Nagarjuna. Hymn to Buddha, Who Transcended the World

Buddhism religion founded by Gautama Buddha (6th century BC). All Buddhists revere Buddha as the founder of the spiritual tradition that bears his name. In almost all areas of Buddhism there are monastic orders, whose members act as teachers and clergy for the laity. Beyond these commonalities, however, the many strands of modern Buddhism exhibit diversity in both belief and religious practice. In its classical form (Theravada, “school of elders,” or Hinayana, “lesser vehicle”) Buddhism is primarily philosophy and ethics. The goal of believers is to achieve nirvana, a blissful state of insight and liberation from the shackles of one’s self, the world and the endless circle of births, deaths and new births in a chain of new lives. A state of spiritual perfection is achieved through humility, generosity, mercy, abstinence from violence and self-control. The branch of Buddhism known as Mahayana (“great vehicle”) is characterized by the veneration of a pantheon of divine Buddhas and future Buddhas. In other forms of Buddhism, ideas about a whole hierarchy of demons are common. Some varieties of Mahayana Buddhism promise true paradise for believers. A number of schools emphasize faith rather than works. There is a type of Buddhism that seeks to lead the adherent to a paradoxical, intuitive, non-rational comprehension of the “true reality.”

In India, Buddhism flourished until about 500 AD. Then it gradually fell into decline, was absorbed by Hinduism, and by the 11th century. almost completely disappeared. By that time, Buddhism had spread and gained influence in other countries of Central and East Asia, where it remains viable to this day. Today Buddhism exists in two main forms. Hinayana is common in Sri Lanka and in the countries of Southeast Asia Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Mahayana is predominant in China, including Tibet, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. Significant numbers of Buddhists live in the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Sikkim in northern India. Much fewer Buddhists (less than 1%) live in India itself, Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Outside of Asia, several thousand Buddhists live in the United States (600 thousand), South America (160 thousand) and Europe (20 thousand). Data on the total number of Buddhists in the world (from 200 million to 500 million) differ depending on the methodology and calculation criteria. In many countries, Buddhism has been mixed with elements of other eastern religions, such as Shintoism or Taoism.

GAUTAMA BUDDHA (65 centuries BC) Life of Buddha. Founder of Buddhism Buddha (“Enlightened One”). At birth, Buddha received the name Siddhartha, and the name of his clan or family was Gautama. The biography of Siddhartha Gautama is known only as presented by his followers. These traditional accounts, initially transmitted orally, were not written down until several centuries after his death. The most famous tales about the life of Buddha are included in the collection Jataka, compiled around the 2nd century. BC. in the Pali language (one of the most ancient Central Indian languages).

Siddhartha was born in Kapilavastu, in the southern part of what is now Nepal, around the 6th century. BC. His father Shuddhodhana, the head of the noble Shakya clan, belonged to the warrior caste. According to legend, at the birth of a child, his parents were predicted that he would become either a great Ruler or a Teacher of the Universe. The father, firmly determined that his son should be his heir, took all measures to ensure that his son did not see either the signs or the suffering of the world. As a result, Siddhartha spent his youth in luxury, as befitted a rich young man. He married his cousin Yashodhara, winning her in a competition of agility and strength (swayamvara), in which he put all other participants to shame. Being a meditative person, he soon grew tired of his idle life and turned to religion. At the age of 29, despite the efforts of his father, he nevertheless saw four signs that were to determine his fate. For the first time in his life, he saw old age (a decrepit old man), then illness (a man exhausted by illness), death (a dead body) and true serenity (a wandering mendicant monk). In reality, the people Siddhartha saw were gods who took on this appearance in order to help Siddhartha become a Buddha. Siddhartha was at first very sad, but soon realized that the first three signs indicate the constant presence of suffering in the world. The suffering seemed all the more terrible to him because, according to the beliefs of that time, after death a person was doomed to be born again. Therefore, there was no end to suffering; it was eternal. In the fourth sign, in the serene inner joy of a mendicant monk, Siddhartha saw his future destiny.

Even the happy news of the birth of his son did not make him happy, and one night he left the palace and rode off on his faithful horse Kanthaka. Siddhartha took off his expensive clothes, changed into a monk's dress and soon settled as a hermit in the forest. He then joined five ascetics in the hope that mortification would lead him to insight and peace. After six years of the strictest asceticism, without getting any closer to his goal, Siddhartha parted with the ascetics and began to lead a more moderate lifestyle.

One day, Siddhartha Gautama, who was already thirty-five years old, sat down under a large bo tree (a type of fig tree) near the town of Gaya in eastern India and vowed that he would not move from his place until he solved the riddle of suffering. For forty-nine days he sat under the tree. Friendly gods and spirits fled from him when the tempter Mara, the Buddhist devil, approached. Day after day, Siddhartha resisted various temptations. Mara summoned his demons and unleashed a tornado, flood and earthquake on the meditating Gautama. He ordered his daughters Desire, Pleasure and Passion to seduce Gautama with erotic dances. When Mara demanded that Siddhartha provide evidence of his kindness and mercy, Gautama touched the ground with his hand, and the earth said: “I am his witness.”

In the end, Mara and his demons fled, and on the morning of the 49th day, Siddhartha Gautama learned the truth, solved the riddle of suffering and understood what a person must do to overcome it. Fully enlightened, he achieved the utmost detachment from the world (nirvana), which means the cessation of suffering.

He spent another 49 days in meditation under a tree, and then went to the Deer Park near Benares, where he found five ascetics with whom he lived in the forest. Buddha gave his first sermon to them. Soon the Buddha acquired many followers, the most beloved of whom was his cousin Ananda, and organized a community (sangha), essentially a monastic order (bhikkhus “mendicants”). The Buddha instructed dedicated followers in liberation from suffering and achieving nirvana, and the laity in a moral lifestyle. The Buddha traveled widely, returning home briefly to convert his own family and courtiers. Over time, he began to be called Bhagavan (“Lord”), Tathagatha (“Thus Came” or “Thus Gone”) and Shakyamuni (“Sage of the Shakya Family”).

There is a legend that Devadatta, Buddha's cousin, plotting out of jealousy to kill Buddha, released a mad elephant onto the path along which he was supposed to pass. Buddha gently stopped the elephant, which knelt before him. In the 80th year of his life, Buddha did not refuse pork, which the layman Chanda the blacksmith treated him to, and soon died.

Exercises. Pre-Buddhist teachings. The era in which Buddha lived was a time of great religious ferment. By the 6th century. BC. polytheistic veneration of the deified forces of nature, inherited from the era of the Aryan conquest of India (1500–800 BC), took shape in sacrificial rites performed by Brahmin priests. The cult was based on two collections of sacred literature compiled by priests: Veda, collections of ancient hymns, chants and liturgical texts, and Brahmins, collections of instructions for performing rituals. Later, the ideas contained in the hymns and interpretations were supplemented by the belief in reincarnation, samsara and karma.

Among the followers of the Vedic religion were Brahmin priests who believed that since the gods and all other beings are manifestations of a single supreme reality (Brahman), then only union with this reality can bring liberation. Their thoughts are reflected in later Vedic literature ( Upanishads, 76 centuries. BC). Other teachers, rejecting the authority of the Vedas, proposed other paths and methods. Some (Ajivakas and Jains) emphasized asceticism and mortification, others insisted on the adoption of a special doctrine, the adherence to which was supposed to ensure spiritual liberation.

Buddha's teachings distinguished by depth and high morality, was a protest against Vedic formalism. Rejecting the authority of both the Vedas and the Brahmanical priesthood, the Buddha proclaimed a new path of liberation. His essence is stated in his sermon Turning the Wheel of Doctrine ( Dhammacakkhappavattana). This is the “middle way” between the extremes of ascetic asceticism (which seemed pointless to him) and the satisfaction of sensual desires (equally useless). Essentially, this path is to understand the “four noble truths” and live according to them. I . The Noble Truth about Suffering. Suffering is inherent in life itself, it consists in birth, old age, illness and death, in connection with the unpleasant, in separation from the pleasant; in failure to achieve what is desired, in short, in everything connected with existence.. The Noble Truth about the Cause of Suffering. The cause of suffering is craving, which leads to rebirth and is accompanied by joy and delight, exultation in the pleasures found here and there. This is the thirst for lust, the thirst for existence and non-existence. III . The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering. The cessation of suffering is the cessation of desires through renunciation of them, gradual liberation from their power. IV . The Noble Truth of the Path to the End of Suffering. The path to the cessation of suffering is the Eightfold Path of Rightness, namely Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindset, Right Concentration. Progress along this path leads to the disappearance of desires and liberation from suffering.

