BUDDHISM

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BUDDHISM

• FOUNDER, CASTE PROBLEM, GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSMENT,
  SACRED SCRIPTURES, VOCABULARY, BUDDHIST SCHOOLS,
  BASIC TEACHINGS, SYMBOLS, AND DEITIES

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FOUNDER

• Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was born
  in the sixth century BC in what is now modern
  Nepal. His father, Suddhodana, was the ruler of
  the Sakya people and Siddhartha grew up living
  the extravagant life of a young prince.
• According to custom, he married at the young age
  of sixteen to a girl named Yasodhara. His father
  had ordered that he live a life of total
  seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out
  into the world and was confronted with the
  reality of the inevitable suffering of life.
• The next day, at the age of twenty-nine, he left
  his kingdom and newborn son to lead an ascetic
  life and determine a way to relieve universal
  suffering.

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FOUNDER

• The birthplace of the Gautama Buddha, Lumbini, is
  the Mecca of every Buddhist, being one of the
  four holy places of Buddhism the sites of his
  birth, enlightenment, first discourse, and death.

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FOUNDER

• For six years, Siddhartha submitted himself to
  rigorous ascetic practices, studying and
  following different methods of meditation with
  various religious teachers. But he was never
  fully satisfied.
• One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice
  from a young girl and he accepted it. In that
  moment, he realized that physical austerities
  were not the means to achieve liberation.
• From then on, he encouraged people to follow a
  path of balance rather than extremism. He called
  this The Middle Way.

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FOUNDER

• That night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree,
  and meditated until dawn.
• He purified his mind of all defilements and
  attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five,
  thus earning the title Buddha, or "Enlightened
  One".
• For the remainder of his eighty years, the Buddha
  preached the Dharma in an effort to help other
  sentient beings reach enlightenment.

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FOUNDER

• One happy morning, while he was deeply absorbed
  in meditation, unaided and unguided by any
  supernatural power and solely relying on his
  efforts and wisdom, he eradicated all
  defilements, purified himself, and, realizing
  things as they truly are, attained Enlightenment
  (Buddhahood) at the age of 35.
• He was not born a Buddha (An Awakened or
  Enlightened One), but he became a Buddha by his
  own striving.
• As the perfect embodiment of all the virtues he
  preached, endowed with deep wisdom commensurate
  with his boundless compassion.
• He devoted the remainder of his precious life to
  serve humanity both by example and precept,
  dominated by no personal motive whatever.

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FOUNDER

• The Buddha was a human being. As a man he was
  born, as a man he lived, and as a man his life
  came to an end. Though a human being, he became
  an extraordinary man (acchariya manussa), but he
  never arrogated to himself divinity.
• The Buddha is neither an incarnation of the Hindu
  God Vishnu, as is believed by some, nor is he a
  savior who freely saves others by his personal
  salvation. The Buddha exhorts his disciples to
  depend on themselves for their deliverance, for
  both purity and defilement depend on oneself.

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FOUNDER

• Furthermore, the Buddha does not claim the
  monopoly of Buddhahood which, as a matter of
  fact, is not the prerogative of any specially
  graced person. He reached the highest possible
  state of perfection any person could aspire to,
  and without the close-fist of a teacher he
  revealed the only straight path that leads
  thereto.
• According to the Teaching of the Buddha anybody
  may aspire to that supreme state of perfection if
  he makes the necessary exertion. The Buddha does
  not condemn men by calling them wretched sinners,
  but, on the contrary, he gladdens them by saying
  that they are pure in heart at conception.

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FOUNDER

• One who aspires to become a Buddha is called a
  Bodhisatta, which, literally, means a
  wisdom-being.
• According to Buddhism, this Bodhisatta ideal is
  the most beautiful and the most refined course of
  life that has ever been presented to this
  ego-centric world, for what is nobler than a life
  of service and purity?

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CASTE PROBLEM

• Caste, which was a matter of vital importance to
  the brahmins of India, was one of utter
  indifference to the Buddha, who strongly
  condemned the debasing caste system.
• In his Order of Monks all castes unite as do the
  rivers in the sea. They lose their former names,
  castes, and clans, and become known as members of
  one community, the Sangha.
• The Buddha freely admitted into the Order people
  from all castes and classes when he knew that
  they were fit to live the holy life, and some of
  them later distinguished themselves in the Order.
  
