Midterm Flashcards
Pṛṭhivi:
1. Main myth
Maravijaya/Victory Over Mara
- Helped in some capacity (disputed) to defeat Mara and bring the buddha to the diamond throne
One of the many goddesses in The Flower Ornament Scriptures
Pṛṭhivi:
2. Role/function
Goddess of the Earth
Witness to Buddha’s enlightenment
Dispelled Mara’s army with quakes (Aparajita ?)
Provided the throne where Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, located at the symbolic center of the world, “navel of the earth”
Predicted Sudhana’s enlightenment
Linked with divine law and truth.
Pṛṭhivi:
3. Iconography
Typically the head and upper torso are emerging from the earth, underneath the base of the Bodhi throne
Aparājitā
1. Main myth
A part of later depictions of the Maravjiya/Victory Over Mara
Second goddess who appears to help Shakyamuni (one bared witness to Shakyamuni’s enlightenment, the other warded off Mara’s army)
Both understood as the earth goddess
Aparājitā
2. Role/function
Goddess of the Earth (?)
Dispelled Mara’s army
“Unconquerable Lady”/ “She who cannot be conquered”
Aparājitā
3. Iconography
In a lunging pose
Stands atop a elephant-headed creature
Right hand is upraised in a “slapping motion,” left hand over her breast
Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin
1. Main myth
Princess Miaoshan: The Story of the Princess “Wonderful Goodness”
Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin
2. Role/function
Princess Miao-shan is Guanyin
Has 33 forms (7 female) she takes in order to best fit saving different types of people
Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin
3. Iconography
In recent culture, portrayed in helping sentient being
In current epidemic, reminder to wash hands, wear masks, etc
Thousand-handed/eyed Guanyin
Multi-headed form
The statue is bronze
The face was designed to convey the concept “ecumenic” - without any distinctive ethnicity
Embodies love, mercy, and compassion
Princess Miao-shan
1. Main myth
Princess Miaoshan: The Story of the Princess “Wonderful Goodness”
King wanted a son but had three daughters, wanted one of them to give birth to a grandson
Youngest daughter denied marriage, which resulted in her father giving her tasks of increasing difficulty to stray her away from religion, eventually leading to him killing 500 nuns, burning down a nunnery, and executing Miao-shan
Her soul drifted in hell, saving beings by preaching to them
Returned nine years later as a bodhisattva, where the king was very ill with a sickness that resisted all cures
Miao-shan disguised as a monk and told the king he needed the eyes and arms of one who has never felt anger
She gave the king her own eyes and arms
The king realized it was her daughter and out of remorse converted his entire family to Buddhism
Miao-shan gained her true form, thousand-eyed and arm Miao-shan, and passed away afterwards
Princess Miao-shan
2. Role/function
Her true form is a thousand-eyed and thousand armed kuan-yin
Kuan-yin became Miao-shan (a living woman) so that she can be worshiped as a Chinese goddess.
Kuan-yin has a form called Ta-pei (great compassionate one)
Princess Miao-shan
3. Iconography
Thousand-eyed/handed form shows up at the end of the story
Burning Face
1. Main myth
Sutra on the Ritual Directions Summarizing the Yoga Dharanis for Saving Ananda from the Burning Mouth (slides)
Burning face is the wrathful manifestation of Guanyin who tells Ananda he will die in 3 days and be reborn into a wrathful ghost
Ananda goes to the Buddha to learn how to feed hungry ghosts
Burning Face
2. Role/function
Feeding ghost ritual for the benefit of one’s relatives and sentient beings
Picture of burning face used for the feeding of ghost ritual
Longnü/Dragon Princess
1. Main myth
Princess Miao-shan story (Main)
Various other stories with Sudhana
The dragon king, in the form of a fish, was captured by fisherman
Miao-shan sent her acolyte (servant) san sai to purchase and release the fish
As thanks, the dragon king sent her the night brilliance pearl, gift was carried by Lognu
Dedicated her life to Bodhisattvahood afterwards
Entered Miao-shan’s accompaniment and has ever since always been with her
Longnü/Dragon Princess
2. Role/function
Granddaughter of the dragon king
She was the one sent with the night brilliance pearl to give to Miao-shan
One of Guanyin’s servants
Sudhana/Red Boy
- Main myth
- Iconography
The Flower Ornament Scriptures
Various tales with Longnu
Gandavyuha reveals that Sudhana lived in a world full of divine females.
