic dependence.

There are eight Bodhisattvas in total. It was they who became the followers of Gautama and adopted the teachings of the Mahayana. The most important of them are Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and, which means mercy, wisdom, power of all Buddhas. These three bodhisattvas are the protectors of Shakyamuni.

Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of compassion. Some of its most important attributes are the mantra “om mani padme hum” and a peacock tail fan. considered to be the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara.

Manjushri is the expression of wisdom in the Mahayana. Manjushri was the companion of Gautama Buddha.

Vajrapani is the protector of Buddha, he personifies the power of enlightened deities.

There are also female bodhisattvas, for example, the savior of women’s souls, symbolizing compassion.

There are also other Addi Buddhas such as:

- Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri, the wife of Samantabhadra, means that the human mind is open to everything new, that its state is initially empty, in the sense that it is devoid of any concepts, stereotypes, attachments.

- Vajradhara, or Vajra Holder - absolute enlightenment and knowledge in Vajrayana. The Vajra is a mystical Indian weapon belonging to the god of war Indra; it symbolizes strength and eternity.

— — one of the enlightened ones in the Vajrayana, is a symbol of purification and purity.

— Prajnaparamita is the female image of Addi Buddha in the Mahayana, absolute wisdom.

- Padmasambhava, or “born in the lotus” - a teacher of tantrism, called in Tibetan Buddhism the second Buddha. He sits in a lotus, holding a vajra in one hand and a begging bowl in the other. Shakyanmuni himself informed his disciples that a second Buddha would appear in a lotus flower, who would be more enlightened than himself. This is how Padmasambhava came into the world.

Mandala of Five Buddhas

In the Mahayana tradition, there is a Mandala of Five Buddhas, which represents the five moments of Addi-Buddha. In this mandala, everyone has their place and purpose. For example, in Nepal, images of this mandala can be seen in temples and Buddhist houses. Let's take a closer look at how it is formed.

• In the center of it sits Vairocana, or Illustrious. He is the head of all Buddhas. It is white because... white means absolute. Vairocana is very popular in Japan. His animal is the lion, which is associated with truth.
• Akshobhya, or the Enlightened One is in the east. Its color is blue. He is the head of the Vajra family. Its emblem is the elephant, which represents power and strength.
• Ratnasambhava, or the giver of jewels, is located in the south. It is depicted in yellow color and symbolizes the fulfillment of desires: both material and immaterial. Ratnasambhava is the head of the Jewel family.
• Amogasiddhi occupies the northern side. His body is green and his emblem is a double vajra. He is the head of the Karma family.
• Amitabha represents the West; its color is red. This is the most ancient and most revered of the Buddhas. His emblem is the lotus and he heads the lotus family, which includes many famous bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteshvara. It denotes spiritual growth. Another form of Amitabha is Amitayus, or “endless life.” Amitabha is usually depicted in monastic robes, and Amitayus is depicted in luxurious robes and holding a vessel of longevity.

Some of the most revered and significant Buddhist deities are:

Milarepa Shepa Dorje is a famous yogi, poet and one of the founders of the Kagyu school. His years of life are 1040 - 1123.

Je Tsongkhapa (1357 to 1419) was a reformer of Tibetan Buddhism who founded the Gelug school. Gelug is the largest school of Tibetan Buddhism. When Tsongkhapa was a small boy, Shakyamuni predicted that he would influence the spread of the teachings of the Dharma.

In addition to the various aspects of the Buddha, there are yidams in Buddhism, i.e. images and deities of the state of enlightenment. Yidams are actively used during tantric practices. One of the main goals of the yidam is to protect the teachings of Dharma.

There are different yidams: angry, peaceful, male, female, paired. For example, Vajrakilaya is the main wrathful deity in Tibetan Buddhism. It symbolizes the removal of obstacles as you move towards a goal.

Poses and their meanings

There are many Buddha images and statues, each representing certain things.

One of the most famous species is the Meditating Buddha. He sits in a lotus or half-lotus position, with his hands joined, palms up. It is a symbol of finding harmony and mental balance.

The Protective Buddha is in a lotus or half-lotus position, with his right hand turned outward and raised up, and his left hand resting on his knee. It protects against fear and negative emotions.

The Buddha of Enlightenment sits in the lotus position, with his right hand facing the ground and his left palm facing up. This look is very popular in Thailand.

The Laughing Buddha, or Hotei, is a deity symbolizing the attainment of joy and good fortune. A begging bowl is often depicted next to it. Hotei is a talisman that brings wealth.

Conclusion

Our story is coming to an end - today we tried to understand the various images of Buddha, as well as learn about the most important bodhisattvas.