• The Buddha was the only contemporary teacher who
  endeavored to blend in mutual tolerance and
  concord those who hitherto had been rent asunder
  by differences of caste and class.

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GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSMENT

• MAP AND STATISTICS

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COMPARATIVE MAP
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STATISTICS
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STATISTICS
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SACRED SCRIPTURES

• THE PALI CANON

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PALI CANON

• The Tripitaka Sanskrit Pali Tipitaka is the
  Canon of the Buddhists, both Theravada and
  Mahayana.
• Thus it is possible to speak of several Canons
  such as the Sthaviravada, Sarvastivada and
  Mahayana as well as in term of languages like
  Pali, Chinese and Tibetan.
• The word is used basically to refer to the
  literature, the authorship of which is directly
  or indirectly ascribed to the Buddha himself.

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PALI CANON

• The Pali Canon is the only set of scriptures
  preserved in the language of its composition. It
  is called the Tipitaka or "Three Baskets" because
  it includes the Vinaya Pitaka or "Basket of
  Discipline," the Sutta Pitaka or "Basket of
  Discourses," and the Abhidhamma Pitaka or "Basket
  of Higher Teachings".

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VINAYA PITAKA

• The Vinaya Pitaka which is regarded as the sheet
  anchor to the oldest historic celibate order
  the Sangha mainly deals with rules and
  regulations which the Buddha promulgated, as
  occasion arose, for the future discipline of the
  Order of monks (Bhikkhus) and nuns (Bhikkunis)

• The Vinaya Pitaka consists of the five following
  books
• (Vibhanga)
• Parajika Pali Major Offenses
• Pacittiya Pali Minor Offenses
• (Khandaka)
• Mahavagga Pali Greater Section
• Cullavagga Pali Shorter Section
• Parivara Pali Epitome of the Vinaya

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SUTTA PITAKA

• The Sutta Pitaka consists chiefly of discourses,
  delivered by the Buddha himself on various
  occasions.

• This Pitaka is divided into five Nikayas or
  collections
• Digha Nikaya (Collection of Long Discourses).
• Majjhima Nikaya (Collection of Middle-Length
  Discourses).
• Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of Kindred Sayings).
• Anguttara Nikaya (Collection of Discourses
  arranged in accordance with numbers).
• Khuddaka Nikaya (Smaller Collection).

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SUTA PITAKA

• The fifth is subdivided into fifteen books
• Khuddaka Patha (Shorter texts)
• Dhammapada (Way of Truth)
• Udana (Paeans of Joy)
• Iti Vuttaka ("Thus said" Discourses)
• Sutta Nipata (Collected Discourses)
• Vimana Vatthu (Stories of Celestial Mansions)
• Peta Vatthu (Stories of Petas)

• Theragatha (Psalms of the Brethren)
• Therigatha (Psalms of the Sisters)
• Jataka (Birth Stories)
• Niddesa (Expositions)
• Patisambhida Magga (Analytical Knowledge)
• Apadana (Lives of Arahats)
• Buddhavamsa (The History of the Buddha)
• Cariya Pitaka (Modes of Conduct)

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ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA

• The Abhidhamma Pitaka is the most important and
  the most interesting of the three, containing as
  it does the profound philosophy of the Buddha's
  Teaching in contrast to the illuminating and
  simpler discourses in the Sutta Pitaka.
• In the Sutta Pitaka is found the conventional
  teaching (vohara desana) while in the Abhidhamma
  Pitaka is found the ultimate teaching
  (paramattha-desana).

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ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA

• To the wise, Abhidhamma is an indispensable
  guide to the spiritually evolved, an
  intellectual treat and to research scholars,
  food for thought. Consciousness is defined.
• Thoughts are analyzed and classified chiefly from
  an ethical standpoint.
• Mental states are enumerated.
• The composition of each type of consciousness is
  set forth in detail.
• How thoughts arise, is minutely described.

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ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA

• The Abhidhamma investigates mind and matter, the
  two composite factors of the so-called being, to
  help the understanding of things as they truly
  are, and a philosophy has been developed on those
  lines.
• Based on that philosophy, an ethical system has
  been evolved, to realize the ultimate goal,
  Nibbana.

