Author's articles
The Mandala Set
By Sylvia Smelcer · 12 years ago
A mandala set (or Dultson Kyilkhor in Tibetan) is a tool used by Buddhists, Hindus, and Jainists in their offering ceremonies. The mandala set represents the mind and body of the Buddha, and can grant ...
Making Lokta Paper
By Sylvia Smelcer · 12 years ago
The origin of lokta paper dates back a minimum of 800 years ago. Lokta paper is made from the bark of Daphne shrubs in Nepal. Daphne shrubs grow at high altitudes ranging from 6500 to ...
The Endless Knot or The Eternity Knot Symbol
By Sylvia Smelcer · 12 years ago
The Endless, or Eternity Knot is one of the "Eight Auspicious Symbols" of Buddhism. The other seven symbols include the: Conch Shell, Lotus, Parasol, Pair of Golden Fishes, Victory Banner, and Treasure Vase. The Tibetan ...
The Tibetan Buddhist Dorje Vajra Symbol
By Sylvia Smelcer · 12 years ago
The Vajra, or Dorje is a Buddhist symbol representing the nature of reality. Vajra is a reality wisdom, wisdom of equanimity, and all-accomplishing wisdom complementing at the other side. The significance of the symmetry of ...
The Mahakala Buddha
By Sylvia Smelcer · 12 years ago
The Mahakala Buddha is a Dharmapala, or "protector of dharma", who resides in the fourth hierarchy of deities, and is most associated with the Vajrayana Buddhism.
Mahakala’s Sanskrit meaning comes from its roots of "Maha", ...
The Employment of Prayer Beads in Religious Practice
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
While there are many differences among the various religions of the world, there are some aspects of similarity among them as well. This can be commonly seen in the prevalence of prayer beads worn or ...
Singing Bowls in Tibetan Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
Some may say that Buddhism is a minimalist religion since it does not employ the volume of icons and items found in other religions. But, to assume there are not items associated with the practice ...
What are Prayer Flags?
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
While many have the impression that Buddhism is a religion not known for its icons and symbols, this is not an accurate assessment. There are many components to the worship of Buddhism that are integrated ...
The Green Tara and The White Tara
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
While we often do not think of gods and deities when we think about Buddhism, the fact remains there are symbolic gods and goddesses in certain modes of Buddhist practice. This is most evident in ...
Prayer Wheels in Tibetan Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
Tibetan Buddhism is somewhat unique in the sense that it integrates a variety of prayer items into its process of worship. One such item is that of the Prayer Wheel. As more and more people ...
Dogs in Tibetan Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
Among all the animals in the world, it is the faithful dog that evokes the most positive emotions in people. Being pack animals, dogs are known for their loyalty and allegiance to their masters. These ...
The Essentials of Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
A topic along the lines of the essential of Buddhism is something that could take many volumes to cover. That is because there is a great deal of complexity associated with the religion of Buddhism. ...
The Lotus Symbol in Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
There are 8 Auspicious Symbols in Buddhist art and the Lotus Flower is one of the most prominent. In fact, you could credibly claim that the Lotus Flower is the most well known of all ...
Zen Buddhist Meditation
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
Surely, you have seen images of the practitioners of Buddhism sitting in the lotus position. Those familiar with such a posture are undoubtedly aware that when practitioners are in such a position they are meditating. ...
Wisdom and Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 13 years ago
When it comes to the connection between Buddhism and wisdom, it would not be accurate to say that the path to wisdom is found exclusively through Buddhism. However, it would be accurate to say that ...
The Story of The Bodhi Tree
By Sylvia Smelcer · 14 years ago
Siddartha Gautama was born as a prince. He belonged to a Hindu family in northern India. He was raised in the life of luxury and married young. As he matured he had a change of ...
Using Tibetan Singing Bowls to Heal
By Sylvia Smelcer · 14 years ago
Singing bowls are used for meditation, relaxation and healing purposes. Singing bowls are small circular bowls that function like bells and have a melodious sound when played. Singing bowls come mainly from Tibet although they ...
Malas Can Enhance your Buddhist Meditative Practice
By Sylvia Smelcer · 14 years ago
Of the world's religions, many use prayer beads for prayer and/or meditation. Muslim prayer beads have 99 beads to correspond to the 99 days of Allah. Catholicism uses the rosary in order to keep track ...
Buddhist Symbolism in Nepalese Jewelry
By Sylvia Smelcer · 14 years ago
There are a variety of different symbols used in Tibetan jewelry. These symbols include Buddha images, plus other symbols that are important in Tibetan Buddhism. Here is a brief outline of some of the images ...
Meditating in Buddhism
By Sylvia Smelcer · 14 years ago
The study of Buddhism leads us from darkness and suffering into happiness and light. Meditation is an important aspect of Buddhism. Using meditation during the study of Buddhism allows us to control our thoughts and ...