12 of his teachers were goddesses
Sudhana has a meeting with the god Mahadeva, who appeared without attendants.
Sudhana/Red Boy
2. Role/function
Brother to Longnu
The Filial Parrot
1. Main myth
The precious scroll of the parrot
Small parrot looking for mother’s favorite food gets captured by poachers
Parrot escapes but discovers that his mother had died
Parrot creates a funeral for its mother and sets off to become a disciple of Guanyin
The Filial Parrot
2. Role/function
Parrot a symbol of filial piety
Guanyin in China specializes in a role of intervening for those who passed
The Filial Parrot
3. Iconography
Often a white colored parrot to the right of Guanyin
Has beads in its beak (necklace)
White robed Guanyin, Willowsprig Guanyin (Guanyin of healing)
Māyādevī
1. Main myth
Had vision of white elephant going into her womb
Pregnant with the final Buddha (?)
No pain or discomfort during her pregnancy and possessed healing powers
Gave birth in Lumbini Grove while grasping the branch of an asoka tree and gave birth through her right side and died 7 days later
Māyādevī
2. Role/function
Serves as mother of all buddhas
“Goddess of magical creation” for she employs the art of miraculous manifestation
Cosmic figure whose womb emcompases all existence
Māyādevī
3. Iconography
Beautiful woman entwined with a tree or holding a branch above her head
Nativity scene
Pose of three bends with right hip out to represent giving birth
She is on a gem lotus in a jeweled golden tower. She reveals the infinite dimensions of her womb which is the universe.
Yakṣiṇīs
2. Role/function
Beautiful and irresistible to mortal men
Supernatural beings that are given offerings
nature/ tree spirits
Can manifest as demonic or divine
Yakṣiṇīs
3. Iconography
Often minimally clothed/ nude
Often shown intertwined with a tree
Grove Goddess of Lumbinī
1. Main myth
- Iconography
Assume it is similar to Mayadevi (?)
Mayadevi and Birth of Buddha (?)
The Flower Ornament Scripture (Sutejomandalaratisri)
Possible theories to creation
Locals of Lumbini worshipped image of Mayadevi in their own fashion, creating two forms of worship
Lumbini site was already its own a goddess shrine which inherited Mayadevi
Grove Goddess of Lumbinī
2. Role/function
Foresaw that a Buddha would be born there, transformed it into a fitting environment for the birth
Told Sudhana how to be born into the lineage of Buddhas in the Flower Ornament Scripture
Grove Goddess of Lumbinī
3. Iconography
Assume it is similar to Mayadevi (?)
Lakṣmī
1. Main myth
None associated (?) Appears in Pali Literature, but no primary roles
Lakṣmī
2. Role/function
Goddess of watery realm, agriculture goddess
Associated with wealth, luck, and good fortune
Laksmi as Watcher of the Portal
Wards off outside influence from the temple
Liquid born like a lotus (she is the daughter of the king of the ocean of milk)
Goddess of wealth, abundance, good fortune
Lakṣmī
3. Iconography
2 - 4 arms typically holding lotus flowers
Largely associated with flowering lotuses
Holding lotuses, surrounded by lotuses, standing atop a lotus
Purna-ghata/Pot of Plenty
vase/womblike vessel with lotuses blooming out of it
Elephants
Harītī
1. Main myth
Transforms from a devourer of infants into a bestower and protector of children and benefactor of humans.
Known in her early life as Abhirati, “Joyful Girl”- she was the daughter of Sata, the patron yaksa of Rajagrh.
Had made a vow in a former life to prey on the children of Rajagrha. After she gave birth to 500 children, she terrorized people by abducting and consuming their children.
Shalyamuni concealed the yaksini’s youngest son, Priyankara. Grieved, Hariti was made to realize the suffering she was causing the people of Rajagrha. B n
She agreed to follow his teachings and took the lay five precepts and offered her children to the monastery.
- Myth of her past life: Went to the market to sell buttermilk and encountered people singing and dancing. She danced to a point of exhaustion and suffered a miscarraige, causing her to be deranged.
- Offered a Pratyeka Buddha 500 mangoes and vowed in his presence to be reborn in Rajagrha and to consume children.
