Tag: Sacred Structures
The Sacrifice Making the Mountain Sacred for All
Mountains create ideal places for sacred sites, serving either as pilgrimage destinations or temple locations. The remoteness of a mountain from everyday life and its height give devotees a sense of nearness to heaven. Therefore, almost every nation has built their national and religious centre on a mountain. Consider some of the following examples: Asian Sacred…
Mankind’s Duhkha Curse
We saw that ancient Hebrew scriptures record how cravings (Tanha) and wrong thoughts (Kleshas) arose at the beginning of history. But what about the suffering, pain or unhappiness, known as Duhkha/Duhkka? Duhkha and Tanha form the basis of the Four Noble Truths articulated by Gautama Buddha. Similarly, what about Impermanence, called anicca (Pāli) or anitya…
The Adversary in the Cosmic Stupa
From ancient times, stupas (Sanskrit: स्तूप, = ’heap’) have played a prominent role in Buddhist ritual and devotional practice. Stupas, which are rounded earthen hemispheres or domes, contain relics such as bones of revered monks and nuns. They also contain a trodden path around the dome so pilgrims can walk around and meditate (pradakhshina). As Buddhism…
In the Image of God
One of Buddha’s fundamental insights was that of Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit: प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद, Pāli: paṭiccasamuppāda). This states that all phenomena arise from other previous phenomena. All that we observe arises from preceding causes. This insight extends in the Four Noble Truths to explain karma and samsara. We can use the insight of arising phenomena to gain insight…