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Meaning of the word buddha

buddha in the crossword dictionary

Buddha

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Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

Buddha

BUDDHA (Sanskrit lit. - enlightened)

the name given to the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (623-544 BC), who, according to legend, came from the royal family of the Shakya tribe in the North. India (one of the names of Buddha is Shakyamuni, “hermit of the Shakyas”).

In Buddhism, a being who has reached the state of highest perfection.

Buddha

BUDDHA (Sanskrit and Pali Buddha, Tibet. Sangs rgyas - awakened, received sight, Enlightened, Known the transcendental light) 1) in Buddhism highest state spiritual improvement; 2) the name of the ancient Indian sage Shakyamuni after he acquired a special spiritual experience (gift). Regarding the earthly life of the Buddha, which lasted 80 years, ancient sources give conflicting information. Southern Pali tradition believes that he lived in 623-544 BC. e., and accordingly in 1956 the 2500th anniversary of Buddha's nirvana was celebrated, from the day of which Buddhist chronology is calculated. The Northern Mahayana tradition dates Nirvana from 2420 to 290 BC. BC, but most schools agree on 380 BC. e. European scientists adhere to two main dating concepts: corrected long - 483 (+ 3) BC. e. and short - 380 (+ 30) BC. e. The latter is more substantiated archaeologically and culturally-historically. Life The biographies of the Buddha were compiled several centuries later; they report that he was born in royal family Shakya tribe in the foothills of the Himalayas (the town of Lumbini in the south of modern Nepal) and received the name Siddhartha (in the Pali language - Siddhattha, literally Achieving the Goal, Succeeding). The father's name was Shuddhodana (in Pali - Suddhodana, literally Having rice), the mother was Maya (Illusion). The prince lived in the palaces of the Shakya capital Kapilavastu (in the Pali language - Kapilavatthu) until he was 29 years old, managed to marry princess Yashodhara (Keeper of Glory), and they had a son, Rahula (Grabs on the fly). On the streets of the capital, Siddhartha met an old man, a leper, a funeral procession and a hermit. These four meetings had a huge impact on the prince, who lived without worries and worries. He decides to leave his rank, leave his family and go into the desert under his clan name Gautama (in the Pali language - Gotama, literally the Best of the shepherds; that was the name of the Vedic sage, from whom the Shakya kings descended). Gautama spent 6 years in the abodes of the deserts, studying spiritual sciences and asceticism, he surpassed his teachers in knowledge and abilities, after which he began his own search for liberation, the pinnacle of which was Enlightenment (bodhi). Enlightenment As a result of the latter, he learned that existence is suffering, a beginningless series of births and deaths of every being, but one can get rid of it; he remembered all his previous rebirths as a bodhisattva (a being striving for Enlightenment); became Omniscient and learned that he had achieved Liberation (moksha) from the chain of rebirths (samsara), that he abides in this world only out of compassion (karuna) for beings, preaching the truths revealed to him and the Middle path of salvation, which runs between the extremes of pleasure and self-torture, that he desireless he walks (in this important capacity his epithet is Tathagata, literally Just a Passer-by) into the world of peace, nirvana (literally non-breathing). It is after Enlightenment that Shakyamuni becomes Buddha, the Enlightened One. Sermon This event took place near the town of Gaya (Bodh Gaya in the modern Indian state of Bihar). For the next 45 years of his life, Buddha preached the Law, Dharma, established by him in the state of Enlightenment (in Pali - dhamma, in Tibetan chos). All these years, Buddha and his disciples walked (almost in a circle) through the cities of 6 states in the middle reaches of the Ganges Valley. He delivered his first sermon in Sarnath near Varanasi, and his last in Kushinagar. Places of birth, enlightenment, first and last sermon- these are the four shrines most revered by all Buddhists of the world. Buddha did not leave behind a successor, but declared as such the Law, which everyone has the right to follow according to their own understanding. Buddha Dharma is one of the principles that unites Buddhism. The Doctrine of the Buddha Already in the early texts of the Law, the doctrine of the Buddha was formed, according to which Buddhas are a special kind of beings, different from people, gods, supergods, etc. Before Shakyamuni there were already at least 6 Buddhas (one of the Pali monuments lists 24 Buddhas), and after him the Buddha Maitreya (He who is Love) is expected. All of them have the same external signs (32 major and 80 minor, in accordance with which the visual canons were developed), omniscience, 10 powers of the Buddha, etc., and they all teach the same Law (see Buddhism). In the Great Vehicle (Mahayana) scriptures, the doctrine of the Buddha received significant development. Here the Buddha is the highest principle of the unity of all things, he is everywhere, always and in everything, including in each of the countless beings who, as a result of acquiring the Law and spiritual improvement in many rebirths, will eventually become Buddhas. At the same time, Buddha is the entire universe, which is considered as the Body of Buddha (Buddha-kaya) or the Body of Law (Dharma-kaya). Any kind of multiplicity is only an illusion (maya) of the One. Later, teachings are developed about the heavenly countries of the five Buddhas, which can be accessed in sessions of higher meditation. All this changed and expanded the mythology of the Buddha, nevertheless, the early legends about Shakyamuni were preserved in these ritual-contemplative complexes as a subsection of the earthly history of the Manifest Body (nirmana-kaya) of the Buddha, in which he illusorily descends into the lower regions of the universe. The Diamond Vehicle Scriptures (Vajrayana) supplemented these doctrines with the idea of ​​the Primordial Buddha (Adibuddha) - the mythological image of a single being, as well as the idea of ​​instantaneous, like a lightning strike (vajra), Enlightenment, after which the adept becomes a Buddha and which can be achieved already in this life with using certain practices and means (upaya). Literature: Arya Shura. Garland of Jatakas, or tales of the exploits of the Bodhisattva / Trans. from Sanskrit A. P. Barannikova, O. F. Volkova. M., 1962. Jataki / Trans. from B. Zakharyin. M., 1979. Ashvaghosha. Life of Buddha. Kalidasa. Dramas / Transl. K. Balmont. M., 1990. Pishel R. Buddha, his life and teachings. M., 191

