HINDU RELIGIOUS SYMBOL:

OM is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism. It is called pranava Mantra in Sanskrit and sound form of God. It

'OM' Symbol

stands for Brahman, both as personal and impersonal God.  In all mantra’s of Hindu God and Goddesses Om is the vital part of it. The syllable is taken to consist of three phonemes, a, u and m, variously symbolizing the three Vedas or the Hindu Trimurti- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three stages of life ( birth, life and death ).

 In Mandukya Upanishad the mystic syllable 'AUM' is expounded. There are three letters in the word aum : ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’. The ‘a’ stands for the state of wakefulness, where we experience externally through our mind and sense organs. The ‘u’ stands for the dream state, in which inward experiences are available. In the state of deep sleep, represented by the sound ‘m’, there is no desire and consciousness is gathered in upon itself.

Sri Ramakrishna explains Om: The sound OM is Brahman. The rishis and sages practiced austerity to realize that Sound-Brahman. After attaining perfection one hears the sound of this eternal Word rising spontaneously from the navel. "'What will you gain', some sages ask, 'by merely hearing this sound?' You hear the roar of the ocean from a distance. By following the roar you can reach the ocean. As long as there is the roar, there must also be the ocean. By following the trail of OM you attain Brahman, of which the Word is the symbol. That Brahman has been described by the Vedas as the ultimate goal. 

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SYMBOL OF JAINISM

The Jain emblem[see above picture] which was adopted in 1975 during the 2500^th death anniversary of Lord Mahavir, consists of a digit of the moon, three dots, the Svastika, the palm of a hand with a cakra inset and a mantra at the bottom.

The outline of the symbol is defined as the universe and consists of three realms (Loks/worlds).

i)                   The upper portion indicates URDHAVA LOK (heaven). It contains the heavenly abodes (Devloka) of all the celestial beings and abode of the Siddhas (Siddhashila).

ii)                 The middle portion indicates MADHYALOK (material world). It contains the Earth and other planets (Manushyalok).

iii)               The lower portion indicates ADHOLOK (hell). It contains the seven hells (Naraka).

The overall symbol depicts the belief that living beings of all the three worlds (heaven, hell, and earth) suffer from the miseries of transmigratory existence. They can follow the path of true religion, which is Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct as expounded by the Tirthankars. This will bring auspiciousness to themselves, minimize suffering to others, and help them to obtain perfection, after which they will live forever as perfected beings. In short, the Jain emblem represents many important concepts to show the path to enlightenment by following the basic principles of AHIMSA (non-violence), TRIRATNA (right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct) and helping others.

Swastik:

Swastik is a symbol of the seventh Jina (Saint), the Tirthankara Suparsva. It consists of two parts. One part includes the Red and Blue part of the image. All other religions believe in this part only. But swastik in jainism includes 3 dots and a crescent moon with a dot also.

Four arms of SWASTIKA symbolizes the four GATI (destiny) of worldly souls (non-liberated): NARAKVASI (hellish beings), TRIYANCH (animals, birds, plants), MANUSHYA (humans) and DEV (heavenly beings). It represents the perpetual nature of the universe in the MADHYALOK (material world), where a creature is destined to one of those states based on their Karmas (deeds). It reminds us that worldly souls undergo a continuous cycle of birth, suffering, and death in these four forms. Hence one should follow the true religion and be liberated from suffering. It also represents the four columns of the Jain Sangh (community): Sadhus, Sadhvis, Shravaks and Shravikas - monks, nuns, female and male laymen. It also represents the four characteristics of the soul: infinite knowledge (Anant Gyan), infinite perception (Anant Darshan), infinite happiness (Anant Sukh), and infinite energy (Anant Virya).

green dots:

The green dots represent the Triratna (Jain Trinity: three jewels of jainism): Samyak Darshan (Right Faith), Samyak Gyan (Right Knowledge) and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct) which together lead to liberation. This gives the message that it is necessary to have TRIRATNA in order to attain MOKSHA. The Crescent moon and the dot i.e. the yellow part of the image represents the abode of the liberated souls (Siddha - Loka or Siddhashila or Moksha) which is a zone beyond the three realms (loks). All of the Siddhas (liberated bodyless souls) reside on this forever, liberated from the cycle of life and death.