The teachings of the Buddha differ from the Vedic tradition, which is based on rituals of sacrifice to the gods of nature. Here the fulcrum is no longer dependence on the actions of the priests, but internal liberation through the right way of thinking, right behavior and spiritual discipline. The teachings of the Buddha are also opposed to the Brahmanism of the Upanishads. The authors of the Upanishads, the seers, abandoned the belief in material sacrifices. However, they retained the idea of the Self (Atman) as an unchanging, eternal entity. They saw the path to liberation from the power of ignorance and rebirth in the merging of all finite “I”s into the universal “I” (Atman, which is Brahman). Gautama, on the contrary, was deeply concerned with the practical problem of man's liberation through moral and spiritual purification and opposed the idea of an unchanging essence of the Self. In this sense, he proclaimed “Not-I” (An-Atman). What is commonly called “I” is a collection of constantly changing physical and mental components. Everything is in process, and therefore capable of improving itself through right thoughts and right actions. Every action has consequences. Recognizing this “law of karma”, the changeable Self can, by making right efforts, escape the urge to do evil deeds and the retribution for other deeds in the form of suffering and the continuous cycle of birth and death. For a follower who has achieved perfection (arahat), the result of his efforts will be nirvana, a state of serene insight, dispassion and wisdom, deliverance from further births and the sadness of existence.

THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM IN INDIA From Gautama to Ashoka. According to legend, immediately after the death of Gautama, about 500 of his followers gathered at Rajagriha to expound the teachings as they remembered them. The doctrine and rules of conduct that guided the monastic community (sangha) were formed. Subsequently, this direction was called Theravada (“school of elders”). At the “second council” in Vaishali, the leaders of the community declared illegal relaxations in the ten rules that were practiced by the local monks. This is how the first split occurred. Monks of Vaishali (according to Mahavamse, or Great Chronicle of Ceylon, there were 10 thousand of them) left the old order and established their own sect, calling themselves Mahasanghikas (members of the Great Order). As the number of Buddhists grew and Buddhism spread, new schisms arose. By the time of Ashoka (3rd century BC), there were already 18 different “schools of teachers”. The most important were the original orthodox Theravada; Sarvastivada, which at first differed only slightly from Theravada in doctrinal terms; Mahasanghikas. In the end, a territorial division occurred between them, so to speak. The Theravada school moved to South India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Sarvastivada first gained popularity in Mathura in northern India, but then spread to the northwest as far as Gandhara. The Mahasanghikas were first active in Magadha and later established themselves in the south of India, retaining only some influence in the north.

The most important difference between the Sarvastivada school is the doctrine of the simultaneous existence of the past, present and future. This explains its name: sarvam-asti “everything is.” All three of the above schools remain orthodox in their essence, but the Sarvastivadins and Mahasanghikas, who used Sanskrit rather than Pali, tended to interpret the meaning of the Buddha's sayings more freely. As for the Theravadins, they sought to preserve the ancient dogmas intact.

Ashoka (3rd century BC). The spread of Buddhism received a strong new impetus when the third king from the ancient Indian Mauryan dynasty (42 centuries BC) became a lay follower of this religion. In one of his rock edicts (XIII), Ashoka spoke of repentance for the bloodshed and suffering he inflicted on the people in the Kalinga war of conquest, and of his decision to follow the path of moral conquest (dharma). This meant that he intended to rule based on the principle of righteousness, instilling this righteousness both in his own kingdom and in other countries.

Ashoka revered the ascetics by respecting their message of non-violence and humane ethical principles, and required his officials to support noble acts of compassion, generosity, truthfulness, purity, meekness and kindness. He himself strove to be an example, caring for the welfare and happiness of his subjects, be they Hindus, Ajivikas, Jains or Buddhists. The edicts which he caused to be carved on rocks or pillars of stone in different parts of the country perpetuated the principles of his rule.

Great Chronicle of Ceylon credits Ashoka with the honor of convening the “third council” in Pataliputra, where, in addition to clarifying the “true teaching,” measures were taken to send Buddhist missionaries outside the kingdom.

From Ashoka to Kanishka. After Ashoka, the Mauryan dynasty quickly faded away. By the beginning of 2 BC it was replaced by the Shung dynasty, which was more inclined towards the Brahmans than towards the Buddhists. The appearance of the Bactrian Greeks, Scythians and Parthians in northwestern India posed a new challenge to Buddhist teachers. This situation is reflected in a dialogue written in Pali between the Greco-Bactrian king Menander (Milinda) and the Buddhist sage Nagasena ( Milinda's questions , Milindapanha, 2 BC). Later, in 1 AD, the entire region from Afghanistan to Punjab came under the rule of the Central Asian tribe of the Kushans. According to the Sarvastivadin tradition, during the reign of King Kanishka (78101 AD), another “council” was held at Jalandhar. The work of the Buddhist scholars who contributed to his work resulted in extensive commentaries in Sanskrit.Mahayana and Hinayana. Meanwhile, the formation of two interpretations of Buddhism took place. Some Sarvastivadins adhered to the orthodox tradition of “elders” (Sanskrit “sthaviravada”). There were also liberals who resembled the Mahasanghikas. Over time, the two groups came into open disagreement. Liberals considered the teachings of the Sthaviravadins primitive and incomplete. They considered the traditional path of seeking nirvana less successful, calling it the “small chariot” of salvation (Hinayana), while their own teaching was called the “great chariot” (Mahayana), carrying the adept into wider and deeper dimensions of truth.

In an effort to strengthen and make their position invulnerable, the Hinayan Sarvastivadins compiled a corpus of treatises ( Abhidharma, OK. 350 100 BC), based on early texts (sutras) and monastic rules (vinaya). For their part, the Mahayanists prepared treatises (13 CE) outlining new interpretations of the doctrine, opposing the Hinayana as, from their point of view, a primitive interpretation. Despite differences, all monks observed the same rules of discipline, and often Hinayanists and Mahayanists lived in the same or adjacent monasteries.

It should be noted that the terms “Hinayana” and “Mahayana” arose from the polemical statements of the Mahayanists, who sought to separate their new interpretations from the old ones maintained by the conservative Sarvastivadins. Both groups were northern Buddhists who used Sanskrit. The Theravadins, who used Pali and went to the south of India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), did not take part in this dispute. Treasuring their texts, they saw themselves as guardians of the truth transmitted to them through the “elders” (Pali “thera”) from the Buddha himself.

Decline of Buddhism in India. As a distinct religion that attracted new followers, strengthened its influence and created new literature, Buddhism flourished in India until about 500 AD. He was supported by rulers, majestic temples and monasteries were built in the country, and great Mahayana teachers appeared: Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu. Then came a decline that lasted for several centuries, and after the 12th century, when power in India passed to Muslims, Buddhism practically disappeared in this country. Various factors contributed to the decline of Buddhism. In some regions, a turbulent political situation has developed; in others, Buddhism has lost the patronage of the authorities, and in some places it has encountered opposition from hostile rulers. More important than external factors were internal factors. After the emergence of Mahayana, the creative impulse of Buddhism weakened. Buddhist communities have always lived in proximity to other religious cults and practices of religious life - Vedic ritualism, Brahmanism, Jain asceticism and the worship of various Hindu gods. Having never shown intolerance towards other religions, Buddhism could not resist their influence. Already Chinese pilgrims visiting India in 7 AD noted signs of decay. Since the 11th century. Both Hinduism and Buddhism began to experience the influence of tantrism, the name of which comes from the sacred books of tantras (manuals). Tantrism is a system of beliefs and rituals that uses magical spells, mystical syllables, diagrams and symbolic gestures to achieve a sense of mystical unity with reality. In tantric rituals, the image of a god in intercourse with his wife was an expression of the fulfillment of this religious ideal. In Hinduism, partners (shakti) were considered the consorts of gods, in late Mahayanism - consorts of Buddhas and boddhisattvas.

