Stupa

The stupa (Sanskrit: m, स्तूप, Stupa, Pali:. Thūpa, Tibetan: Chorten, rare " stupa ", older English name " Tope ", so Topen ) symbolizes is a Buddhist structure, the Buddha and the Dharma. An early stupas similar semicircular piled grave mound was originally the burial of rulers in India and has been known since prehistoric megalithic - time. Since the early Buddhism of the Buddha and later of outstanding monks ( Arhat ) are kept in a stupa relics. He became the starting point of the Buddha and Arhatverehrung. The stupa is surrounded by Buddhist ritual clockwise.

• 3.1 Training of own design idiom
• 3.2 meaning
• 3.3 benefits

Word history

The English-language literature of the 19th century marked the stupa as " Tope ". The term should come from Afghanistan, where Johann Martin Honigberger and Charles Masson 1833 Buddhist monuments, solid brick grave mound discovered (the " Kabul minars " ), which they called Topes. The same term was also used for the grave mound of Manikyala in Punjab, therefore, Alexander Cunningham comes in his book The Bhilsa Topes to the conclusion that Tope is derived from the Pali word Tupo, which as well as the Sanskrit word stupa a grave hill ( " tumulus " ) describes.

History of Stupas

Pre-Buddhist origin

With the stupa mound was in ancient times meant, which was built over the remains of a dead person ( stup from Sanskrit: accumulate, accumulate ). This hill had made the shape of a hemisphere and was usually made of earth or stone: the Indians put a rod in the center of the hemisphere and buried the bones under it. The staff was viewed as a connection to the center of the universe, which collected all the energy and influenced the birth of all life. The ( semi-) ball as a symbol of completeness showed the balance of energy in the universe, became a symbol of the universe.

First stupas in Buddhism

This idea later took over Buddhism. Stupas are considered the first important monuments and sites of artistic design in the Buddhism. The Buddha is said to have instructed the construction of Buddhist stupas, but the oldest known stupas are from the time of Emperor Ashoka. This was according to legend 84,000 stupas built in his territory. In the Mahaparinibbana Sutra mentions that four groups of people are worthy enough to obtain such a grave mound: An Accomplished, a saint, " completely awakened " (ie a historical Buddha - Samma - Sambuddha ), a "single Awakened " (ie, a Buddha, however, does not preach the Dharma - Pacceka Buddha ), a disciple of the Tathagata and an emperor King ( Chakravartin - Universal Monarch ).

Symbolic meaning

Training its own form of language

In just a few centuries, the simple grave hill developed to the basic form of the present stupa, the stupa of Sanchi ( Central India ). Already here the four basic elements can be identified: a square platform as a basis, the hemispherical dome, a relic chamber, the tip, often replaced by a stylized shield, with a "crown", a "jewel" (which often literally take is ) is complete. These four elements are the elements of Buddhism: the Sangha (base), the Dhamma (the ball), the Buddha ( the relic chamber, the tip) and Nibbana ( the jewel ).

Importance

The stupa contains a diverse symbolic meaning.

• The floor plan of the stupa can be a symbol for the Wheel of Dharma ( Dharmachakra ) with the axis of the wheel axis of the world
• The lotus flower
• A mandala
• The five elements and their relationship to the enlightened mind

• Mount Meru
• The tree as a symbol of the entire cosmos (see relief at the stupa of Amaravati and in Borobudur )
• The seated Buddha -winning

• A " cosmic egg " ( Sanskrit: ANDA) or the uterus ( Sanskrit: garbha ) - that is a " container elements " ( dhatu - garbha - origin of the word Dagoba )

If you reduce a stupa to its essential geometric ingredients, obtained from top to bottom the following symbols:

Meaning as use of the stupa:

• The stupa as relics containers - After his cremation, the relics of the Buddha were divided into eight parts and distributed to the eight kings present. More than 200 years later found themselves miraculously these eight parts in the possession of Emperor Asoka again. According to legend, he told them then into 84,000 parts and locked it in as many stupas throughout his kingdom one. Based on the number of stupas, which today take lay claim to contain relics of the Buddha, it is quite unlikely that they really include any of these 84,000 parts. Possibly this is often just copies of such stupas.

• The stupa as a memorial ( Sanskrit: uddesika Stupa ) - in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN 16.5.3 ) indicates the Buddha on four courts, the believer can visit parinirvana after his taking. Here stupas were to be erected in memory of the events: at the place of his birth ( Lumbini ), the place of his enlightenment ( Bodhgaya ), at the site of the first sermon ( Sarnath ) and at the place of his Parinirvana ( Kusinagara ). Later the list of Buddhist pilgrimage has been extended by a further four places: Sravasti, Sāmkāśya, Vaisali and Rājagṛha. In Tibet, these eight places eight types of stupas are assigned ( see, for example at the monastery in Kham Dzogchen ).
• The stupa as a votive offering: Many sites of the Mahayana canon point out that it is a meritorious deed to build a stupa. So up to 18 different kinds of merits are connected. However, the construction of some things to consider. While it is equal to the size in which you are planning a stupa - important, however, are correct proportions and a pure motivation of the client. According to Tibetan tradition, a knowledgeable Lama must therefore monitor the construction and then dedicate to not receive a "Black Stupa " ( " like a body without guts "). Is filled with the stupa called Tsa- tsa.
• In Thailand, there is a tradition at New Year ( Songkran ) in the temples stupa ( chedi ) to build sand. The sand is to bring back the dust back to its original location, the have carried off during the year in their shoes sticking out of there the believers.

Benefits

Building a stupa is considered in Buddhism as very beneficial, since positive karma remains in the mind of the builder. In the future, the builders were thus given a wide range of benefits by favorable rebirths. In the best case, a rapid enlightenment is possible. Circumambulating a stupa is also very beneficial and enables positive rebirths.

Several developments

From the stupa, the Dagoba, in Myanmar the Paya, the Chedi in Thailand, which is based on the Sinhalese dagoba developed in Sri Lanka since the 2nd century BC. This resulted in Laos indeed.

The northern line of development in East Asia shows the pagoda, the Chinese version is internally accessible. The Chinese pagoda spread in the 5th - 8th Century to Korea and Japan ( constructed entirely of wood in Japan). In Tibet, the stupa of Chorten further developed, whose design is set in texts of Tengyur, the comment part of the Tibetan Buddhist canon. The chorten symbolizing the stepped path to enlightenment and is also a symbol for the active path of the Bodhisattva dar.

Gallery

" Phra Pathom Chedi ", Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

" Chedi Phra Sri Rattana " Chedi at Wat Phra Kaeo, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Phra That Phanom, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand

Shwedagon in Yangon, Myanmar

Chorten, Tibet

Chorten, Ladakh

Boudhanath Stupa in Nepal

Boudhanath (detail), Nepal

Borobudur, Indonesia

Kinkaku -ji, Kyoto, Japan

Sensō -ji, Tokyo, Japan