On behalf of the IMU Buddhist Society, I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May everyone of you be blessed with good health, success and peace of mind.
The society was under a two month hibernation recently for a revamp. You read it right, REVAMP...pooofff... This would mean that you will be getting lots of different activities from the usual. I will not burst the bubble here just yet, so stay tuned for updates from the blog. Those who have attended the final Friday Gathering of last year would have got a sneak preview of our upcoming activities already.
I am really sorry for not continuing with the health topic from the previous newsletter. For this month, I will be focusing more on Buddhist symbols.
The word symbol is synonymous with representation, description and meaning. It exist in almost every corner of the world, thus the term "signs and symbols". In Buddhism however, we rarely use symbols to represent physical objects but rather physical symbols to represent a particular quality, except of course the Buddha image.
Buddhist are very famous for using colours in art and symbols. Lets take this for example:
the Buddhist flag
This flag has five colours, easily one of the most colourful religious flag in the world. Each colour represents a particular Buddhist quality.
Blue (Nila): Loving kindness, peace and universal compassion
Yellow (Pita): The Middle Path - avoiding extremes, emptiness
Red (Lohita): The blessings of practice - achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity
White (Odata): The purity of Dharma - leading to liberation, outside of time or space
Orange (Manjesta): The Buddha's teachings - wisdom
Another common symbol is the lotus, which happens to be the logo of the society as well.
Simliar to 周敦頤's 爱莲说, the lotus symbolizes purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire, thus the phrase 出淤泥而不染. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water easily slide off its petals.
The Wheel of Dhamma, Dhammacakka, known in Chinese as 法轮 is one of the most philosophical symbol in Buddhism because it represents the summary of Buddha's way to enlightenment. The spokes of the wheel are very significant as they symbolize the Dhamma. The first discourse of the Buddha after his enlightenment, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (转法轮经) literally means "Turning the Wheel of Dhamma".
*those deers were placed beside the wheel because the first discourse was taught in a deer park in Vārāṇasī (Benares) in northern India.
There are many more Buddhist symbols which have their individual value and meaning to it. By studying these symbols, we get to learn wholesome values what are applicable in our daily life. Some people may think that wearing ornaments with symbols could protect them. Perhaps it was the values which were inculcated which avoided them from harm rather than any supernatural power.
Sukhi Hotu
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