Here is the image from the British Library site. (I hope this usage isn't a copyright violation...)
This is a beautiful image, all the more so because of its incredible age. But what I was most struck by is the swastika on the chest of the Buddha figure in the middle of the image. Take a closer look. Isn't that amazing? So incongruous to modern, Western eyes. It is for me anyway.
I've already discussed my fascination with the varied interpretations of symbols throughout time and place, for example here. Today, I would mainly like to share a few relevant photos from my trip.
Towards the end of my time in Hetauda, Nepal where my friend Tiffany is living and volunteering, the powers that be started to pave Bhairab Road near her apartment. Here is the roller. Note the swastikas.
Walking down the street in Hetauda, Tiffany and I noticed these bricks.
So here's the thing about the swastika in Nepal. Yes, I admit that I am particularly fascinated by it, but it really was fairly ubiquitous. I'm not making this up.
What does it mean to Nepalis? Why is it so common? It seems to be an auspicious symbol thought to bring good luck. Here is a short description of the meaning of the swastika in Hinduism.
Before going to Nepal I had no idea that it represented anything other than racism and intolerance. I suppose perhaps I knew that it was also used by certain Native American tribes, but I had no idea that it had been used for thousands of years throughout Europe and Asia.
I was somewhat surprised--and disappointed--to see it again in a bathroom in a small town in Switzerland, where of course it had an entirely different meaning from the one I had just learned about in Nepal.
I was also unpleasantly surprised to see it in the otherwise beautiful, blue town of Chefchaouen, Morocco where no doubt it was once again meant to symbolize intolerance.
Isn't that wild? It blows me away that the same symbol can hold such vastly different meanings to different peoples. The world is big. And complex. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
4 comments:
Hey Brian! Fun to see that you are still blogging. I love it! By the way, I think that the Nazi's inverted the direction of the Buddhist swastika. So, if you look closely (or if someone is recreating the symbol correctly), the Buddhist swastika and the Nazi swastika are different.
What I was really going to say, however, is: where are your mountain pictures and stories on this here blog???!!!? :-)
Love, T.
Glad you're digging it, Tiff. ;-)
It's true that I have a bunch of mountain pictures to share. The short story is: They're coming soon.
The longer version is: My plan is to write a couple of posts with a few photos and link to the rest of the photos on my Picasa Web Album. But before I put them on my web album I want to do some editing. And before I do the editing I need to get them all into my desktop version of Picasa on my computer. And before I do that I need to get my computer up and running again. Bistari, bistari I am getting there. Probably within another week or so. ;-)
I do have a number of other things to share on my blog. I'm still digging it!
Say hi to Hetauda for me.
love, b.
I appreciate your reflections on symbols, swastikas in particular. And I appreciate Tiffany's comment. It seems that there are countless examples - certainly in religious teachings in America and throuhout the world - where something blessed and sacred is perverted and distorted to take on a deeply dark meaning. So many reflections of what we humans struggle with within ourselves and how that gets projected outward... Thanks, Brian. I continue to LOVE your blog... Mom
Glad you continue to enjoy the blog. ;-)
Yes, good point that there are many examples where religious symbols have been used as means towards dubious ends. I suppose the first example that comes to mind in America, in particular, is the burning cross used by white supremacists.
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