 Queen Māyā's white elephant dream, and the conception of the Buddha. Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE. Queen Māyā was the birth mother of the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha of the Gautama gotra, and sister of Mahapajapati Gotami the first woman ordained by the Buddha. "Māyā" means "illusion" or "enchantment" in Sanskrit and Pāli. Māyā is also called Mahāmāyā ("great Māyā") or Māyādevī ("Queen, literally 'goddess,' Māyā"). In Tibetan she is called Gyutrulma. Queen Mayadevi was born in Devadaha kingdom of ancient Nepal. Download high resolution version (1120x840, 156 KB)The dream of Maya, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ...
Download high resolution version (1120x840, 156 KB)The dream of Maya, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ...
GandhÄra (Sanskrit: गनà¥à¤§à¤¾à¤°, Persian; Gandara, Waihind) (Urdu: گندھارا) is the name of an ancient Indian Mahajanapada, currently in northern Pakistan (the North-West Frontier Province and parts of northern Punjab and Kashmir) and eastern Afghanistan. ...
Media:Example. ...
Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...
Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...
A gotra is the lineage or clan assigned to a Hindu at birth. ...
Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ...
The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...
PÄli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ...
The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ...
Devadaha was a township of the SÄkiyans. ...
Marriage and childbirth Māyā married king Śuddhodana (Pāli: Suddhodana), the ruler of the Śākya clan of Kapilvastu. She was the daughter of King Śuddhodhana's uncle and therefore his cousin; her father was king of Devadaha. King Suddhodana (Sanskrit: Åšuddhodana) was the father of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. ...
ÅšÄkya (Sanskrit) or Sakya (PÄli) is the name (derived from Sanskrit Å›akya, capable, able) of an Indo-Aryan-speaking nation or janapada of the (the so-called warrior caste). The ÅšÄkyas formed independent tribes or kingdoms near the foothills of the HimÄlayas. ...
Kapilvastu, formerly Taulihawa (or, Kapilbastu Kapilvastu District), aprox. ...
Devadaha was a township of the SÄkiyans. ...
The birth of the Buddha-to-be
The birth of Siddhārtha, Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE. Queen Māyā and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Māyā dreamt of a white elephant entering her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva, in the Tuṣita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. Māyā gave birth to Siddharta c. 563 BCE. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park, Lumbini Zone. She was delighted by the park and she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time Prince Siddhārtha emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. She gave him his first bath in the Puskarini pond in Lumbini Zone. Siddhārtha means "He who has accomplished his goals" or "The accomplished goal". Download high resolution version (895x653, 368 KB)The birth of Siddharta, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ...
Download high resolution version (895x653, 368 KB)The birth of Siddharta, Gandhara, 2-3rd century. ...
Lands Bhutan • China • Korea Japan • Tibet • Vietnam Taiwan • Mongolia Doctrine Bodhisattva • Bodhicitta Karuna • Prajna Sunyata • Buddha Nature Trikaya • Eternal Buddha Scriptures Prajnaparamita Sutra Avatamsaka Sutra Lotus Sutra Nirvana Sutra Vimalakīrti Sutra Lankavatara Sutra History 4th Buddhist Council Silk Road • Nagarjuna Asanga • Vasubandhu Bodhidharma A statue of a Bodhisattva, Akasagarbha. ...
Tuá¹£ita (Sanskrit) or Tusita (PÄli) is one of the six deva-worlds of the KÄmadhÄtu, located between the YÄma heaven and the NirmÄṇarati heaven. ...
Japanese Palanquin Indian Palanquin A palanquin aka palkhi is a covered sedan chair (or litter) carried on four poles. ...
Lumbini (Sanskrit for the lovely) is a Buddhist pilgrimage site located in Rupandehi District, Lumbini Zone of Nepal near the Indian border. ...
Lumbini Zone is one of the 14 zones of Nepal and is home to Lumbini site, the birth place of Gautama Buddha. ...
Lumbini Zone is one of the 14 zones of Nepal and is home to Lumbini site, the birth place of Gautama Buddha. ...
Queen Māyā died seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Tuṣita Heaven. Her sister Prajāpatī (Pāli: Pajāpatī or Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī) became the child's foster mother. Tuá¹£ita (Sanskrit) or Tusita (PÄli) is one of the six deva-worlds of the KÄmadhÄtu, located between the YÄma heaven and the NirmÄṇarati heaven. ...
Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ...
After Prince Siddhartha had gained perfection and became the Buddha, he visited his mother in heaven for three months to pay respects and to teach the Dharma. Dharma (Sanskrit: धरà¥à¤®) or Dhamma (PÄli: धमà¥à¤®) in Buddhism has two primary meanings: the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment the constituent factors of the experienced world In East Asia, the character for Dharma is 法, pronounced fÇŽ in Mandarin and hÅ in Japanese. ...
Religious parallels - See also: Syncretism and Christianized myths and imagery
Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpretation of the prophetic dream Queen Māyā is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Śuddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhārtha's conception. Nonetheless, this interpretation has led to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The historicity of several saints has often been treated skeptically by most academics, either because there is a paucity of historical evidence for them, or due to striking resemblances that they have to pre-Christian deities. ...
This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...
The story of the birth of the Buddha was known in the West, and possibly influenced the story of the birth of Jesus. Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Also a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth. “Saint Jerome†redirects here. ...
Other interesting parallels in the birth stories include:
- The similarity in the sounds of the names of Mary and Maya.
- Both women conceived during a remarkable vision.
- Both women gave birth "outside" of a home.
- Heavenly wonders appeared in the sky.
- Angels announced the newborn as "savior" of the world.
- Sages came to visit the newborn and make prophecies of auspicious careers.
False etymologies - The name Māyā is completely unrelated to Maria (Mary), which is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam.
- Also unrelated is the Greek goddess Maia, the mother of Hermes, whose name means "mother" in Greek. The fact that the planet Mercury is called Budha in Sanskrit is a coincidence; budha means "intelligent", and reflects the traditional association of gods of learning such as Mercury, Hermes, and Nabu with the planet Mercury. Budha is a different word from Buddha in Sanskrit and is spelt differently.
According to the New Testament, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic ×ž×¨×™× MaryÄm Bitter; Arabic مريم (Maryam); Septuagint Greek ΜαÏιαμ, Mariam, ΜαÏια, Maria; Geez: ማሪያáˆ, MÄryÄm; Syriac: Mart, Maryam, Madonna), was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, who at the time of his conception was the betrothed wife of Saint Joseph (cf. ...
Miriam (Hebrew: , Standard Tiberian ; meaning either wished for child, bitter or rebellious, but it might be derived originally from an Egyptian name, myr beloved or mr love[1]) was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed. ...
Maia, in Greek mythology, is the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. ...
Hermes Fastening his Sandal, Roman marble copy of a Lysippan bronze (Louvre Museum) Hermes (Greek, , IPA: ), in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures...
This article is about the planet. ...
A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ...
Hermes Fastening his Sandal, Roman marble copy of a Lysippan bronze (Louvre Museum) Hermes (Greek, , IPA: ), in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures...
It has been suggested that Nebo (god) be merged into this article or section. ...
Media:Example. ...
See also Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...
The History of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. ...
Mahapajapati Gotami (in Pali; Mahaprajapati Gautami in Sanskrit) was the first woman to request ordination from the Buddha and to join the Sangha. ...
External links - The Life of Buddha and the Art of Narration in Buddhist Thangka Paintings
|
Feeds |
Contact