The sublime elements of Buddhist philosophy fell into the hands of former Hindu opponents, and Buddha himself began to be considered an incarnation (avatara) of Vishnu, one of the Hindu gods.

THERAVADA BUDDHISM Basic doctrines, religious practices, sacred texts. Early Buddhist teachings are best preserved in Pali texts. The texts form a complete canon and provide the most complete picture of Theravada doctrine. Pali is related to Sanskrit, and a number of terms in Pali and Sanskrit are very similar. For example, “dhamma” in Pali is the same as “dharma” in Sanskrit, “kamma” in Pali is the same as “karma” in Sanskrit, “nibbana” is the Sanskrit “nirvana”. Theravadins believe that the teachings codified in this corpus indicate the truth or law (dhamma) of the Universe itself, and the adept must live by this law in order to achieve the highest freedom and peace. In general terms, the Theravada belief system is as follows.

The universe as we know it is in constant change. Existence, including the life of an individual, is impermanent (anicca). Everything arises and disappears. Contrary to popular belief, there is no permanent, unchanging “I” (Atta) in a person that is reborn, passing from one incarnation to another. In fact, a person is a conditional unity of five groups of changeable physical and mental components: body, sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness, behind which there is no unchanging and permanent essence. Everything is transitory and impermanent, in intense restlessness (dukkha, “suffering”) and without substance (anatta). In this stream of psychophysical events, everything happens in accordance with universal causality (kamma). Every event is a consequence of a cause or set of causes, and then becomes the cause of its own effects. Thus, each person reaps what he sows. However, what is most important is the recognition of the existence of a moral principle, according to which good deeds lead to good results, and bad deeds lead to bad ones. Progress along the path of righteousness (the “eightfold path”) to the highest liberation in nibbana (nirvana) can lead to relief from suffering.

The Eightfold Path consists of following the following principles. (1) Right View understanding the “four noble truths”, i.e. suffering, its causes, its cessation and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. (2) Right thought liberation from lust, evil will, cruelty and unrighteousness. (3) Correct speech avoiding lies, gossip, rudeness and empty chatter. (4) Right action abstaining from killing, stealing and sexual immorality. (5) Right lifestyle choosing those activities that do not harm any living thing. (6) Right Effort avoiding and overcoming bad tendencies, nurturing and strengthening good and healthy tendencies. (7) Right Attention Observing the state of the body, sensations, mind and the objects on which the mind is focused in order to understand and control them. (8) Right Concentration concentration of the mind in meditation to induce certain ecstatic states of consciousness leading to insights.

Observations of how life passes through the circle of repeated births led to the development of a formula of causality, the “law of dependence of causes” (Pali, “paticcasamuppada”; Sanskrit: “pratityasamutpada”). This is a chain of 12 causal factors that are supposed to operate in every person, each factor being associated with the next factor. The factors are listed in the following order: “ignorance”, “voluntary actions”, “consciousness”, “mind and body”, “feelings”, “impressions”, “sensations”, “desires”, “attachment”, “becoming”, “ rebirth", "old age and death". The action of these factors gives rise to suffering. The cessation of suffering depends in the same order on the cessation of the action of these factors.

The ultimate goal is the disappearance of all desires and selfish aspirations in nibbana. The Pali word "nibbana" (Sanskrit "nirvana") literally means the "decay" of affects (by analogy with the extinction of a fire after the fuel burns out). This does not mean “nothing” or “annihilation”; rather, it is a transcendental state of freedom beyond “birth and death”, not conveyed in terms of existence or non-existence as commonly understood.

According to Theravada teachings, man himself is responsible for his own salvation and is not dependent on the will of higher powers (gods). The gods are not directly denied existence, but are considered to be subject to a constant process of rebirth according to the law of karma, just like humans. The help of the gods is not necessary for progress on the path to nibbana, so theology was not developed in Theravada. The main objects of worship are called the “three refuges,” and every faithful follower of the Path places his hopes in them: (1) Buddha not as a god, but as a teacher and example; (2) dhamma the truth taught by the Buddha; (3) sangha a brotherhood of followers established by the Buddha.

The literature on Theravada doctrine consists primarily of the texts of the Pali Canon, which are grouped into three collections called Three baskets

( Tripitaka): (1) Discipline basket ( Vinaya Pitaka) contains statutes and rules of conduct for monks and nuns, stories about the life and teachings of the Buddha, and the history of the monastic order; (2) Basket of Instructions ( Sutta Pitaka) contains an exposition of the Buddha's sermons. They also tell about the circumstances under which he delivered his sermons, sometimes outlining his own experience of seeking and gaining enlightenment, invariably taking into account the capabilities of the audience. This collection of texts is of particular importance for the study of early doctrine; (3) Basket of Supreme Doctrine ( The Abhidhamma Pitaka is a systematic classification of terms and ideas from the first two collections. The treatises, compiled much later than the charters and sutras, are devoted to problems of psychology and logic. In general, the canon represents the tradition as it developed over several centuries. SPREAD OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM The “School of Elders” flourished in those areas where Buddha preached his teachings, in the territory of the ancient states of Koshala and Magadha (modern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar). Subsequently, it gradually lost its position to the Sarvastivadins, whose influence grew.

However, by that time, missionaries had successfully preached Theravada teachings in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where they first heard about it from Ashoka’s son, Prince Mahinda (246 BC). In Sri Lanka, the tradition was scrupulously guarded and passed on with minor changes. At the beginning of the 1st century. BC. oral traditions were written down in Pali. The Pali texts, divided into three named collections, became an orthodox canon, and have since been revered in Sri Lanka and throughout Southeast Asia. In southern Myanmar (Burma), Theravada may have become known as early as the 1st century AD. The teaching did not spread throughout Myanmar until the 11th century, when the rulers, together with missionary monks, spread it in the north and throughout the country. In Thailand, the first Thai rulers (starting from the 13th century), admiring the Buddhist culture of Myanmar, sent for teachers to Sri Lanka in order to transfer it to their country. Cambodia, in turn, came under Theravada influence from Thailand and was later linked directly to Buddhist centers in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Laos, under Cambodian influence, became a predominantly Theravada country in the 14th and 15th centuries. Indonesia, associated since ancient times with India, Hinduism and Buddhism with both Theravada and Mahayana , was introduced by Indian colonists and merchants. However, starting from the 15th century. Muslim merchants gradually began to penetrate these colonies, and Islam gained the upper hand in Malaya, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Only on the island of Bali has a religion been preserved, which is a form of Buddhism with elements of Hinduism.

Theravada in the 20th century. Buddhism, found in Southeast Asia, retains the forms in which it once existed in India. Monks in yellow robes are people who have retired from the world and devoted themselves to the spiritual path. In monasteries, the charter is still observed to this day Discipline baskets. Lay people respect monasticism, turn to monks for instructions, and make offerings in the form of alms.Life of a monk. Anyone entering the order must undergo a public ceremony, the main part of which is an oath of allegiance to the “three refuges”: “I seek refuge in the Buddha,” “I seek refuge in the Dhamma,” “I seek refuge in the Sangha.” Each oath is repeated three times. In the initiation rite, he leaves the world and becomes a novice in the monastery. Having completed the period of novitiate, he takes ordination as a monk (bhikhu). After 10 years a monk becomes an elder (thera), and after 20 years a great elder (mahathera). In Sri Lanka, an ordained monk must spend his entire life in the sangha. In other Theravada countries a person may spend several months or years in the order and then return to lay life. In Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, monastic life for several weeks or months forms part of the religious education of every Buddhist youth.

A monk must abstain from alcohol and tobacco, not eat food from noon until the next morning, and maintain purity in thoughts and actions. The day begins with the monks going out to beg (to give the laity an opportunity to exercise the virtue of generosity and raise funds for their own food). Once every two weeks, the patimokkha (227 rules of discipline) is pronounced, after which the monks must confess their sins and receive a period of repentance. For major sins (violation of chastity, theft, murder, deception in spiritual matters), the monk is punished by exclusion from the order. Important activities include studying and reciting sacred texts; Meditation is considered absolutely necessary to control, purify and elevate the mind.