In the Svetambar Jain tradition, it is also one of the symbols of the ashta-mangalas. It is considered to be one of the 24 auspicious marks and the emblem of the seventh arhat of the present age

Jain Hand:

The palm of the hand signifies the assurance; 'do not be afraid', indicating that human beings suffering due to karmic bondage do not need to be disheartened. Another meaning is “stop and think before you act to assure that all possible violence is avoided.” This gives us a chance to scrutinize our activities to be sure that they will not hurt anyone by our words, thoughts, or actions. We are also not supposed to ask or encourage others to take part in any harmful activity.

The wheel in the hand symbolizes SAMASARA (reincarnation cycle). It shows that if we are not careful and ignore these warnings and carry on violent activities, then just as the wheel goes round and round, we will go round and round through the cycles of birth and death. The 24 spokes represents the preaching from the 24 Tirthankars (enlightened souls), which can be used to liberate a soul from the cycle or reincarnation.

The word in the center of the wheel is "Ahimsa" (non-violence). Ahimsa means avoidance of Himsa (violence). It has been treated as the first of the five Mahavratas (great vows), prescribed by Jain religion and this Ahimsa Mahavrata has been defined in `Ratnakaranda-sravakachara' as "abstaining from the commission of five sins, himsa and the rest in their three forms, krita, karita and anumodana, with the mind, speech and the body constitutes the Maha-vrata of great ascetics".

The meaning of the mantra at the bottom (PARSPAROGRAHO JIVANAM) is "Live and Let Live". All creatures should help one another.

Courtesy: http://gr8jainisam.blogspot.com



SYMBOL OF BUDDHISM

SYMBOL OF BUDDHISM

DHARMACAKRA SYMBOL:


FOR HINDUISM SYMBOL:  [click here]


The Dharmacakra symbol is represented as a chariot wheel with eight or more spokes. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art. In its simplest form, the Dharmacakra is recognized globally as a symbol for Buddhism.

In Buddhism—according to the number of spokes of the Dharmacakra represent various meanings:

• 8 spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path
• 12 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination
• 24 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination and the Twelve Laws of Dependent Termination.
• 31 spokes representing 31 (11 realms of desire, 16 realms of form and 4 realms of formlessness).

In Buddhism, Parts of the Dharmacakra also representing:

• Its overall shape is that of a circle (cakra), representing the perfection of the dharma teaching
• The hub stands for discipline, which is the essential core of meditation practice.
• The rim, which holds the spokes, refers to mindfulness or samadhi which holds everything together.

The corresponding mudrā, or symbolic hand gesture, is known as the Dharmacakra Mudrā.

The Dharmacakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols* of Tibetan Buddhism.

The dharma wheel can refer to the dissemination of the dharma teaching from country to country. In this sense the dharma wheel began rolling in India, carried on to Central Asia, and then arrived in South East Asia and East Asia.

Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma

Mahayana schools classify Buddhist teachings in turns of a sequential scheme of development. These phases are called "turnings" of the Dharmacakra (Sanskrit:dharmacakra-pravartana).

All Buddhists agree that the original turning of the wheel occurred when the Buddha taught the five ascetics who became his first disciples at the Deer Park in Sarnath. In memory of this, the Dharmacakra is sometimes represented with a deer on each side.

In Theravāda Buddhism, this was the only "turning of the wheel", and later developments of the Buddhist doctrine which do not appear in the Pali Canon or the Agamas are not accepted as teachings of the historical Buddha.

Other schools of Buddhism, such as the Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna distinguish later "turnings".

Specific accounts of them vary:-

In one, the first turning of the Dharmacakra is Gautama Buddha's original teaching, in particular the Four Noble Truths which describes the mechanics of attachment, desire, suffering, and liberation via the Eightfold Path; the second turning is the teaching of the Perfection of Wisdom sutra, a foundational text of Mahayana Buddhism; and the third is the teaching of the Mahavairocana Sutra, a foundational text of Tantric Buddhism.

In another scheme, the second turning of the Dharmacakra is the Abhidharma, the third is the Mahāyāna Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, and the fourth includes both the Yogacara sutras and Tathāgatagarbha sutras.

*The Eight Auspicious Symbols

The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, or the Ashtamangala, are related to the physical form of the Buddha. 


They include:

• A Conch Shell
• A Lotus
• A Wheel
• A Parasol (Umbrella)
• An Endless Knot
• A Pair of Golden Fishes
• A Banner Proclaiming Victory
• A Treasure Vase

courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_symbolism

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