Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Chinese New Year 2008

I saw these beautiful decorations in front of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown. I am not sure if they are part of the Chinese New Year Decorations or for prayers purposes. Anyway I find them attractive and cute so I just snap them with my camera.

I noticed most of them have lotus flowers with them. As this is a buddhist temple, the lotus flower has a meaning.

In Buddhism it is believed that the lotus is a water lily that grows in murky ponds and takes its roots in the black soil. Just as the beautiful lotus blossom grows from the mud, human beings can also detach themselves from suffering, to rise above the earthly and blossom as Buddhas.

Significantly, the color of the lotus too has an important bearing on the symbology associated with it:
1). White Lotus (Skt. pundarika; Tib. pad ma dkar po): This represents the state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity (bodhi). It is associated with the White Tara and proclaims her perfect nature, a quality which is reinforced by the color of her body.

2). Red Lotus (Skt. kamala; Tib: pad ma chu skyes): This signifies the original nature and purity of the heart (hrdya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart. It is the flower of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

3). Blue Lotus (Skt. utpala; Tib. ut pa la): This is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. Not surprisingly, it is the preferred flower of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.

4). Pink Lotus (Skt. padma; Tib. pad ma dmar po): This the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity. Thus naturally it is associated with the Great Buddha himself."

(Source:http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/general_symbols_buddhism.html)












7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice photos!
Wow! It's going to be Chinese New Year soon!
I'm gonna miss it.
:(
Anyway have fun!

Alex
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Tom said...

Now I do like these, ha! and not a sign of the dreaded mouse. I think the colours are beautiful as well.

by Danie said...

They are beautiful decoration, new, modern, and still very temple like, i also like very much your explanations about Buddhism.

Joy said...

Beautiful indeed! I look forward to the Chinese New Year.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your footprints behind. How's your Wednesday going? Do visit again.

joy
The Goddess In You
Norwich Daily Photo
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quintarantino said...

Yes, they are really amazing and quite astonishing.

CC said...

I love your photos and explanations.
Cizzie..aka CC in Texas
mygardenfence.blogspot.com/

ro_pumpkin said...

love the explanations . a lot of things to discover