Two types of meditation are recognized: one leads to serenity (samatha), the other to insight (vipassana). For pedagogical purposes, they are divided into 40 exercises for developing serenity and 3 exercises for developing insight. A classic work on meditation techniques Path of Purification

( Visuddhi Magga) was written by Buddhaghosa (5th century).

Although monks are required to live a strict life in monasteries, they are not isolated from contact with the laity. As a rule, every village has at least one monastery, which is supposed to exert a spiritual influence on the inhabitants. Monks provide general religious education, perform rites and ceremonies, prepare young men entering the sangha for religious education in the monastery, perform rituals for the dead, read at funerals Three Jewels

( Triratna) and Five vows ( Pancasila), sing hymns about the frailty of everything that is made up of parts, and console relatives.Life of the laity. Theravada laypeople practice only the ethical part of the path of discipline. Where appropriate, they also read Three Jewels and comply Five vows: prohibition on killing a living person, on theft, on illegal sexual relations, on lying, on the use of alcohol and drugs. On special occasions, lay people abstain from eating after noon, do not listen to music, do not use flower garlands and perfumes, or overly soft seats and beds. From the canonical book Sigolavada-Suttas they receive instructions on good relations between parents and children, students and teachers, husband and wife, friends and acquaintances, servants and masters, lay people and members of the sangha. Especially zealous lay people set up small altars in their homes. Everyone visits temples to honor Buddha, listen to learned monks preach about the intricacies of doctrine, and, if possible, make pilgrimages to sacred places for Buddhists. The most famous among them are Buddhagaya in India, where Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment; Temple of the Tooth in Kandy (Sri Lanka), Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (modern Yangon, Myanmar) and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok (Thailand).Theravada temples. Throughout Southeast Asia, temples and shrines contain statues depicting the historical Buddha standing, sitting, or reclining. The most common images are of the Buddha seated either in a pose of meditation or with raised arms in a posture of instruction. The reclining posture symbolizes his transition to nibbana. Images of Buddha are not worshiped as idols, but rather as reminders of the life and virtues of the great teacher. What are believed to be the remains of his body are also venerated. According to legend, after the burning they were distributed to several groups of believers. They are believed to be incorruptible and are now preserved in sanctuaries such as stupas, dagobas or pagodas in Theravada countries. Perhaps most notable is the “sacred tooth” located in the temple in Kandy, where services are performed daily.Theravada activity in the 20th century. Theravada Buddhists intensified their activities after World War II. Associations for the study of teachings are created for the laity, and public lectures by monks are organized. International Buddhist conferences are held; in Myanmar, where the tradition of convening councils to read and clarify Tripitaka in Pali, the 6th Great Council of Buddhism was convened and held in Rangoon from May 1954 to May 1956 to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the birth of the Buddha. Training and meditation centers have opened in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. MAHAYANA BUDDHISM Main features . The changing concept of the ideal Buddhist. If the Theravadin strives to become an arhat (“perfect”), ready for nirvana, then the Mahayanist exalts the path of the bodhisattva, i.e. one who, like Gautama before enlightenment, promises to prepare for enlightenment in order to serve and save other suffering mortals. A bodhisattva, motivated by great compassion, strives to achieve perfection in the necessary virtues (paramitas). There are six such virtues: generosity, morality, patience, courage, concentration and wisdom. Even a bodhisattva worthy of entering nirvana refuses the final step and, of his own free will, remains in the turbulent world of reborn existence for the sake of saving others. The Mahayanists considered their ideal more social and worthy than the ideal of the arhat, which seemed selfish and narrow to them.The Development of the Buddha's Interpretation. Mahayanists know and revere the traditional biography of Gautama Buddha. However, from their point of view, it represents the appearance of a certain primordial being - the eternal, cosmic Buddha, who finds himself in various worlds in order to proclaim the truth (dharma). This is explained by the "doctrine of the three bodies (trikaya) of the Buddha." The highest truth and reality in themselves is his dharma body (dharma kaya). His appearance as Buddha to the joy of all the universes is his body of pleasure (sambhoga-kaya). Incarnated on earth in a specific person (in Gautama Buddha) his body of transformation (nirmana kaya). All these bodies belong to the one supreme Buddha, who is manifested through them.Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There are countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Countless manifestations in the heavenly and earthly realms gave rise to a whole pantheon of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in popular religion. Essentially, they serve as gods and helpers who can be addressed through offerings and prayers. Shakyamuni is included in their number: it is believed that he was preceded by more ancient earthly Buddhas, and other future Buddhas should follow him. The heavenly Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are as innumerable as the universes in which they operate. In this host of Buddhas, the most revered in East Asia are: the heavenly Buddhas Amitabha, Lord of the Western Paradise; Bhaisajyaguru, Teacher of Healing; Vairocana, the original eternal Buddha; Locana, the eternal Buddha as omnipresent; bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara, deity of compassion; Mahasthama Prapta, "Achieved Great Power"; Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Meditation and Wisdom; Ksitigarbha, who saves suffering spirits from hell; Samantabhadra, representing the compassion of the Buddha; earthly buddhas Gautama Buddha; Dipankara, twenty-fourth before him, and Maitreya, who will appear behind him.Theology. In the 10th century an attempt was made to present the entire pantheon of later Buddhism in the form of a kind of theological scheme. The universe and all spiritual beings were seen as emanating from a primordial self-existent being called Adi-Buddha. By the power of thought (dhyana), he created five dhyani buddhas, including Vairocana and Amitabha, as well as five dhyani bodhisattvas, including Samantabhadra and Avalokiteshvara. Corresponding to them are the five human Buddhas, or Manushya Buddhas, including Gautama, the three earthly Buddhas who preceded him, and the future Buddha Maitreya. This pattern, which appears in tantric literature, has become widely known in Tibet and Nepal, but is clearly less popular in other countries. In China and Japan, the "doctrine of the three bodies of the Buddha" was enough to harmonize the pantheon.Philosophy. The Mahayanist approach led to more abstract ideas regarding the ultimate reality achieved by the Buddha's insight. Two philosophical schools emerged. The school founded by Nagarjuna (2nd century AD) was called the “middle path system.” The other, founded by the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu (4th century AD), was called the “school of consciousness only.” Nagarjuna argued that the ultimate reality is not expressible in any terms of finite existence. It can be described exclusively negatively as empty (shunya) or emptiness (shunyata). Asanga and Vasubandhu argued that it can also be defined positively through the term “consciousness.” In their opinion, everything that exists is only ideas, mental images, events in the all-encompassing universal Consciousness. A mere mortal's consciousness is clouded by illusions and resembles a dusty mirror. But to Buddha the consciousness is revealed in complete purity, free from clouding. Sometimes the ultimate reality is called "Likeness" or "True That" (tatha ta), meaning "that which is as it is": this is another way of referring to it without specifying it in terms of finite experience.

Both schools distinguish between absolute and relative truths. Absolute truth is correlated with nirvana and is understandable only through the intuition of the Buddha. Relative truth is within the transitory experience inhabited by unenlightened beings.