Harītī
2. Role/function
Yaksini queen
Great Goddess of Motherhood
Associated with curing disease (small pox)
Harītī
3. Iconography
Often depicted holding a baby/ surrounded by children
Pāñcika
2. Role/function
- Iconography
Consort of Hariti
Commander and chief of yaksa army
Pāñcika
3. Iconography
Represented holding a lance and a bag of jewels or money
With Hariti in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara
Goddesses of the Flower Ornament Sūtra
2. Role/function
The ascent of the Goddeses in a Mahayana context is the Avatamsaka Sutra or Flower Ornament Sūtra
Sthāvarā/Pṛthivī
Sthavara is the first goddess that helped Sudhana in his quest. Sthavara predicted Sudhana’s enlightenment
Sthavara is an earth goddess
Sudhana found Sthavar at Bodhgaya in Magadha where she saw Shakyamuni’s enlightenment and sees the enlightenment of all Buddhas
Goddesses of the Night Sky
Also known as ratri-devata
After visiting Sthavara, Sudhana visited the nine night goddesses
Celestial goddesses represent spatial awareness, purity, and expansiveness of being sought by Mahayana bodhisattvas
Vasanti (lady of springtime) was the first night goddess to be visited by Sudhana. She was inhabiting the sky above Kapilavastu (capital of Sakya clan) into which Shakyamuni Buddha was born. She was sitting on a jewel lion throne with a lotus. She wore a crest that had a moon and her body reflected the stars and constellations. She always takes female embodiment and has been incarnated as a goddess many times. She uses celestial phenomena as instruments of her compassion.
Primeval goddesses preside over crossroads (place where 3 roads meet)
Indra Jwāla/Jewel Net of Indra
1. Main myth
At the birth of the Buddha, Indra caught the baby in his jeweled net
Avataṃsaka Sūtra/Flower Ornament Sūtra
This sutra is an important document of the ascent of goddesses in a Mahayana context
Gandavyuha sutra is also known as the entrance into the dharma realm. It talks of pilgrim Sudhana’s journey for enlightenment.
Each speaker will talk about their spiritual journey
Sudhana converses with 53 kalyana-mitrata (wise advisors)
Vasumitra - enlightened prostitute
Prajñāpāramitā
1. Main myth
1st cosmic female of the Buddhist pantheon (mother of all buddhas)
Name means perfection of wisdom
She is seen as the mother of all beings who attain enlightenment
She is the ultimate source of refuge and object of reverence
Earliest image found in a cave site at Ellora.
Prajñāpāramitā
3. Iconography
Standing posture with one hand in varada mudra and other holding a lotus and manuscript
Earliest literary description of the goddess is her in a gold color and seated on a lotus with 1 hand in a teaching gesture and the other holding a scripture
Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras
Also known as 8000 line perfect wisdom scripture (buddhas owe their existence to her)
Celebrates the goddess and her wisdom
Parṇaśavarī
Iconography
Tribal woman who was clothed in leaves. She wears a skirt made of leaves.
Freshly cut tree leaves are used in assorted healing rites in India.
Has a white snake → she is a healer of snake bite
Has 3 faces (the light face is associated with compassion, purity)
Red face represents passion/transformation of passion, idea of magnetizing (she has this power to induce a connection), state of ecstasy
She may be shown in a cross-legged meditative posture. The lunging form conveys kinesthetic intensity and physical prowess in confronting an adversary
She is plump and muscular - sign of good health
Parṇaśavarī
Role/function
Goddess with the power to heal the most drastic illnesses
The environment created for her, when someone is praying to her, is a gem-laden mountain with magical trees
Vajra is her Diamond scepter and it conveys indestructibility and that the healer works with the patient’s energy
Savari
Role/Function
Savari means tribal woman and is used as both a generic term and with specific reference to the Savara tribe
hey would host healing ceremony rituals where they would dance together in a circle engaging in lunging movements to ward off the evil spirits. Healing implements include bow and arrow, leaves and brush to give medicinal water.
Savari
Iconography
Known to wear skirts made of leaves or peacock tail feathers and to hunt with a bow and arrow
Attributed with knowledge of medicinal and magic healing properties of plants
Dance is integral to their healing ceremonies
