TO STAR: A POSTSCRIPT ON BUDDHISM
May
2009
Star posted a comment about my 29 April 2009 article, Borobudur has taught me Buddhism. I was about to reply to her comment and post several pictures. Alas, this dinosaur does not know if it is possible to post pictures together with a comment and does not have time to learn about it now. I am, therefore, posting my reply (with pictures) to Star. You may find this bit of information interesting as well.
Star - Wow! I did not realize there is so much one could learn from a lotus. Incidentally, I learned a pose in my yoga class some time ago. The pose is called Padmasana. Padma means lotus and asana means pose. In his book, Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar says that Padmasana ”…is one of the most important and useful asanas. It is the posture for meditation and the Buddha is often depicted in it.” While the position of the hands of the buddhas in Borobudur change depending on the direction they face, all of them sit in Padmasana. This is yet again another reason for me to believe that Borobudur takes its inspiration from the lotus.
Incidentally, I find Padmasana very difficult to do. I always feel as is my legs would get stuck in that position and I would not be able to untangle myself. As a result, I have yet to be able to meditate in this pose.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under 'Pinions, Dinosaur Tales, My Indonesian Experience, Yoga is my Bus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 5th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
To the dinosaur struggling with the Padmasana pose - Thanks for this beautiful post.
Little bit more about the lotus …. In Nichiren Buddhism -”renge” in what we chant “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” means lotus flower. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and thus represents the simultaneity of cause and effect. The circumstances and quality of our individual lives are determined by the causes and effects, both good and bad, that we accumulate (through our thoughts, words and actions) at each moment. This is called our “karma.” The law of cause and effect explains that we each have personal responsibility for our own destiny. We create our destiny and we can change it. The most powerful cause we can make is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; the effect of Buddhahood is simultaneously created in the depths of our life and will definitely manifest in time.
The lotus flower grows and blooms in a muddy pond, and yet remains pristine and free from any defilement, symbolizing the emergence of Buddhahood from within the life of an ordinary person.
Got the info from - http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/nam-myoho-renge-kyo.php
Thanks again!