Members Share/Symbols of All Religions
December 28, 2010 Comments Off on Members Share/Symbols of All Religions
flower
photos:
1. The Beautiful Symbol of Buddhism
2. The Lotus Symbol in Buddhism
3. Blue Lotus
source: Beautiful Symbol of Buddhism
What is a Mandala?
Yoga: Mandalas
Mandalas are extended yantras. Yantra is the use of various energy patterns, or geometrical designs. The Yantra is the energy form of the mantra (sacred syllable). It is the subtle form of the deity. Yantras are used for visualization and meditation. They help us redirect our psychic energy in a creative and transformative manner. Most important is the Shri Yantra, Special yantras exist for each of the planets. Mandalas are extended yantras. Around various yantras additional forms, usually of Gods and Goddesses, are added. Mandalas are also mainly for meditation and are prominent in the Buddhist tradition.
There is a very lovely tradition in Tibetan Buddhism where a complex and beautiful mandala is painstakingly made from sand. Once it is completed, it is ritually destroyed to emphasise the Buddhist belief in
impermanence. There is an article about this with photos of sand
mandalas and how they are made here, on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_mandala
The lotus is used as a metaphor or symbol in many religious traditions.
To the ancient Egyptians, a lotus bud or sesen was a symbol of rebirth, . It closes in the evening and falls to the water, but in the morning it opens and is lifted above the surface. Its behaviour emulates that of the sun. Because of this rising and
setting, it is also a symbol of the sun and creation.
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/lotus.htm
Cross made into jewelry. Christianity
…add your favorite!
Here is my favorite symbol of Christianity. This is a photo of my tattoo, which is a more simplistic rendition of the Chi Rho [it usually looks rather blocky and archaic].
Neat Chi Rho, Tessa! A more traditional Chi Rho
and some background on the meaning and history of Chi Rho
Image Gallery of Hindu Symbols
This Gallery includes 38 symbols (please note that there other are variations also)
Om or Aum
Ganesha
Vata or Banyan Tree
Tripundra or Three Stripes & Bindi
Nataraja or Dancing Shiva
Mayil or Mayur (Peacock)
Nandi, Shiva’s Vehicle
Bilva or Bael Tree
Padma or Lotus
Swastika
Mahakala or ‘Great Time’
Ankusa or Ganesha’s Goad
The Anjali Gesture
‘Go’ or Cow
The Mankolam Design
‘Shatkona’ or Six-pointed Star
Musika or Mouse (Vehicle of Lord Ganesha)
‘Konrai’ Blossoms
The ‘Homakunda’ or Fire Altar (for performing “yajna” and fire sacrifices)
The ‘Ghanta’ or Bell
The ‘Gopura’ or ‘Gopuram’ (Temple Gateways)
The ‘Kalasha’ or Scared Pot
The ‘Kuttuvilaku’ or Standing Oil Lamp
The ‘Kamandalu’ or Water Vessel
The ‘Tiruvadi’ or Sacred Sandals
The ‘Trikona’ or Triangle
The ‘Seval’ or Red Rooster
The Rudraksha Seed
‘Chandra-Surya’ – The Moon & Sun
The ‘Vel’ or Holy Lance
The ‘Trishula’ or Trident
The ‘Naga’ or Cobra
‘Dhwaja’ or Flag
‘Kalachakra’ or Wheel of Time
The Sivalinga
The ‘Modaka’ Sweet
The ‘Pasha’ or Noose
The ‘Hamsa’ or Goose
Most of the symbols are taken from the Tibetan traditions, as they can be considered to have preserved the most complete set of tantric teachings.
Star of David
Am I correct in understanding that you would throw out anything that cannot be shown visually? All symbols are not concrete, though they resonate through tangible obects. An example of this would be the turtle. The turtle to some is the Earth. To others, it came offering the bagua and all of the trigrams. Again, pointing out the 3. I do not wish to feel thwarted, restricted, nor confused in communications. I am however wishing to understand the ‘rules’ of this playground. soulgarden
[admin: you will not be thwarted… that policy has been ironed out.]
