Hells play an important part in virtually all Buddhist traditions, past and present: As the lowest of the 6 (or sometimes 5) paths of Rebirth, Hell is one of the most colourful parts of Buddhist Cosmology, mythological reflection, and practice. The Hells are the worst (and therefore the best) example of the fate that greets the unenlightened after Death, just as a pleasurable rebirth in

Texts predicting that the Buddhist religion will last only 500 years do not subdivide this figure into smaller periods. With the advent of longer timetables, however, Buddhists began to identify discrete stages or periods within the overall process of decline. A wide range of periodization systems can be found in Indian Buddhist texts. Clearly there was no consensus among Indian Buddhists on the total duration

Maitreya is the Bodhisattva anticipated by all Buddhists traditions to become the Next Buddha of this world, Jambudvīpa. Currently dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven, Maitreya awaits rebirth at that time in the distant future when Śākyamuni Buddha’s dispensation will have been completely forgotten. Depicted as both - Bodhisattva and Future Buddha, Maitreya is frequently portrayed sitting Western-style with legs pendant, sometimes with ankles crossed.

The term Buddha, literally “awakened one,” is one of many Indian epithets applied to the founder of the Buddhist religion. A Buddha is defined, first and foremost, as one who has undergone the profoundly transformative experience known as Nirvāṇa and who, as a result, will never be subject to the cycle of birth and death again. Buddhists came to believe that other such Buddhas would

The term Buddhahood (Buddhatva) refers to the unique attainment of Buddhas that distinguishes them from all other kinds of holy being. Buddhahood is described in 2 closely related ways: 1) in terms of its distinctive characteristics, and 2) in terms of Buddha “bodies.” The Indic term kāya refers to the physical body of a living being. It therefore carries the secondary meaning of a collection

Jewels occupy important narrative and ritual spaces throughout the history of Buddhism. The Buddha routinely employed the metaphor of the jewel (rātna) in a variety of sūtras to refer to the unlimited value of Enlightened Wisdom, a value that can be seen as represented in the form of an infinitely beautiful and valuable jewel that at the same time stands in contrast to the limitations

The term Bodhisattva refers to a sattva (person) on a Buddhist mārga (path) in pursuit of Bodhi (awakening) or one whose nature is awakening. In the Mahāyāna tradition, a Bodhisattva is a practitioner who, by habituating himself in the practice of the Pāramitā (perfection), aspires to become a Buddha in the future by seeking complete, perfect awakening through Prajñā (wisdom) and by benefiting all sentient

The term Karma, which literally means “action,” is frequently used in the context of what can be called the doctrine of Karma: This belief is nowadays shared by many Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and others, but the details can vary considerably between different believers. Early Buddhism does not identify bodily and mental motion, but Desire (or thirst, tṛṣṇā), as the cause of karmic consequences.

The term Buddha, literally “awakened one,” is one of many Indian epithets applied to the founder of the Buddhism religion: A Buddha is defined, first and foremost, as one who has undergone the profoundly transformative experience known as Nirvāṇa and who, as a result, will never be subject to the cycle of birth and death again. Only one Buddha can appear in the world at