#english post

[bfspinelc-blog]

Honestly, these shots of King in his feral or enraged state/mode are the most underrated thing of all the chaos that was Watching And Dreaming...

Like, come on, he REALLY REALLY looked like a cutely angry puppy, being even SMALLER than Collie/Enzo...

[rooshi-qwq77]

// eng

My art of Nina from CreepyAsk!:33

I love she,,,

// rus

Мой рисунок Нины из Аска!

Я люблю её.

[a-carpediem]

You are my favorite dirty thought.

[un-suflet-anonim]

You can't break someone who is already broken. Do you understand that?!

@un-suflet-anonim

[vk21sj]

I don't thingk it's have you a life.

[madame-wolf]

-.(15-10-24).-

... Warriors...

✨🎶✨ • He doesn't have the profile of what they want him to do, to blame. I wish they would take a good look at what really happened there. The answer will surprise you. • ✨🎧✨

[trashcan-poetry]

[dertypohnenamen]

Letzte Nacht zwischen 03:00 Uhr und 03:30 Uhr saß in unserer großen Eiche im Hof, die sich mitten in der Stadt befindet, ein weiblicher Waldkauz und gab ein Gratiskonzert mit seinem Gesang.....

....die schönsten 30 Minuten meines Lebens.....

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Last Night between 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. a female Tawny Owl sat in our large Oak Tree in the Yard, which is located in the middle of Town, and gave a free Concert of her Singing.....

.....the most beautiful 30 Minutes of my Life.....

[conlacaritaempapada]

Even though I'm not in favour of Odazai shippers, I can work out the reasons why they are shipped. If we dig in their interactions, at least a glint of platonic love can be appreciated there so... It partly makes sense.

BUT I DON'T SHIP THEM!

[meg-megbanom-ezt]

So apparently, the mascot of the world athletics championship '23 in Budapest will be a racka sheep called YOUHUU (on the left) so I couldn't resist to make this meme.

(Although I must add: this is not even half bad as all the previous mascots (see this reddit thread), it's just that Pina-kun is too beautiful. And I definitely must add that I wish SO HARD this shit were Hungary's biggest problem. *sigh*)

PS: image sources.

[saiyukiitaliaandinternational]

Buddhist references in Saiyuki (part 1)

English translation of this post.

I love this scene a lot because of both how it was drawn (the style is very beautiful, linear, clean and detailed) and Hakkai's words. When Goku says "He looks like the real one", Hakkai replies with "Because he is the real one". Despite he is not always like a Sanzo, he is a real Sanzo due to his title and the sutra he brings on his shoulders. Here we can notice the "dual nature" of Minekura characters, in this case Genjo Sanzo, who usually does not behave like a "real" Sanzo (we know his defects well) but depending on the occasion (religious ceremony) he knows how to be one (thank god observant people don't see him when he is not in the limelight XD). Depending on the occasion we have to wear masks that do not always fit the situation.

What I like the most about Reload Blast (I actually like everything about it) are the Buddhist references that I have found in this image and will analyse here.

The first symbol that caught my interest was the Endless Knot ( srivatsa in Sanskrit , dpal be'u in Tibetan) or Eternal Knot. It is composed of closed lines intersecting at right angles and symbolizes the beginningless cycle of existence, the inextricable bond of wisdom and compassionate method of Buddha's enlightenment and infinite love and harmony. Originally it seems to have been connected to the Nagas (klu in Tibetan) serpentine beings, half human and half serpent, linked to the water element, protectors of treasures, Sutras (the Prajnaparamita Sutra was hidden by the Buddha in the Naga realm) and also many Teachings. Some of them are Dharmapala (protectors of the Dharma). This symbol is also linked to nandyavarta, a variant of swastika a primordial symbol of constant, endless flux. It is also one of Eight Auspicious Signs, why "auspicious sign"? Because it is the highest symbol of good omen if it is offered together with a gift or a writing and indicates the bond between the giver and the recipient, remembering that every positive and favorable effect for us in the future has its roots, its causes from our actions in the present. As mentioned, it represents the link between Wisdom and Method and these two, from a tantric perspective, are the feminine (Wisdom) and masculine (Method) energy. Since it has neither beginning nor end it also symbolizes the infinite wisdom and knowledge of the Buddha and the eternity of the Dharma through its ceaseless becoming and being in its manifesting for the benefit of all sentient beings. Here is a picture of it:

Author Dontpanic (DogCow in German Wikipedia)

Another thing that leapt out at me is the Mandala (dkyil khor in Tibetan) which more generally represents the palace, the energy field, the Enlightened environment, the Pure Land of the Yidam taken into account. The drawing of the image is very generic, but if I get a close-up of the center I think there might be a seed syllable which is linked to Yidam (1). Mandala represents the quintessence of all phenomenal perceptions, it is the support that allows the practitioner to access these perceptions and the center is none other than the mind of the Buddhas. The Mandala is therefore a skillful means of purifying and transmuting the darkened perception of ordinary beings into enlightened perception. We have three ways to look at the Mandala:

Mandala of the Base: it is the natural Mandala of the Vision, the purity of all phenomena, the intrinsic potential of all things ans beings.