The fate of the unenlightened. With the exception of Buddhas, who are not subject to death, everything that exists is subject to the law of alternate dying and rebirth. Beings continually move up or down through five (or six) possibilities of embodiment called gati (paths). Depending on his deeds (karma), a person is born again among people, gods, ghosts (preta), the inhabitants of hell, or (according to some texts) among demons (asuras). In art, these “paths” are depicted as a wheel with five and six spokes, the spaces between which are the different possibilities of mortal existence. THE SPREAD OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM India. From the very beginning, Mahayana ideas spread throughout those areas where Sarvastivada was active. The school initially appeared in Magadha, but the most suitable place for it was the north-west of India, where contact with other cultures stimulated thought and helped to formulate Buddhist teachings in a new way. Ultimately, the Mahayana doctrine received a rational basis in the works of such outstanding thinkers as Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu, and the logicians Dignaga (5th century) and Dharmakirti (7th century). Their interpretations spread throughout the intellectual community and became the subject of debate in the two most important centers of Buddhist learning: Taxila in Gandhara in the west of the country and Nalanda in Magadha in the east. The movement of thought also captured the small states to the north of India. Merchants, missionaries, travelers spread the Mahayana teachings along Central Asian trade routes all the way to China, from where it penetrated into Korea and Japan. By the 8th century. Mahayana with an admixture of Tantrism penetrated directly from India to Tibet.Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Although the dominant form of Buddhism in Southeast Asia was Theravada, it cannot be said that Mahayana was completely absent from the region. In Sri Lanka it existed as a “heresy” already in the 3rd century, until in the 12th century. it has not been supplanted by Theravada. Mahayana was popular in northern Myanmar, in Pagan, until the reign of King Anawrata (11th century). Anavrata's successors supported Theravada, and under strong pressure from Theravada leaders, the Mahayana, deprived of royal patronage, fell into decline. Mahayana came to Thailand from Sumatra around the middle of the 8th century. and for some time flourished in the south of the country. However, after Theravada was consolidated in Myanmar and its penetration into Thailand in the 11th century. Mahayana gave way to a new, stronger influence. In Laos and Cambodia, Mahayana coexisted with Hinduism during the Angkorian period (9-15th century). During the reign of the last of the great temple builders, Jayavarman VII (1162-1201), the Mahayana was apparently proclaimed the official religion, with the veneration of merciful bodhisattvas and the establishment of hospitals in their honor. By the beginning of the 14th century. The Thai invasion led to a strong increase in the influence of Theravada, which over time began to play a leading role in this country, while Mahayana practically disappeared. In Java and the Malay Archipelago, both Mahayana and Theravada spread along with other Indian influences. Although both forms of Buddhism were sometimes persecuted by Hindu rulers, they continued to exist until Islam began to supplant them (from the 15th century). In Vietnam in the 6th-14th centuries. There were Zen schools.China. Buddhism began to spread in China in the 1st century. AD and encountered local belief systems there, primarily Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism placed moral, social and political principles at the forefront, linking them with relationships in the family, community, and state. Taoism is more associated with an interest in the cosmic, metaphysical, mystical and was an expression of the human desire for harmony with the highest nature or the Path (Tao) of the universe, beyond the bustle of earthly life.In polemics with Confucianism, Buddhists emphasized the moral aspects of their doctrine, and to criticism of the celibacy of monks and detachment from worldly affairs they responded that there was nothing wrong with this if it was done for the sake of the highest goal, and this (according to the Mahayana) includes the salvation of all family members along with “all living things.” Buddhists pointed out that monks show respect for worldly authority by calling for blessings on the monarch when performing rituals. Nevertheless, throughout Chinese history, Confucians were wary of Buddhism, as a foreign and dubious religion.ó Buddhists found greater support among Taoists. During periods of political chaos and unrest, many were attracted by the Taoist practice of self-deepening and the silence of Buddhist abodes. In addition, the Taoists used concepts that helped them understand the philosophical ideas of Buddhists. For example, the Mahayanist concept of the highest reality as Emptiness was more easily perceived in conjunction with the Taoist idea of the Unnameable, “which lies beyond appearances and features.” Indeed, the first translators constantly used Taoist vocabulary to convey Sanskrit Buddhist terminology. This was their method of interpretation through analogy. As a result, Buddhism was initially understood in China through the so-called. “dark knowledge” metaphysics of Taoism.

By the 4th century, attempts were made to more accurately translate Sanskrit texts. Famous Chinese monks and Indian clerics collaborated under the patronage of the emperor. The largest of them was Kumarajiva (344413), the translator of the great Mahayana sacred texts such as Lotus Sutra, and expounder of Nagarjuna's philosophy. In subsequent centuries, learned Chinese monks risked their lives to travel by sea, cross deserts and mountain ranges to reach India, they studied in centers of Buddhist science and brought manuscripts to China for translation. The greatest of them was Xuan Jian (596664), who spent almost 16 years traveling and studying. His highly accurate translations include 75 works, including major texts on the philosophy of Asanga and Vasubandhu.

As Mahayana spread in China, various schools of thought and spiritual practice arose. At one time there were up to 10 of them, but then some merged and four important sects (zong) remained. The Chan sect (Zen in Japan) assigned the main role to meditation. The Vinaya sect paid special attention to the monastic rules. The Tien Tai sect advocated the unification of all Buddhist doctrines and ways of practicing them. The Pure Land sect preached the worship of Buddha Amitabha, who saves all believers in his paradise, the Pure Land. No less popular was the cult of the Goddess of Mercy, Guan-yin (the Chinese form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara), who is considered the embodiment of maternal love and feminine charm. In Japan the goddess is known as Kwannon.

There have been periods in the long history of Buddhism in China when Buddhism was persecuted at the instigation of Taoist or Confucian rivals in the imperial court. Nevertheless, his influence continued to grow. Neo-Confucianism during the Sun Dynasty (9601279) absorbed some aspects of Buddhism. As for Taoism, from the 5th century. he borrowed ideas, deities and cults from Buddhism; even a corpus of sacred Taoist texts appeared, modeled on the Chinese Tripitaka. Mahayana has had a strong and lasting influence on the art, architecture, philosophy and folklore of China.

Japan. Buddhism penetrated into Japan at the end of the 6th century, when the country was tormented by civil strife. At first, Buddhism encountered resistance as a foreign faith, capable of incurring the wrath of the local gods and deified forces of nature upon the natives, but in the end it was supported by Emperor Emey, who ascended the throne in 585. The local religion in those days was called Shinto (the way of the gods), as opposed to Budshido (the way of the Buddha). The two "paths" were no longer considered incompatible. Under Empress Shuiko (592628), Prince Regent Shotoku adopted Buddhism, which he saw as an effective tool for raising the cultural level of the people. In 592, he ordered by imperial decree to honor the “three treasures” (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). Shotoku supported the study of the sacred texts of Buddhism, built temples, and promoted the dissemination of Buddhist forms in art, iconography and architecture. Buddhist monks from China and Korea were invited to Japan as teachers.

Over time, the most capable of the Japanese monks began to be sent to China. During the period when the country's capital was in Nara (710-783), Japan became acquainted with the doctrines of six schools of Buddhism, which were officially recognized by the 9th century. Through them Japan came to know the philosophical teachings of Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu; with the doctrines of the Kegon school (Avamsaka, or Crown), which affirms the final enlightenment of all beings of the universe, as well as with the precise rules of initiation and other rituals.

During the Heian period, the imperial capital was in Kyoto. Two more sects were formed here, Tendai and Shingon. The Tendai sect (Tiantai-zong in Chinese) was founded by Site after studying in a mountain monastery in China. Tendai states that Lotus Sutra

( Saddharmapundarika Sutra) contains the highest doctrine of all Buddhism, its Mahayanist concept of the eternity of the Buddha. The Shingon (True Word) sect was founded by Kobo Daishi (774835). Essentially, the sect is a mystical, esoteric form of Buddhism; its teaching is that the Buddha is, as it were, hidden in all living beings. This can be realized with the help of special rituals: pronouncing mystical syllables, ritual interlacing of fingers, magic spells, yogic concentration, manipulation of sacred vessels. This creates a feeling of the spiritual presence of Vairochana, and the adept achieves unity with the Buddha.

During the Kamakura era (11451333), the country was ruled by warriors, there were many wars, and the country was mired in ignorance and corruption. Simpler religious forms were needed that could help in the climate of spiritual turmoil. At this time, four new sects arose.

The Pure Land sect, founded by Honen (11331212), argued that support should be sought in the heavenly Buddha Amida (i.e. Amitabha). The Shin sect, founded by Honen's disciple Shinran (11731262), emphasized the need to seek support in the same Buddha, but “by faith alone.” Both sects taught about salvation in the Pure Land, or Amida's paradise, but the Shinran sect called itself the “True Pure Land,” because for its members the condition of salvation was faith alone. In Japan today, more than half of the Buddhists belong to Pure Land sects. Another form of simplified religion was Zen (Chinese "Chan"). This sect was formed around 1200. Its name, derived from the Sanskrit dhyana, means meditation. Members of the sect practice discipline to cultivate Buddha nature in themselves - they meditate until sudden insight into the truth (satori) occurs. Self-control seemed very attractive to the warriors of the Kamakura period, who chose for themselves the Rinzai version, the most severe in Zen Buddhism, where training is carried out with the help of stunning paradoxes (koans), the purpose of which is to free the inner vision from the habit of relying on ordinary logic. Another form of Zen Buddhism, Soto Zen, became widespread among the wider population.

