Symbolika śmierci w sztuce i rytuałach buddyzmu tybetańskiego

• Authors: Marek Kalmus

Title variants

EN

SYMBOLISM OF DEATH IN THE ARTS AND RITUALS OF TIBETAN BUDDISM

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The Tibetans since childhood are familiar with different expressions of death and its symbolism in sacred art, rituals and daily life. Many attributes and jewelry of the meditative gods, wrathful protectors, dakinis as well as tantric yogis are made of bones and sculls, which have a wide range of meanings. Some mandalas are protected by symbolic eight cemeteries. Several rituals (i.e. ‘cham) also show the meaning of death: presenting the victory and justice of the Lord of Death and his acolytes, offering the human body on the sky burials (dur khrod) or offering tantric practitioner’s flesh and blood to the hungry ghosts and spirits (gcod ritual). Multi -leveled, complicated symbolic meanings of death and funeral symbolism are important for Vajrayana teachings. They remind of the necessity of daily practice until death, which comes as the next bardo stage.

Keywords

EN

MANDALA; CHAM; VAJRAYANA

• Publisher: Księgarnia Akademicka
• Journal: Politeja : Pismo Wydziału Studiów Miedzynarodowych i Politycznych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
• Year: 2011
• Issue: 4(18)
• Pages: 155-180

Contributors

author

Marek Kalmus

• Instytut Bliskiego i Dalekiego Wschodu, Wydział Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznych UJ, 30-387 Cracow, ul. Gronostajowa 3, Poland