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ABHIDHAMMA PITAKA

• The Abhidhamma Pitaka consists of seven books
• Dhammasangani (Classification of Dhammas)
• Vibhanga (The book of Divisions)
• Katha-Vatthu (Points of Controversy)
• Puggala-Paññatti (Descriptions of Individuals)
• Dhatu-Katha (Discussion with reference to
  elements)
• Yamaka (The Book of Pairs)
• Patthana (The Book of Relations)

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VOCABULARY
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BUDDHIST SCHOOLS

• MAHAYANA, THERAVADA, TIBETAN AND ZEN

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MAHAYANA SCHOOL (200 BCE)

• The Mahayana is more of an umbrella body for a
  great variety of schools, from the Tantra school
  (the secret teaching of Yoga) well represented in
  Tibet and Nepal to the Pure Land sect, whose
  essential teaching is that salvation can be
  attained only through absolute trust in the
  saving power of Amitabha, longing to be reborn in
  his paradise through his grace, which are found
  in China, Korea and Japan.
• Ch'an and Zen Buddhism, of China and Japan, are
  meditation schools.

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MAHAYANA SCHOOL

• It is generally accepted, that what we know today
  as the Mahayana arose from the Mahasanghikas who
  took up the cause of their new sect with zeal and
  enthusiasm and soon grew in power and popularity.
  
• They adapted the existing monastic rules and thus
  revolutionized the Buddhist Order of Monks and
  made alterations in the arrangements and
  interpretation of the Sutra (Discourses) and the
  Vinaya (Rules) texts.
• And they rejected certain portions of the canon,
  which had been accepted in the First Council.

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MAHAYANA SCHOOL

• According to it, the Buddhas are lokottara
  (supramundane) and are connected only externally
  with the worldly life.
• This conception of the Buddha contributed much to
  the growth of the Mahayana philosophy.
• The ideal of the Mahayana school is that of the
  Bodhisattva, a person who delays his or her own
  enlightenment in order to compassionately assist
  all other beings and ultimately attains to the
  highest Bodhi.

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THERAVADA SCHOOL (100 BCE)

• The earliest available teachings of the Buddha
  are to be found in Pali literature and belongs to
  the school of the Theravadins, who may be called
  the most orthodox school of Buddhism.
• This school admits the human characteristics of
  the Buddha, and is characterized by a
  psychological understanding of human nature and
  emphasizes a meditative approach to the
  transformation of consciousness.
• The teaching of the Buddha according to this
  school is very plain. He asks us to 'abstain from
  all kinds of evil, to accumulate all that is good
  and to purify our mind'.
• These can be accomplished by The Three Trainings
  the development of ethical conduct, meditation
  and insight-wisdom.

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THERAVADA SCHOOL

• The philosophy of this school is that all worldly
  phenomena are subject to three characteristics -
  they are impermanent and transient
  unsatisfactory and that there is nothing in them
  which can be called one's own, nothing
  substantial, nothing permanent.
• All compounded things are made up of two elements
  - the non-material part and the material part.

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THERAVADA SCHOOL

• They are further described as consisting of
  nothing but five constituent groups, namely the
  material quality, and the four non-material
  qualities - sensations, perception, mental
  formatives and consciousness.
• When that perfected state of insight is reached,
  i.e. Nibanna, that person is a 'worthy person' an
  Arhat.
• The life of the Arhat is the ideal of the
  followers of this school, a life where all
  (future) birth is at an end, where the holy life
  is fully achieved, where all that has to be done
  has been done, and there is no more returning to
  the worldly life'.

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TIBETAN SCHOOL

• This is the kind of Buddhism predominant in the
  Himalayan nations of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and
  also Mongolia. It is known as Vajrayana because
  of the ritual use of the vajra, a symbol of
  imperishable diamond, of thunder and lightning.
  At the center of Tibetan Buddhism is the
  religious figure called the lama, Tibetan for
  "guru"," source of another of its names, Lamaism.

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TIBETAN SCHOOL

• His Holiness the 14th the Dalai Lama Tenzin
  Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader
  of the Tibetan people. He was born 6 July 1935 in
  a small village in northeastern Tibet to a
  peasant family.
• His Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in
  accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the
  reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai
  Lama, and thus an incarnation Avalokitesvara, the
  Buddha of Compassion.