Her followers had little interest in koans; they sought to realize the spirit of enlightenment (or achieve Buddha nature) through meditation and correct behavior in all life situations. The Nichiren sect is named after its founder Nichiren (1222-1282), who was convinced that the whole truth of Buddhism was contained in Lotus Sutra and that all the troubles of Japan of his time,including the threat of a Mongol invasion, are due to the falling away of Buddhist teachers from the true faith.Lamaism one of the forms of Buddhism common in the Tibet region of China,in Mongolia and a number of Himalayan principalities.Tibet became acquainted with Buddhism, with its later Indian version, in which tantric ideas and rituals were mixed with the weakened traditions of Hinayana and Mahayana, in the 8th century.and incorporated elements of the local Tibetan Bon religion. Bon was a form of shamanism, the worship of nature spirits, in which human and animal sacrifices, magical rites, incantations, exorcism and witchcraft were allowed. The first Buddhist monks from India and China gradually replaced the old beliefs, until the appearance of the tantricist Padmasambha in 747, who proclaimed a “magical” form of Buddhism that did not require celibacy, which eventually assimilated Bon. The result was a system of beliefs and practices known as Lamaism, whose clergy are called lamas. The beginning of its reform was laid by Atisha, a teacher who arrived from India in 1042 and preached a more spiritual doctrine, arguing that religious life should develop in three stages: through Hinayana, or moral practice; through Mahayana, or philosophical understanding; through Tantrayana, or mystical union through the rituals of Tantra. According to the theory, it was possible to move on to the third stage only after mastering the first two. Atisha's "reforms" were continued by the Tibetan monk Tsonghawa (1358-1419), who founded the Geluk-pa (virtuous path) sect. Tsonghawa demanded that monks observe a vow of celibacy and taught a higher understanding of tantric symbolism. After 1587, the Supreme Lama of this school began to be called the Dalai Lama (Dalai “ocean expanse”). The sect's influence grew. In 1641, the Dalai Lama received full power of both temporal and spiritual power in Tibet. The Dalai Lamas were considered to be incarnations of Chen-re-chi, the Bodhisattva of Great Mercy (Avalokiteshvara), the patron saint of Tibet. Another name for the Geluk-pa sect, the Yellow Caps, is more popular, in contrast to the more ancient Kagyu-pa sect, the Red Caps. Since the time of Atisha, the worship of the goddess of mercy Tara, the Savior, has become widespread. The scriptures of Tibetan Buddhism are very extensive and played a large role in the spread of the teachings. Sacred texts serve as the basis for the training of monks in monasteries and for the instruction of lay people. The greatest reverence is given to canonical texts, which are divided into two main groups. Khajur contains the teachings of the Buddha in complete translation from the Sanskrit original (104 or 108 volumes), as well as Four Great Tantras . Tanjur consists of commentaries on the above texts composed by Indian and Tibetan scholars (225 volumes).Mahayana in the 20th century Associations of lay Buddhists that have emerged in recent years express a desire to connect Mahayana teachings with modern life. Zen sects teach meditation techniques to laypeople as a way to maintain inner balance in the chaos of city life. Pure Land sects emphasize the virtues of a compassionate person: generosity, courtesy, benevolence, honesty, cooperation and service. It is recognized that the Mahayana ideal of saving the living from suffering may well serve as an incentive for the establishment of hospitals, orphanages and schools. In Japan, especially after World War II, Buddhist monks are actively involved in social and humanitarian activities. In the PRC, Mahayana continues to exist, despite the fact that the income of the monasteries has greatly decreased. The government allows traditional religious services to be held at sacred sites. Buddhist buildings of historical or cultural value have been rebuilt or restored. In 1953, with the permission of the government, the Buddhist Association was created in Beijing. Its goal was defined as maintaining friendly relations with Buddhists in neighboring countries, and it organized exchanges of delegations with Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, India and Nepal. The Buddhist Association for Buddhist Art supports the study and preservation of Buddhist cultural monuments. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as in overseas Chinese communities such as Singapore and the Philippines, Mahayanists have lay associations that organize popular lectures and distribute religious literature. In terms of academic research, Mahayana is studied in the most active and comprehensive way in Japan. Since Masaharu Anesaki founded the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tokyo (1905), Buddhism has become an increasing interest in various universities throughout the country. In collaboration with Western researchers, especially after 1949, Japanese scholars have conducted research into the vast corpus of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist texts. In Tibet, which for 300 years was a Lamaist theocratic state, isolation from the modern world did not contribute to the emergence of new forms of this religion.

From the book The Essence of the Science of Kabbalah. Volume 1 (continued) author Laitman Michael

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Details: Buddhist psalm 6 letters crossword puzzle - from all open sources and different parts of the world on the site for our dear readers.

New article: Buddhist prayer 6 letters on the site holy-prayer.rf - in all the details and details from the many sources that we were able to find.

Buddhist memorial structure and relic repository

Buddhist memorial building

The roofs of this building are quadrangular, with the corners bent upward

Temple built by a Chinese

Godly house from the Middle Kingdom

Dalai Lama's place of worship

Place of communication between the Chinese and God

Buddhist prayer house

Multi-tiered Chinese temple

Temple for Lamas (who are Dalai)

Chinese sister of the Muslim mosque

Buddhist temple, memorial structure and relic storage

Buddhist prayer 6 letters

Mantra– Buddhist Psalm

Spell by letter:

Mantra– The M word
1 – letter M
2 – letter A
3 – letter N
4th letter T
5 – letter R
6 – letter A

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Buddhist prayer 6 letters

How to take a mantra

Some people draw parallels between mantras and witchcraft spells and conspiracies; in fact, although they have certain similarities, they are not the same thing. If we look at Buddhist definitions, a mantra is a specific sound symbol that denotes an aspect of the enlightened mind and spiritual experience.

Any practitioner must remember that mantric sounds are not only something material and external, what the human ear hears is only part of the mantra, the main thing in it is the energy vibrations created, which lead to the desired effect. The power of sound can be measured, but the power and effectiveness of prayer cannot be reduced to an exact value.

The mantra of love and tenderness works in everyone.

Mantras are a certain way.

By pronouncing sacred words, a person passes their energy through his material and spiritual body and resonates with this energy. That is why Buddhist mantras must be pronounced yourself, and not just listened to. The famous and revered Lama Govinda said that a mantra can give any person enormous spiritual benefits and help in life, but only if the person can resonate with the spoken words, and therefore it is not enough to write down and listen to mantras, every word must be pronounced and feel.

A mantra can be called an internal sound and internal vibration of energy, even an internal feeling, which is why the physical sound of prayer does not have important meaning and is not strong enough to somehow influence a living being.

At the same time, all of the above does not mean that mantras do not need to be read out loud, you will just have to remember that uttering a gross word is only a means for more easily experiencing its subtle, mental meaning.

Mantras in Buddhism

Working with mantras is one of the most important components of Buddhism and tantra. There are many different mantras that can be classified into different categories, but each prayer has a number of basic universal characteristics.

First of all, each mantra is a series of syllables that can form entire words in Sanskrit, available for translation, but not translated. The words of the mantras are left and read only in the original language, because to achieve a positive result, a person does not necessarily need to understand the meaning of individual words, these meanings need to be felt.

It is also worth noting that the words of prayers do not lend themselves to conceptual and logical analysis; for the most part, they are meaningless, and each person understands prayer in his own way.

As an example of untranslatable and meaningless mantras, we can consider this prayer, which consists almost entirely of the sounds and syllables that make up the name of Tara, namely, Tara.

Mantra text: Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Soha.

Perhaps the most famous mantra in Buddhism is the prayer “Om Mani Padme Hum”.

Mani and Padme are Sanskrit words that can be translated as “Jewel” and “Lotus” respectively, therefore this phrase means “Jewel in the Lotus”. The initial syllable “Om” and the final syllable “Hum” cannot be translated.