Kozhevnikov V. A. Buddhism in comparison with Christianity. Pg., 1916. T. 1-

Bechert H. Contradictions in the dating of Buddha's parinirvana and the origins of Theravada chronology // Vestn. ancient history. 199

No. 1. Life of Buddha. Novosibirsk, 199

Androsov V.P. The origin of Buddhism (towards the methodology and theory of study) // Religions ancient East. M., 199

Thomas E. J. The Life of Buddha as Legend and History. London, 1952. Nanamoli Bhikkhu. The Life of the Buddha according to the Pali Canon. Kandy, 1984. Lamotte E. History of Indian Buddhism from the Origin to the Saka Era / Transl. from French by Sara Webb-Boin. Louvain, 1988. When did the Buddha Live? The Controversy on the Dating of the Historical Buddha / Ed. by H. Bechert. Delhi, 1995. Wayman A. Untying the Knots in Buddhism. Selected Essays. Delhi, 199

1. Examples of the use of the word buddha in literature.

   It is this terrifying and painful image of the world that forces the Buddhist to adopt an abstracting attitude, just as he himself Buddha, according to legend, embarked on his path under the influence of a similar impression.

   Early the next morning, suffering from a hangover, with his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, Eliot made his final approach in an attempt to see Avalokiteshvara Buddha.

   Swayam - bhunath, where - according to Sam Chipley, who visited Eliot in the hospital - he intended to see Avalokiteshvara Buddha.

   They swear the most sacred and secret oaths to the lord Buddha Amida, preacher Eternal Love, in obedience, purity and death, spend their lives in preparation to become the perfect instrument of one murder, to kill only by order of their leader, and if they fail in this, they will not be able to kill the chosen person, be it a man or a woman or a child, they immediately give up their own life.

   The image of the sun leaning towards the west is combined with the image of a newly tonsured nun, whose thoughts will also from now on tend to the west, to where Pure land, kingdom Buddha Amida, Buddhist paradise.

   Small tattoo - Chinese image of Amida, special Buddha, was etched under the arm.

   Of course, Ashoka delved little into the intricacies of Buddhist philosophy, and, of course, his thought was far from the world-denying philosophy of Gautama Buddha.

   Turning to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, Ashoka solemnly announced that he was shocked by the grief of the people affected by the war, and that massacres like last war will never happen again.

   And at the foot of the Sonnenberg hill we found Swan Mali, the colony of the Siamese king, where we, noble guests, among the stone and iron figurines Buddha Our libations and incense were brought. One of the most wonderful events must include the festival of the Brotherhood in Bremgarten, where a magic circle closed tightly around us.

   Nevertheless, Brahmanism differed favorably from the doctrine Buddha in one point: he did not consider the world a disgusting flicker of dharmas, but saw in it a manifestation of the Divine.

   This alone will give the right to talk about Buddha as a person who has had an influence, even if indirect, in preparing the world for the gospel message.

   And although, perhaps, in old age the years of youth were depicted Buddha somewhat embellished, it is clear that Shuddhodana did everything in his power to turn the prince’s life into a continuous holiday.

   The same one who took refuge in Buddha, in the Dhamma, in Singh, whoever possesses genuine knowledge sees the four noble truths.

   The cherished dream is liberation from a world full of evil, thanks to him, Buddha, is close to implementation.

   And it reveals the chain of causal emergence of evil, consisting, according to Buddha, of twelve members.

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