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ZEN BUDDHISM

• Bodhidharma, an Indian monk who settled in China
  in the 6th century A.D., is the founder of Ch'an
  (Chinese Zen Buddhism). It is said when he first
  came to the Shaolin monastery in China, he
  practiced zazen (sitting meditation) facing a
  wall for several years.
• Zen is a mere word, symbol... an illusion.
• There is an old story of a man who sought
  enlightenment and traveled great distances to
  find a particular Zen master. Upon finding this
  Zen master, he kindly asked if he would "teach
  him the path to enlightenment."  The Zen master
  replied "I have nothing to teach."

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ZAZEN
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ZEN BUDDHISM

• Zen practice involves letting go of
  preconceptions, dualistic thinking, religious
  abstractions and any other false categories of
  thought.
• It is a way of simply seeing life without
  abstractions and preconceptions, and thus can
  enhance and clarify any religious faith.  
• There is no doctrine, no system of beliefs in
  Zen. Zen is spontaneity in living. A
  transformation of our consciousness. To transform
  the way we experience right now...   right here.
• Zen might be defined as waking up in the
  present.  It's an experience that defies
  abstractions, an awakening to just this, what is
  here, now, and seeing it as for the first time in
  every moment. 

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BASIC TEACHINGS

• THE DHAMMA, THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS, THE PATH TO
  NIBANNA (PALI) NIRVANA (SANSKRIT), KAMMA (PALI)
  KARMA (SANSKRIT)

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THE DHAMMA

• The non-aggressive, moral and philosophical
  system expounded by the Buddha, which demands no
  blind faith from its adherents, expounds no
  dogmatic creeds, encourages no superstitious
  rites and ceremonies, but advocates a golden mean
  that guides a disciple through pure living and
  pure thinking to the gain of supreme wisdom and
  deliverance from all evil, is called the Dhamma
  and is popularly known as Buddhism.

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THE DHAMMA

• The Dhamma he taught is not merely to be
  preserved in books, nor is it a subject to be
  studied from an historical or literary
  standpoint. On the contrary it is to be learnt
  and put into practice in the course of one's
  daily life, for without practice one cannot
  appreciate the truth.
• The Dhamma is to be studied, and more to be
  practiced, and above all to be realized
  immediate realization is its ultimate goal.
• As such the Dhamma is compared to a raft which is
  meant for the sole purpose of escaping from the
  ocean of birth and death (samsara).

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THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

• The foundations of Buddhism are the four Noble
  Truths namely, Suffering (the raison d'etre of
  Buddhism), its cause (i.e., Craving), its end
  (i.e., Nibbana, the Summum Bonum of Buddhism),
  and the Middle Way.
• The first three truths represent the philosophy
  of Buddhism the fourth represents the ethics of
  Buddhism, based on that philosophy.

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FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

• Buddhism rests on the pivot of sorrow. But it
  does not thereby follow that Buddhism is
  pessimistic.
• It is neither totally pessimistic nor totally
  optimistic, but, on the contrary, it teaches a
  truth that lies midway between them.
• One would be justified in calling the Buddha a
  pessimist if he had only enunciated the truth of
  suffering without suggesting a means to put an
  end to it.
• The Buddha perceived the universality of sorrow
  and did prescribe a panacea for this universal
  sickness of humanity.
• The highest conceivable happiness, according to
  the Buddha, is Nibbana, which is the total
  extinction of suffering.

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THE PATH TO NIBANNA

• It is by following the Noble Eightfold Path which
  consists of
• Right Understanding (samma-ditthi),
• Right Thoughts (samma-sankappa),
• Right Speech (samma-vaca),
• Right Actions (samma-kammanta),
• Right Livelihood (samma-ajiva),
• Right Effort (samma-vayama),
• Right Mindfulness (samma-sati), and
• Right Concentration (samma-samadhi).

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KAMMA

• There is nothing in this world that happens by
  blind chance or accident. To say that anything
  happens by chance, is no more true than that this
  book has come here of itself. Strictly speaking,
  nothing happens to man that he does not deserve
  for some reason or another.
• From a Buddhist standpoint, our present mental,
  intellectual, moral and temperamental differences
  are mainly due to our own actions and tendencies,
  both past the present.
• We reap what we have sown. What we sow we reap
  somewhere or some when.