We are “discussing” symbols. If a visual is available, it becomes easier to comprehend, but let us not forget the basic spirit of this group. ONE LIGHT MANY WINDOWS, the name says it all. Symbols visual or otherwise, as long as they are the different “windows” for the ONE LIGHT are most welcome to be presented and discussed in this group. -admin
I found a picture of The Four Rings to play once more with ArieSoulgardenCollective on this and apologize if I seemed a bit forward. The picture is called Signatura Rerum
jacob Boehm has a book called The Signature of All Things second picture…
These links clear this topic symbol up for me
So as many different and outlying nations and tribes had similar symbols and myths, you gave me inspiration about Celtic symbols:
Triple Spiral: Represents the drawing of the three powers of maiden, mother and crone. It is a sign of female power and especially power through transition
and growth.
Double Spiral: A sign of balance and also representative of the equinoxes.
Single Spiral: Represents ethereal energy, and expansion of consciousness.
Five-fold: This pattern also represents balance. The four outer circles symbolize
the four elements: earth, fire, water, air. The middle circle unites
all the elements with a goal to reach balance between all four elements
or energies.
Cross: Represent the bridge or the passage between heaven and earth. The circle in the ringed cross
(symbol of four elements) signifies infinity and eternal spiritual love.
~
yes yes here also! see now why it was a bit difficult for me?
i could not choose one as “it” does not belong to one….and the concept is drawn and made into a visual representation to the best of the ability
of the creator to communicate. soulgarden
Another powerful ancient symbol is the rainbow. Usually depicted as the half circle we see after a rain storm passes it is also a full circle or mandala which in nature is a sun or moon dog. I saw a moon dog driving home from work that also had a cross emanating from the moon whose arms bisected the rainbow!!
Noah and the Flood is one use of the rainbow symbology. It represents peace-the end of the strife and destruction of the flood. Yet the flood came from the rain and so did the rainbow. The flood was powered by the sun and so is the rainbow.
Like a sundog the rain/rainbow is about coming full circle. And the concentric circles of a full circle rainbow mandala remind us, as all mandalas do, to accept/seek our center.
The Shiva Lingam
The linga/lingam is the holy symbol of Lord Shiva that is considered sacred by the devotees of Lord Shiva. It is believed that at the end of all
creation, during the great deluge, all of the different aspects of God
find a resting place in the Lingam; Bhrama is absorbed into the right,
Vishnu to the left and Gayatri into the heart.
Normally, Shiva Lingas are made of carved stone. However whenever such a shape of stone
is found naturally existing, such as shaped by a swift-flowing river,
they are called “swayambhu”. These “swayambhu” lingas are held in very
high respect and are considered very potent. Many devotees have
discovered such swayambhu Shiva Lingams near the holy Narmada river.
Shiva Linga may also be made of 12 other different materials such as sand,
rice, cooked food, river clay, cow dung, butter, rudraksha seeds,
ashes, sandalwood, darbha grass, a flower garland or molasses.
Many scholars Interpret the shape of Shiva Linga as an Abstract Symbol of
God and suggest that the shape represents the formless Supreme Lord.
Shiva Purana describes the interesting story of how Lord Shiva appeared as the infinite Cosmic Column of fire, whose origins, Vishnu and Bhrama were unable to trace.
there are twelve important lingas and these are known as jyotirlingas. The
Siva Purana describes the legends associated with these jyotirlingas.
The twelve jyotirlingas are:
Tryambakeshwar
Kedarnath
Vishwanatha
Somnath
Mahakal
Omkareswar
Bhimashankar
Baidyanath
Rameshwar
Mallikarjuna
Grishneshwar
Nageshwar
The Shiva Linga prayer is known as ”Lingashtakam”.
Delta – Dianetics Definition: The word Dianetics comes from the Greek dia, meaning “through” and nous, meaning “soul”, and is defined as “what the soul is doing to the body.”
Dianetics is a methodology which can help alleviate unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses (illnesses caused or aggravated by mental stress). It is most accurately described as what the soul is doing to the body through the mind.
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The Dianetics symbol uses the Greek letter Delta as its basic form. The stripes are green for growth and yellow for life. The four green stripes represent the four subdivisions of life which are delineated in Dianetics. [self, family, groups, species] Author: L. Ron Hubbard Definition: Delta: n. The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. An object shaped like a triangle. A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river. A similar deposit at the mouth of a tidal inlet, caused by tidal currents.Mathematics. A finite increment in a variable.[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, of Phoenician origin.]
Symbolism 
