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Tantrik Painting |
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Religion
In Nepal,
religion is not just a set of beliefs and accompanying
rituals handed down from generation to generation;
rather it is a complex intermingling of traditions,
festivals, faiths and doctrines that have permeated
every strata of Nepalese Society in such a way as to
become the very heartbeat of the nation.
Nepal is famous, as the world's only Hindu Kingdom.
However, it is an intricate and beautiful tapestry
formed by the interweaving of Hinduism, Buddhism and
other beliefs. Religious tolerance and harmony such as
is found in Nepal, is perhaps a unique example to the
world.
Hinduism:
It seems that the first people to set foot in the
ancient Nepal were Aryans. The Aryans' basic beliefs are
recorded in the Vedas, a collection of over one thousand
religious hymns that were to form the foundation of the
polytheistic religion of Hinduism.
Hinduism has a basic trinity of three gods-Brahma the
Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer.
Most Hindus, while revering Brahma, do not usually
include his worship in religious ceremonies as his role
in the universe is regarded to be essentially completed.
Vishnu and Shiva, however, are very important to all the
Nepalese Hindus.
Vishnu, whose primary duty is to assure the preservation
of the world and all living forms, is believed to have
visited the earth ten times as "avatars" or
incarnations. He is also believed to have come to the
earth as a Varaha, as Prince Rama, as the god Krishna
and as Lord Gautam Buddha.
Shiva, the Destroyer, is believed to have three forms-Natraj
the god of artistic skill, an anthropomorphic form and
the Lingam form, the latter being the most famous Lingam
is situated in the north-west of Katmandu. In front of
any Shiva temple, one usually sees a statue of Nandi,
the divine bull that serves as Shiva's vehicle. In
anthropomorphic form, Shiva is depicted with his consort
Parbati and usually holds a trident and a small drum.
Another popular form of Shiva is terrifying Bhairav, who
himself has a number of different forms.
Two of Vishnu's other incarnations- Rama and Krishna-are
especially important to the Hindus. Rama and Krishna are
the heroes of the classic Hindu epics Ramayana and
Mahabharat respectively.
Another widely venerated god is Ganesh, one of the sons
of Shiva. Ganesh is revered in Nepal as the god of
wisdom and the deity responsible for deciding between
success and failure.
In practice, the Nepalese Hindus may choose one
particular god as a favorite deity to be worshipped
daily, or more likely will give due deference to all the
above-mentioned gods and goddesses, along with many
other incarnations and deities. Nepal's many Hindu
festivals are dedicated to dozens of different deities
and are participated by all Hindus, as well as
Buddhists.
Buddhism :
Beliefs and practices of Buddhism in Nepal date back to
the time of its founder, Prince Siddhartha Gautam who
was born in Lumbini in the southern Terai region of the
country in about 543 B.C. Up to the age of twenty-nine,
the young prince led a very sheltered life in the royal
palace of his father, completely unaware of the problems
and suffering of everyday life outside of the palace
walls.
One day, he convinced his charioteer to take him outside
the palace and was shocked at the sight of an old man, a
cripple and a corpse. The realization that there was
much misery and unhappiness in the world persuaded the
prince to abandon his luxurious life in the royal palace
in order to search for enlightenment and the real
meaning of life.
For many years, Gautam wandered from place to place
looking for a solution to the problems he saw all around
him. Finally, while meditating under a Pipal tree, he
became spiritually enlightened. Henceforth known as Lord
Buddha or the " the enlightened one," began to preach
the "Four Noble Truths" to all who would listen.
According to this doctrine, people suffer because of
their attachment to things and people; in other words,
the root of all the problems is desire. These desires
and consequently, all problems and sufferings, can be
totally eliminated by following the "eightfold
path"-right views, right intent, right speech, right
conduct, right livelihood, right effort right
mindfulness an right meditation.
Buddha journeyed from place to place, teaching and
converting hundreds of followers and died at the age of
eighty. However, his many disciples continued spreading
his teachings. At the same time Buddhism splitted into
two main schools of thought: Hinayana and Mahayana. The
Followers of Hinayana do not worship idols of Buddha as
the enlightened prince taught against idolatory. Very
few other Nepalese Buddhists have adopted the Hinayana
school of thought, choosing rather to follow Mahayana
teachings. One of the central beliefs of Mahayanists is
that one can achieve nirvana by following the example of
Bodhisattvas, Bodhi meaning enlightenment and Sattva
meaning essence.
Tantrism
:
Both Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal have been strongly
influenced by the beliefs and practices of Tantrism. "
Tantra" is a Sanskrit word referring to the basic warp
of threads in weaving. Difficult to define due to its
varying types and forms, Trantrism is a religion of
moral percepts, meditation, yoga, mantras and a
philosophy that believes in interwovenness of all
things.
Tantrism has greatly influenced Nepalese Buddhism by
creating the path of Vajrayana, the Path of the
Thunderbolt. The main object used in Vajrayana Buddhist
rituals is a small thunderbolt-like sceptre that is said
to represent the infinite in three dimensions. A large
thunderbolt, or Vajra as it is commonly referred to, can
be seen at the entrance of Swayambhu temple at Katmandu
on the top of a long flight steps.
There are basically two types of Tantric gods and
goddesses: Dharmapalas and Yidams. The former is often
depicted with flaming red hair, several arms, legs or
heads and three eyes. Yidams are tutelary deities often
found depicted in thangkas; like their Dharmapala
counterparts, they are ferocious deities with many hands
and fiercesome weapons.
Islam and Christianity
:
In addition to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Trantrism, a very
small minority of Nepalese adheres to Islam and
Christianity. Muslims and Christians believe and
practice in much the same way as their counterparts in
the western and other countries
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