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KAMMA

• Kamma is, therefore, only one of the five orders
  that prevail in the universe. It is a law in
  itself, but it does not thereby follow that there
  should be a law-giver.
• Ordinary laws of nature, like gravitation, need
  no law-giver. It operates in its own field
  without the intervention of an external
  independent ruling agency.
• A Buddhist who is fully convinced of the doctrine
  of kamma does not pray to another to be saved but
  confidently relies on himself for his
  purification because it teaches individual
  responsibility.

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KAMMA

• It is this doctrine of kamma that gives him
  consolation, hope, self reliance and moral
  courage.
• It is this belief in kamma "that validates his
  effort, kindles his enthusiasm," makes him ever
  kind, tolerant and considerate.
• It is also this firm belief in kamma that prompts
  him to refrain from evil, do good and be good
  without being frightened of any punishment or
  tempted by any reward.

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SYMBOLS

• TIBETAN PRAYER WHEEL, STUPA, MALAS (BEADS),
  DHARMA WHEEL (LAW), TIBETAN WHEEL OF LIFE

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TIBETAN PRAYER WHEEL

• This is an exclusively Tibetan Buddhist praying
  instrument which always bears the mystical word
  'OM MANI PADME HUM' Om the Jewel in the Lotus
  Hum numbering six syllables in the mantra of
  Avalokitesvara.

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STUPA

• Stupas are monuments for peace in the world.
• Through their perfect form, these structures
  express the clear nature of the mind -
  enlightenment.
• People who venerate them, who participate in
  their construction, or those who live near them,
  find them to be a source of peacefulness,
  happiness, and prosperity.
• The stupa represents the Mind of the Buddha.
  Furthermore, it signifies the community of
  practitioners, the sangha.

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STUPA

• "The Stupa is truly the image, or rather the
  epiphany, of the Buddha, of his Law that rules
  the universe, and is moreover a psycho-cosmogram.
  
• The form, suggested by the apparent aspect of the
  vault of the sky, implies in its turn the total
  presence and intangibility of the Buddha, who in
  this way is seen not as a human teacher but as
  the essence of the Universe."

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The Great Stupa at Sanchi, India
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MALAS (BEADS)

• Beads are mainly used to count mantras, which can
  be recited for four different purposes
• To appease,
• To increase,
• To overcome, or
• Tame by forceful means.

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DHARMA WHEEL

• The wheel symbolize the Wheel of Buddhist Law,
  the endless cycle of birth and rebirth.
• Modern versions of Dharma Wheels often have four
  spokes, symbolizing the Four Jinas or the four
  'moments' in the life of the Buddha or with
  eight spokes, or octagonal, symbolizing the Noble
  Eightfold Path.

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TIBETAN WHEEL OF LIFE

• An amazing collection of contrasting imagery,
  each aspect of this composition is packed with
  rich symbolism and direct, hard-hitting
  metaphors.
• Essentially a construction made up of four
  concentric circles, it is an attempt to convey
  spiritual insights behind our 'physical
  existence' in purely visual terms.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• Each of these animals represents a particular
  human failing or weakness, which stands as an
  obstacle to spiritual accomplishment.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• Next to the central circle is a concentric band
  divided along two halves. One is colored softly
  and radiantly, while the other is black.
• The darker portion shows individuals who have
  chosen the path of darkness and thus descend into
  gloomy depths.
• The glowing path, however, is the one taken by
  those following the righteous way, attaining
  spiritual ascension. Hence it shows mortals
  rising towards greater spiritual heights.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• Beyond this band is a wider area divided into six
  units, each depicting a different level of
  conditioned existence.
• These states of existence are termed conditioned
  because they are brought about as a result of our
  own actions or karma.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• The first such realm is the world of hell.
• Flames engulf the entire realm which is
  unbearably hot, though there are regions of ice
  also, which yield the painful experience of cold.
• The depiction of this hell is an objectification
  of hatred, rather a visual depiction of what may
  await us if we fill out hearts with hatred
  instead of compassionate understanding.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• Next to the realm of hell are groups of ungainly
  creatures huddled together.
• No matter what they possess, they always feel
  that there is something missing.
• Thus this realm is the personification of the
  mind in which craving predominates.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• In the realm of the animals, life is the life of
  the body. All endeavor is directed to the
  satisfaction of physical desires and the business
  of self-preservation.
• This depiction is a visual representation of the
  ignorant refusal to see beyond the needs of the
  body.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• The titans know only warfare. Not content with
  what they possess these giants rush upon the gods
  of the sensuous realm and try to grab from them
  their happiness and delight.
• The success of others leaves them with a feeling
  of inadequacy and belittled.
• Indeed it is said that man is not content with he
  does have but discontent with what others have.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• The human realm is the world of everyday
  experience.
• Human life, containing both pleasure and pain,
  makes us aware of both these aspects of life,
  striking a harmonious balance.
• Thus since human life gives us such rare
  opportunities for spiritual realization, Buddhism
  teaches that it is very precious indeed.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• It is significant to note here that the gods are
  shown partaking of similar sensuous experiences
  as the humans, albeit at a more rarified level.
• The import being that the gods are not so far
  removed from the human dimension and mortal
  humans too can attain godhood following the path
  of virtuous karma.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• These six realms constitute all possible states
  of existence in the universe and all beings cycle
  between these states, dependent on their karma,
  none of these states being permanent or
  everlasting.
• Thus, virtuous persons are said to be born in
  heaven virtuous beings dominated by negative
  emotions of jealousy are born in the realm of the
  titans persons dominated by attachment are born
  in the ghostly realms those afflicted with
  hatred and anger are born in hell and those
  dominated by dullness are born in the world of
  animals.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• The outermost concentric ring of the Wheel of
  Life is divided into twelve units, each depicting
  a phase of the peculiar cycle of cause and effect
  which keeps one trapped in the six realms of
  cyclic existence mentioned above.