Many mantras may contain the full or partial name of the Buddha or Bodhisattva to whom they are dedicated.

Some researchers and practitioners say that Buddhist mantras are not just dedicated to the Buddha or Bodhisattva, they are their sound equivalents, symbols, and sound designations. Simply put, a mantra is an image, a manifestation of a deity, some even believe that this is his real name.

If you are familiar with European concepts of witchcraft and esotericism, then you know that European magicians from time immemorial have believed that any entity, no matter who it is, can be summoned, but this requires its name.

Comparing these views on calling helping spirits and Buddhist mantras, one can also assume that reading these prayers is an appeal, a call to Buddhist deities, a direct request for help and protection.

Mantras for healing from diseases

Om Bhaikandze Bhaikandze Maha Bhaikandze Ratna Samu Gate Svaha is a powerful prayer that allows you to mobilize all the strength and energy of the body. It improves immunity and promotes rapid recovery from any disease. To strengthen this mantra, reading should be done after cleansing meditation.

Om Mani Padme Hum is a famous prayer that is usually associated with a feeling of compassion for all living things; it is dedicated to the compassionate Buddha. These words have powerful energy that can help in all aspects of a person’s life.

It is believed that if you chant this mantra more than a million times, a person will receive the gift of clairvoyance, but this is a very long process, which may take up to a year to complete. To quickly feel the effect of this prayer, you need to chant it 108 times within the walls of your home.

Om Ah Hum So Ha is a cleansing mantra that can act almost instantly. It can be used to cleanse the energy of your physical and spiritual body, to cleanse the house and all objects in it. The prayer must be chanted 108 times, in time with your own breathing. These words are also used when making offerings to Buddha at a home shrine or altar, and Buddhists also say them before eating.

Jaya Jaya Sri Nrisimha is a conspiracy against fear that can give a person peace and peace of mind.

Gayatri mantra

Om, Tat savitur varenyam, Bhargo devasya dimahi, Dhiyo yo nah prchyodayaat. This is a sacred passage from the Rig Veda, to be precise - the tenth verse of the 62-hymn, the third Mandala of the Rig Veda. In the Indian tradition, this text is usually attributed to Vishwamitra, one of the seven oldest divine sages.

This is one of the few prayers that can be translated almost completely with meaning. In the classical translation into Russian, these words mean: We want to meet the desired, Shine of God Savitar, Which should encourage our thoughts.

There are other translations of this prayer, the most detailed and complete of which says: “O our God! You give Life, You destroy grief and pain, You give happiness. You are our Creator, you are the Creator of all things, may we receive Your highest light, which destroys all sins, which disperses darkness. Lead us, Creator, along the right path, along the righteous path.”

Mul Mantra

Eg On Kar Sat Nam Karta Purk Nirbho Nirver Akal Mure Ajuni Seibhong Gur Prasad Jap Ad Sach Jugad Sach Hebhi Sach Nanak Jose Bhi Sach is a powerful mantra that affects the entire human body, his physical body, spiritual and psychological state.

This prayer is a sound vibration aimed at freeing the individual's mind from all negative and destructive programs. Many words included in this matra have a translation, but it makes no sense to do this translation, since such knowledge can only lead one astray from the right path.

The mantra works in three stages. First of all, prayer affects the physical body, every organ in the body, living cells, each of which has its own “soul.” At the second stage, prayer affects the subtle plane - the soul and consciousness of a person, it cleanses our mind of everything superfluous and unnecessary, brings peace of mind and pacifies all bad thoughts. At the third stage, a complete unity of a person with himself occurs, the individual tries on all the troubles, forgets his own mistakes that did not allow him to develop, and takes the first step towards his truly bright future.

No mantras or prayers will help unless you nail a horseshoe and start plowing like a horse! For millionaires, millions don't fall from the sky.

Tatyana, no one here is talking about dumping money out of the sky, mantras help get things moving, but as you say, “plow like a horse,” in Russian, that is, work for your own pleasure and get rich, while your rivals are behind.

Hamsters, such hamsters. “For millionaires, millions don’t fall from the sky,” “plow like a horse,” co-co-co. And when they encounter an unusual difficulty that disrupts their daily routine, they immediately turn to both the gods and Buddha. Vile lying hypocrites.

I can't find a job

Mantras need to be chanted with a certain knowledge of the intricacies of the process, and it is imperative to fast the longer the better, and even “plowing” is not necessary for this, there are combinations of mantras, when chanting which everything that a Person needs happens as a matter of course.

The house is not for sale...

The spell is read over a broom at three in the morning, and in the morning, as soon as the sky turns pink, they sweep the floor in the house with the spelled broom. The ritual is carried out for three days in a row. The plot is as follows:

How I sweep away the rubbish, sweep away,

This is how I attract buyers.

The first one will come, the second one will come,

The third one will buy it and take it for himself. Amen.

Guys, everyone who can’t find a job, who has something going wrong in their life, and you want to change it, watch the documentary “The Secret” released in 2006. Reading and singing mantras is one of the tools to achieve your goals; mantras allow you to CONCENTRATE on what you want. It’s difficult to explain briefly, but Comrade Ramses is partly right. However, some people have a “problem” - they say, no matter how much we read, nothing helps. But the fact is that such people read the mantra “in the wrong direction,” i.e. their conscious says: “I want money,” but their soul and their unconscious strives for something else. Let’s say that a person doesn’t really need money, because if you think about it, money itself has no value. What is valuable is what can be bought for them. And if a person wants new furniture, then let him think about it, and not about money, and especially not about the fact that there is no money. In general, seriously, watch this film and you will understand everything. And believe me, your life will definitely change for the better. Begin to clearly understand what you want, what your soul, your unconscious wants. Love and kindness to everyone.

Hello, Svetlana. I would like to ask you when to listen to the Genesha mantra in the morning or in the evening? Thank you.

Oh, at least sometime. A magical thing, by the way, I adore it and highly recommend it.

MANTRA is a Slavic science preserved by the Hindus

Svtlana, good evening! After the wax castings, the finances were simply a disaster; this has never happened before (although protection was never installed). Can you tell me some kind of protection for money and luck?

Irina, it looks like you and I have cleaned it up, completely demolished everything. In general, after cleaning, such a hole is then restored on its own, now reading anything is like going into an abyss, nothing will stay.

Answers to the crossword puzzle from AiF 38 2017

Answers to the crossword puzzle from AiF 38 2017 (20 09 2017)

1. Flying baby elephant. (5 letter word).

2. The fate of a Buddhist. (5 letter word).

4. Boundless... (4 letter word).

5. The Great... Nuriev. (6 letter word).

6. Almond liqueur. (8 letter word).

7. The most predatory roar in the savannah. (3 letter word).

8. Party of “conservative” British. (4 letter word).

9. ... middle management. (8 letter word).

10. Serene... (3 letter word).

11. Forest place. (6 letter word).

12. Scottish cap. (8 letter word).

13. What is hidden behind mourning. (6 letter word).

14. “The Little Sparrows of Paris.” (4 letter word).

15. A city with a samovar museum. (4 letter word).

16. Which parliament sits in Kyiv? (4 letter word).

17. Ostrich with a harem. (5 letter word).

18. The center of intrigue in the drama Lock with Tom Hardy. (4 letter word).

19. School boss. (8 letter word).

20. Nimbus of the soul. (4 letter word).

22. Unhurried... (4 letter word).

23. Braided fabric with poppy seeds. (4 letter word).

1. Dumbo. 2. Karma. 3. Master. 4. Sea. 5. Rudolph. 6. Amaretto. 7. Roar. 8. Tory. 9. Manager. 10. Sleep. 11. Edge. 12. Balmoral. 13. Sorrow. 14. Piaf. 15. Tula. 16. Rada. 17. Nandu. 18. Childbirth. 19. Director. 20. Aura. 21. Lad. 22. Riding. 23. Challah.

Prayer for the Six Worlds

At the beginning of the New Year according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, thousands of Buddhists gather at Labrang Monastery. They spend hours praying not for themselves and loved ones, but for all living beings from the six worlds of samsara: gods, demigods, people, animals, hungry ghosts and beings of hell

“I bow respectfully with body, speech and mind. I offer clouds of all gifts - both material and created by thought. I repent of all the negative deeds that I have committed since beginningless times. I rejoice in the virtue of saints and ordinary beings. O gurus and buddhas, please remain with us until the devastation of samsara and turn the wheel of Dharma for the benefit of sentient beings. I dedicate my merit and that created by others to great enlightenment..."

