Endless Knot.

The Endless Knot is a symbolic knot used in Tibetan Buddhism. Image File history File links EndlessKnot03d. ... Image File history File links EndlessKnot03d. ... A trefoil knot. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...

It is known as Shrivatsa in Sanskrit and Dpal be'u in Tibetan. Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम् ; pronunciation: ) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... The Tibetan language is typically classified as member of the Tibeto-Burman which in turn is thought by some to be a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. ...

Interpretations (quoted):

It is "an ancient symbol representing the interweaving of the Spiritual Path, the flowing of Time and Movement within That Which is Eternal. All existence, it says, is bound by time and change, yet ultimately rests serenely within the Divine, the Eternal, Buddha, the Mind of God."

"Addiction and aversion lead to delusion, which is the ongoing source of all suffering."

Since the knot has no beginning or end it also symbolizes the infinite wisdom of the Buddha.

Drawing an Endless Knot

Plot the vertices A, B, C, D of square ABCD. Plot E, the midpoint of line segment AB. Plot F, the midpoint of line segment BC. Plot G, the midpoint of line segment CD. Plot H, the midpoint of line segment DA. In geometry, a vertex (Latin: whirl, whirlpool; plural vertices) is a corner of a polygon (where two sides meet) or of a polyhedron (where three or more faces and an equal number of edges meet). ... In plane geometry, a square is a polygon with four equal sides and equal angles. ... In mathematics, a line segment is a part of a line that is bounded by two end points. ... In mathematics, a line segment is a part of a line that is bounded by two end points. ...

Plot I, the midpoint of segment AE. Plot J, the midpoint of EB. Plot K, the midpoint of BF. Plot L, the midpoint of FC. Plot M, the midpoint of CG. Plot N, the midpoint of GD. Plot O, the midpoint of DH. Plot P, the midpoint of HA.

Draw line segment AI. Draw line segment IN but with leaving a gap in its middle. Draw line segment NG. Draw line segment GE but leaving a pair of gaps at 1/4 and 3/4 of the way between G and E. Draw line segment EJ. Draw line segment JM but leaving a gap in its middle. Draw line segment MC. Draw line segment CL. Draw line segment LO but leaving a pair of gaps at 1/4 and 3/4 of the way between L and O. Draw line segment OH. Draw line segment HF but leaving a gap in its middle. Draw line segment FK. Draw line segment KP but leaving a pair of gaps at 1/4 and 3/4 of the way between K and P. Draw line segment PA.

Erase points D and B, and the drawing is done.

Endless knots in other cultures

Endless knots come as mystic/mythological symbols have ded independently in various cultures. A well known example are the various celtic knots. The Flammarion Woodcut can be taken to illustrate the Gnostics mystical search for spiritual worlds by circumventing the constraints of materialism. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... A classic Celtic knot pattern A modern take on Celtic knotwork Celtic knots are a variety of (endless) knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, first known to have been used by the Celts. ...

See also

• Gordian knot

Alexander cuts the Gordian Knot, by Jean-Simon Berthélemy (1743–1811) The Gordian Knot is a legend associated with Alexander the Great. ...

External links

• The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism - A Study in Spiritual Evolution by Sri Nitin Kumar.
• The Endless Knot
• http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm#celtic Lots of links about and to celtic knots