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TIBETAN WHEEL

• The complete Wheel of Life is gripped tightly in
  the talons of the Lord of Death, whose horrific
  face, projecting fangs and the forehead wreathed
  in the macabre five-skull crown is visible above
  the diagram.
• We are all clutched in the fear of death. But
  death is not the end. According to Buddhist
  thought death is the beginning of a new
  existence.
• The process of death is evidenced everywhere in
  the natural rhythms of the earth, sea, and sky. A
  death occurs each night as the sun sets, each
  month as the moon wanes, each year as the earth
  shuts down for the winter, and each time the
  ocean waters recede with the tide. Thus the
  concept of death in nature is a promise of hope.
• With each death there is a resurrection. Nature
  has the capacity for renewal. The new, renewed
  state is of course dependent upon our previous
  karma.

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DEITIES

• MAITREYA, BODHISATTVAS OF COMPASSION, THE CHINESE
  PANTHEON, LOHANS

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MAITREYA THE FUTURE BUDDHA

• According to some Buddhist traditions, the period
  of the Buddhist Law is divided into three stages
  a first period of 500 years, of the turning the
  Wheel of the Law a second period of 1,000 years,
  of the deterioration of the Law, and a third
  period of 3,000 years (called Mappo in Japan)
  during which no one practises the Law.
• After this, Buddhism having disappeared, a new
  Buddha will appear who will again turn the Wheel
  of the Law.
• This future Buddha is still in the Tusita heaven,
  in the state of a Bodhisattva.
• Gautama Buddha himself will enthrone him as his
  successor.
• The name means 'benevolence' or 'friendship'. He
  is now living his last existence as a Bodhisattva.

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BODHISATTVAS OF COMPASSION

• The term Bodhisattva refers to someone on the
  path to Awakening.
• The Mahayana has conceived them as having
  renounced the ultimate state out of pure
  compassion towards all beings, and can therefore
  refer to anyone en route.
• In non-Mahayana Buddhism, it usually refers
  either to Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, or
  to the historical Buddha Gautama prior to his
  enlightenment either during the life in which
  he became enlightened or in one of the
  innumerable lives before that in which he was
  developing the requisite virtues for
  enlightenment, such as generosity.
• The stories of these lives are called the
  Jatakas, or 'birth stories', and they are a very
  frequent subject of Buddhist art.

76
CHINESE PANTHEON

• Amitabha the Buddha of Boundless Light.
• Yao Shih Fwo, Bhaisajyaguru the Medicine Buddha.
  

• Kuan Ti - Protector of the Buddhist religion

77
THE LOHANS PLACE IN BUDDHISM

• Lohans are well-known for their great wisdom,
  courage and supernatural power.
• Due to their abilities to ward off the evil,
  Lohans have became guardian angels of the
  Buddhist temple and there in the main hall
  standing guard are the ever-present,
  indomitable-looking 18 Lohan figures, sometimes
  accompanied by 500 or more lesser Lohans.