Adherents of Tibetan Buddhism, moving along the pilgrimage route, perform prostrations to the glory of the Teachers

Mentally reciting the words of prayers, Tibetan Buddhists flock to Labrang Monastery. Hundreds of pilgrims walk three times along the kora, a three-kilometer path that encircles the monastery walls. They perform prostrations (fall on their faces) to the glory of the Teachers of the past and present, spinning huge, two-meter-high prayer wheels - mani, installed along the perimeter of the monastery. There are more than a thousand reels. Rotating the mani is like repeating the sacred words “Om mani padme hum,” the main Buddhist mantra of compassion for all living beings. Its six syllables correspond to the six worlds of samsara and symbolize the desire to free living beings from these worlds from a series of rebirths.

For the boy monks studying in Labrang, the path of great prayer is just beginning

Despite the cold, monks of the Gelug tradition (which means “virtue”) gather in the monastery square, sit motionless on the cold ground for hours and pray, offering hundreds of spiritual addresses to the Buddha...

Followers of the Gelug school are often called "yellow caps" due to the pointed yellow headdresses known from the time of the founding fathers of the school.

Even when resting, monks meditate

February- time Monlama, Festival of Great Prayer. It takes place for 15 days immediately after the Tibetan Lunar New Year (falls on February 8 in 2016) and is dedicated to the 15 great miracles of the Buddha.

According to the Wisdom and Folly Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha performed these miracles in 15 days. So he convinced everyone of the truth of his teaching - the Dharma, shaming the envious false teachers.

The masked Tsam dance symbolizes the taming of the evil spirit

Monlam, or Monlam Chenmo, that is The Path of Great Prayer, was established in 1409 and has become the most significant festival for Tibetan Buddhists. Until the mid-20th century, the main festivities took place in Lhasa, and on the last day of Monlam, the Dalai Lama personally conducted services in the temple.

Tibetan women also take part in rituals

In 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet, the holiday was no longer celebrated. It was banned during the Cultural Revolution in China. In the late 1980s, the festival in Lhasa was revived, but a few years later it was banned again. Monlam is no longer celebrated in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, but it has received a new lease of life at Labrang, the largest monastery outside Lhasa, located in Eastern Tibet.

At the end of the Monlam festival, monks gather in the square for a special prayer. It lasts several hours, and all this time the monks sit on the ground, despite the frost reaching 27 degrees

Labrang, once rich and influential, also suffered at the hands of the Communists during the Cultural Revolution, but was returned to the Buddhists in 1980 and has now become a major religious educational center with six faculties and a huge library. Monlam blossomed along with him.

Tibetan women pray at the temple entrance during Monlam

One of the highlights of the festival is the opening ceremony of a giant thangka - a canvas with the image of Buddha, which is laid out on a hill near the monastery by several dozen people. People from afar can admire the face of the Victorious One and think about all living beings, wishing them well-being on the path to enlightenment, no matter who they are - gods, animals, communists, hell beings, hungry ghosts, or simply hungry as well as well-fed. After all, someone who is well-fed in this life can become hungry in the next if he does not follow the teachings of the Buddha...

A huge canvas with the image of Buddha - thangka - is laid out on the hillside. Thangka size - 27 m high, 12 m wide

Only three to four dozen men can carry a huge thangka to the hill and spread it on it.

Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images (x10)

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POPULAR REQUESTS

1
O World-Transcending One, praise be to You,
Skilled in the science of liberation.
You are the one who, out of compassion, has suffered for a long, long time
For the benefit of the world of living beings.

2
You believed that there was no [independent] essence for
Who has already gotten rid of the idea of groups [dharma particles].
O Great Wise One, You remain
In great sorrow for the welfare of beings.

3
O Most Intelligent One, You explained to the sages,
What do groups [of dharma particles] mean to you?
Like an illusion, a mirage,
The city of the Gandharvas, the dream.

4
The emergence of groups [dharma particles] is due to a cause,
They are not there when she is not there.
Isn't it clear in what sense
Are they like reflections in a mirror?

5
[Atoms of great] elements are imperceptible to sight.
How can the visible consist of them?
Saying the same thing about the [dharma-particles of the group] of the sense (rupa),
You have denied perception and the sensory.

6
[Dharma-particles group] of sensory experience
Do not exist without what is felt
Therefore they lack an independent self.
You have established that there is no self-existence in the object of experience.

7
If a meaningful representation and the object it denotes
If they didn’t differ, then the word “fire” would burn your mouth.
If they are completely different, then knowledge is impossible.
So it was said by You, the prophet of truth.

8
From the point of view of relative truth You said,
That the one who creates [the act] is as independent as his act.
But You have established it for certain,
That everything happens in interdependence with each other,

9
That there is no creator and no one who tastes the fruits of action,
That virtue and non-virtue give rise to each other.
O Lord of speech, You have declared:
The interdependent has no birth.

10
What is to be known does not exist until
It is not yet known, but without it there is no consciousness.
Therefore, You said that there is no knowledge,
No object of knowledge from the point of view of the self-existent

11
If the sign is different from the signified,
Then the signified could exist without a sign.
You have clearly stated that there is neither one nor the other,
If there is no difference between them.

12
Your eye of wisdom sees this world
Calm, free from signs
And their meanings, free
From the need to pronounce words.

13
The existence of [any thing] is not generated by something already existing,
Neither yet existing, nor existing and non-existent at the same time,
Neither independently, nor from the other, nor from both [oneself and the other].
How does it arise?

14
It is not true that anything exists
And associated with staying may disappear,
Just as it is untrue that the non-existent
For example, the horns of a horse can bring peace.

15
Disappearance (or non-existence) is no different from being,
However, it cannot be thought of as indistinguishable.
If it were completely different [than existing], then it would be eternal.
But if it were not different [from being], then it would not exist.

16

If there is one.
The disappearance of being, of course, is impossible,
If there is plurality.

18
It is not true that the appearance of a sprout is caused by
Dead or undead seed.
It was You who said that any origin
Similar to the appearance of an illusion.

19
Your perfect knowledge says,
That this world is produced by the power of imagination
And he is, in fact, unreal,
It was not created and will not disappear.

20
What is eternal is not born again,
And what is not eternal is also not born again.
You, the best connoisseur of truth, said,
That birth is like a dream.

21
Philosophers agree that suffering is caused
Either by yourself, or by others, or by both,
Or it appears for no reason. You declared
That it is generated in the interrelation [of causes and conditions].

22
Which is interdependent in origin,
That was considered by You as emptiness.
Your matchless lion's roar says,
That there is no independent entity.

23
The Doctrine of Immortality and Emptiness
Designed to eliminate all dogmas [fictions].
But if someone seized on it as a dogma,
Then You predicted his death.

24
O Lord, You have clarified that since all dharma particles
They arise in interconnection, but by themselves they
Inactive, conditioned, empty and illusion-like,
To that extent, they do not have an independent essence.

25
There is nothing that you can do,
And there is nothing that You would destroy,
Be it at the beginning or be it at the end.
You are the Enlightened One who truly exists.

26
If you don't improve your meditation,
[The art] which is mastered by noble men,
That pure consciousness is never here
Will not stop relying on signs.

27
You said there is no Liberation
If the state of uncloudedness by signs has not been achieved.
In all the fullness of You
This is told in the Great Chariot.

28
How I acquired virtue
Exalting You - a storehouse of glory,
So let the whole world, glorifying You,
Will become free from the heavy shackles of signs.

This is how the “Hymn to the Buddha Who Transcended the World” was composed.

Per. V.P. Androsova. See: Buddhist classics of Ancient India, The Word of the Buddha and the treatises of Nagarjuna. Translation from Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan with comments by V.P. Androsov. - M.: Open World, 2008.

Nagarjuna. Hymn to Buddha, Who Transcended the World

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Answers to the crossword puzzle from AiF 38 2017

Prayer for the Six Worlds