Buddhism
THREE MARKS OF FAITH
Bhutan is a deeply spiritual country where the values of the people are strongly influenced by religious customs. Common among these are three marks of faith that shape the Bhutanese personality. The Power of Prayer The first mark of faith is the importance of prayer. The pattern of prayer ranges from short ... [more]
A MEDITATION IN DANCE
The Drametse Ngacham is a dance form that originated in Bhutan five centuries ago. Today, the Institute of Language and Cultural Studies is documenting the dance as a cultural heritage of Bhutan. Here is a rare insight into the tantric Buddhist teachings of his meditation in dance. "If you know the ... [more]
What the state preaches about GNH and what it practices should be in harmony
Q. How spiritual are our youths today? A. I think their spirituality is good but they are increasingly exposed to materialism and western culture by way of modern mass media. Through means such as advertisements, they are made to feel to want more material goods. We must make them feel that ... [more]
Wheel of Life (Sidpa Khorlo)
Realm of Gods: People are born into these heavens due to good karma (good deeds). More freedom & opportunity but their greet endowment and fortune is their greatest danger. Feel so great, grand, immortal and enjoy such comfort and pleasures. Realm of Hungry Ghosts or Pretas: Hungry, Thirsty, frustrated beings. Greed ... [more]
Thunderbolt and Bell
Thunderbolt (Vajra) or Dorji (also known in Bhutan) is employed by Tantric Buddhism to dispel evil forces from the sacrificial enclosure, and hence came to symbolize spiritual forces and firmness of spirit. It also symbolizes the victorious power of knowledge over ignorance, of spirit over the passions; "the vajra symbolizes ... [more]
A Prayer Wheel
A prayer wheel is of a hollow metal cylinder, often beautifully embossed, mounted on a rod handle and containing a tightly wound scroll printed with a mantra.According to the belief, spinning a prayer wheel is just as effective as reciting the sacred text aloud. This belief derives from the Buddhist ... [more]
Prayer Flags
Prayer flags are made of coarse cotton and placed in strategic places in the belief that the wind will carry the invocations and the messages on the flag down the rivers and valleys into the beyond. Redi and Khorlo Prayer flags are raised on a pole that has the Redi and the ... [more]
Prayer Beads
A rosary has 108 beads. It is used for counting mantras, chants or prayers. Buddhist rosaries are made from variety of materials, most commonly wood. Preferred woods are sandalwood or sacred wood from the bodhi tree. More expensive rosaries are made of precious and semi-precious stones. They can also be ... [more]
Om Mani Padme Hum
"Om Mani Padme Hum" is the most important mantra in Buddhism. It is the six-syllable mantra of the Bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. The basic English translation of Om Mani Padme Hum is "Om Jewel in the lotus Hum" or "Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus." However, the meaning and significance ... [more]
Lotus
Lotuses are symbols of purity and ‘spontaneous' generation and hence symbolize divine birth. According to the Lalitavistara, "the spirit of the best of men is spotless, like the new lotus in the (muddy) water which doesn't adhere to it," and, according to esoteric Buddhism, the heart of the beings is ... [more]