Brocade Buddha Shakyamuni

Posted in Antiques on 10/02/2008 12:46 pm by admin

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Brocade Buddha Shakyamuni

Buddha Mandala Thangka: About Buddha mandala Thangka

Instructed nuns. The Buddha was far nuns. The Buddha was far ahead of his time, but also a product of his time in that he did not consider women inferior, but only reluctantly agreed to allow women into the order.

The two disciples we encounter everywhere in northern Buddhism are Sharputta and Maudgalyayana. They stand, from the Buddha’s perspective, to the right and left of his throne, each holding an alms bowl and a jingling beggar’s staff. In the thangka they radiate holiness, with their nimbuses, which are green here, and a transparent nandorala glowing behind each of them. They stand in an opulent green landscape, each on a little square rug.

Both were sons of Brahmans. They met at a party where everybody was singing, dancing, and having fun. They were the only ones to disregard these amusements. They decided to withdraw from social interaction to become monks and seek perfection. They met a wise old man, a teacher who had a lot of knowledge, but who also knew that true perfection would be taught when a wise member of the shakya decided to become a monk. He advised them to seek their salvation in the future with him. And so it came to pass. Maudgalayayana asked whether Shariputra, the smarter of the two (That is also why he stands on the Buddha’s right, because right is better than left), would share his knowledge with him if he were to gain understanding first each promised to help the other. They were informed as to where they could meet the Buddha, “that deep ocean of wisdom, in the transforming effect of whose immaculacy they would be able to bathe.” Just Before they did, however, they met a false holy man. He was afraid that he would lose his many followers to the new way of thinking. He whispered bad things about their inspiring new teacher, but they saw through his treachery. They reached the wisest of the Shakya, and request to be admitted into the nonastic order. As soon as the Buddha had agreed to this, their hair spontaneously fell out, and they took a metaphorical bath in the deep sea of immaculacy.

Eventually, they became his best students. In hopes of helping sinners gain a better rebirth and thereby offering them the possibility of a virtuous life, they descended into hell. There, numerous people were paying dreadful penance for their sins, including Shakyamuni’s grudge-bearing cousin, Devadtta. Shariputra was known for his sharp, analytical ability and Maudgalyayana excelled in clairvoyance and magical powers.

Because they could not bear the thought of dying after the Buddha, he allowed them to depart the world sooner, both on the same day in the year 486 b.c.e. Shariputra died first, and Maudgalyayana, who is also sometimes called Mahadgalyayana was murdered near Rajgir by religious opponents.

While Anand was associated in later times with popular beliefs, the philosophical and dialectical Shariputra was connected with Mahayana Buddhism, and the mediumistic and mystically oriented Maudgalyayana with Tantric Buddhism. The rich robes they wear are actually not worthy of a monk. In later times, when Mahayana Buddhism became prevalent, the desire for luxury and comfort grew. In thangka paintings silk, gold thread, and brocade are considered to be tokens of honer.

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