Mandala of the Way: it is the means to integrate the practice with this Vision and is divided into two aspects. The graphic Mandala which represents the plane of reality and the Mandala of significance which concerns the experiences of the practitioner, which in turn concerns the outer Mandala of external perceptions, the inner Mandala of internal perceptions and the secret Mandala which reveal the mind of wisdom.

Mandala of the Fruit: it is achieved when one obtains Buddha's (both trikaya and five wisdoms) Enlightenment (the Fruit of the Way).

Depending on the context a Mandala can have multiple meanings, i.e. it can symbolize the Guru/Master surrounded by his/her/their disciples (2). The Mandala can be divided into "Divine residence Mandala" and "Resident divinity Mandala": it must be imagined as a building of light, square with four doors that rests on an enormous cross-shaped vajra. The four doors symbolize the "Four Noble Truths", the four equal sides of the base of the Mandala represent the Equanimity of the Buddhas towards creatures. The palace is surrounded by a barrier of vajras that prevent anyone and anything from penetrating, in turn this barrier is surrounded by flames, the flames of primordial wisdom. Externally or internally (depending on the type of Tantra, but here you can't see it well, because as mentioned it is a very generic Mandala) at this line of fire or rather circle of fire there are eight cemeteries inhabited by terrible and frightening beings (I wouldn't like to hazard a guess, I think they could be the Eight cemeteries of ancient India considered suitable for meditation but I could also be wrong). This symbolizes the understanding of Emptiness, which goes beyond the dualist division of impure/pure since in Tantrism (not only in Tibetan but also in Japanese, Kashmir and other forms of Tantrism) one is beyond the dualist dichotomy of things and everything is a manifestation of primordial purity. These three barriers (the cemeteries, the vajras and the fire) teach us a very important thing: to access the Yidam palace and tantric practice you must have the ability to abandon Samsara, to develop altruistic aspiration and understand Emptiness. The "Mandala of the deities who reside there" is made up of all the deities, the main one and his retinue. At the center of each mandala there is the main Yidam, which represents the primordial condition of existence, corresponding to the space element, the Mandala is therefore a sacred space charged with the energy of the Yidam and its retinue is capable of transforming the disciple, here I put the peaceful (3) Mahamayuri Mandala:

The other object that can be seen is the incense holder which is very important in altars and offerings as can also be seen well here in this page.

As functional as these objects and symbols may seem (and I know they are in part) to the graphic representation of the place, here elements with a profound meaning that must make us reflect have been inserted. I really appreciate that Minekura included them.

Notes:

(1) In Sanskrit, iṣṭadevatā, it is translated as "meditational deity", literally "cherished divinity", but I do not like this translation choice because it can lead to the erroneous idea that in Buddhism, especially in Vajrayana, there is a god worship kind of which is not true because in Buddhism practitioner focuses on Enlightened beings and takes refuge only in them. Gods are sentient beings residing on ārūpadhātu, rūpadhātu and kāmadhātu and are all subject to the merciless rules of karma and twelve nidānas. They are in the same boat as humans, asuras, animals, pretas and naraka beings. This is why I prefer the Tibetan term Yidam which means "effort of the mind". The word is said to be a contraction of ཡིད་ཀྱི་དམ་ཚིག (yid kyi dam tshig), which means to bind one’s mind ཡིད (yid)་ by promise་དམ་ཚིག (dam tshig). I know very little of Tibetan but it intrigues me as language because of deep and interesting implications it has from a doctrinal and academic level it gives to Buddhist terms and concepts.

(2) I do not rule out that in the manga page there might be a symbolic connection between Sanzo who recites the Sutra and disciples around him.

(3) "Peaceful" here means in opposition to wrathful Yidams which use violent means to destroy obstacles to Enlightenment. Peaceful Yidams on the other hand use subduing methods to deal with obstacles.

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Final thoughts: sorry if this description of Mandala and endless knot is not precise at describing in a more concise and spoon-fed way with types of mandalas, their meanings, symbolism etc. Information provided here are based on my personal experience with Buddhist practice, Buddhist forums, resources, books, academic texts (especially the ones made by Alexander Berzin) and experiences from other practitioners. Maybe in future I might talk in a more descriptive yet very detailed way. Here I wanted to focus more on core essence of these objects shown in the manga page. Hope you like it and have a nice day/evening.

[ross-xls-y]

That's my Twitter. I have drawn Scarameow to brighten the day

[a-carpediem]

"One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted. Do it now."

- Paulo Coelho

[tadicikarilmayankahveler]

My name is J-hope from BTS but you can call me Jay.

These days, it's my mood because i feel like everyone look at me like im so hopely but im in fucking darkness and i want to show it. I don't have a reason for that but just... want to show my darkness to me in the future. I feel like Jay, i want to see the world throught my eyes. Whatever...

[vk21sj]

You are the only person who can give yourself what you want!

[madame-wolf]

-.(29-07-24).-

✨🍇✨ • When you doubt yourself, remember that many people would like to be like you right now. 🫶🏻

Cuando dudes de ti, recuerda que a muchas personas les gustaría ser como tú ahora mismo. • ✨🍇✨