buddha and the deer

Buddha has been the paragon of man’s coexistence with nature. It is surprising that you can catch the same coexistence in the heart of a technologically superior country, Japan. This is the country of contrasts, and the more advanced in technology Japan has become, the more firecly she is holding on to her past and her cultural relics.

Here is the first set of pictures from a recent trip to Nara and Kyoto. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan from AD 710 to 794. The Giant Buddha or the Daibutsu, world’s largest gilded bronze Buddha was built during the Nara period in AD 752.

Buddha, after enlightment, gave his first sermon at the Sarnath deer park near Varanasi (Benaras) in northern India and set in motion the Wheel of Dharma. The  deer park in its premises of the Giant Buddha evokes this experience in your mind. The deers there are friendly and have coexisted with the inhabitants for centuries. Legend holds that god Kasuga made his long journey to Nara on a deer. The deer which lives around the Nara park have been warmly protected as servants of gods. You get deer biscuits to feed them. Some foriegners mistake it for food and eat it themselves

the-great-buddha-nara * The Giant Buddha or the Daibutsu, world's largest gilded bronze Buddha built during the Nara period (8th cent). Nara was then the first permanent capital of Japan. The buddha have been heavily repaired over time and very little remains of the original work.The position of left hand of buddha (oh! cant be seen in this picture) expresses buddha's desire to put an end to all suffering. The right hand extends his welcome to those in the world who suffer. * 1024 x 766 * (281KB)

deer-park-nara-1 * the Deer Park @ Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan * 766 x 1024 * (397KB)deer-park-nara-2 * the Deer Park @ Nara * 766 x 1024 * (371KB)

daibutsuden-the-great-buddha-hall-nara * Then the largest wooden structure in the world, Daibutsu-den or the Great Buddha Hall was originally built in the Nara period (8th Cent). The hall was twice destroyed by fire and the present building was constructed at the beginning of the 18th century. Daibutsuden is in the Todaiji Temple premises. * 1024 x 766 * (313KB)deer-park-nara-4 * the Deer Park @ Nara * 1024 x 766 * (345KB)deer-park-nara-5 * the Deer Park @ Nara * 1024 x 766 * (341KB)

deer-park-nara-3 * the Deer Park @ Nara * 1024 x 766 * (186KB)

8 Responses

  1. rocksea says:

    hey Marlin! 🙂

  2. rocksea says:

    jina, think you are looking for previous years general studies papers? the papers were never provided here. you can get them here: http://www.csgsindia.com/

    there are some ncert books on this website though, which can be helpful for the general studies. cheers,,

  3. jina says:

    a lil help needed..SOS!!..hehe..i remember cin links from where I can download civils gen.studies paper from ur blog..cant find now..will u please send it for me..plzzz

  4. jaleel says:

    how come you have a lot of visitors to your blog?

  5. rocksea says:

    yes deerrrrr. remember once we talked about christianity? it seems the giant buddha and the upcoming of buddhism that time was to get a good hold on the political situation as well. the giant buddha had a role of showing off to the world too.

    about roots from india, know what.. almost all of the hindu gods from varuna (god of sea/water) to vayu (go of air) have been absorbed into the japanese religious lifestyle with new names and new forms.

  6. sarah says:

    Deer…err…I mean, dear, 😀 this is good history. It is a matter of pride for us indians that such a philosophical religion originated from India. The Japanese still holding to their religion and traditions in an overspeeding world is a very daring act and it is absolutely a lesson for the rest.

  7. Marlin says:

    lovely pics…. lively….

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