BhutanBike & Culture

:: HINDUISM
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest major religions that is still practiced. The earliest evidence for elements of Hinduism date back to the late Neolithic in the early Harappan period (5500 – 2600 BC). A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions with no single founder. It is the world's third largest religion following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal
Gautama Buddha is mentioned as an Avatar of Vishnu in the Puranic texts of Hinduism

:: BUDDHISM
Buddhism is one of the world's major religions, with between 230 to 500 million followers, most of them living in Asia. Buddhism is divided into two main branches, Mahayana and Theravada.
Founder of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism is Padmasambhava also known as Guru Rinpoche

:: BUDDHA
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and the founder of Buddhism. He is generally recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) of our age.
Gautama, also known as Śākyamuni or Shakyamuni, is the key figure in Buddhism

:: SCHOOLS OF BUDDHISM
Vajrayāna Buddhism, also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayana, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Esoteric Buddhism, Diamond Vehicle
Usually understood as including the Buddhism of Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and parts of China, India and Russia, which follow the Tibetan tradition

:: DHARMA
The Dharma is one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism of which practitioners of Buddhism seek refuge in. The three jewels of Buddhism are the Buddha (mind's perfection of enlightenment), the Dharma (teachings and methods), and the Sangha (awakened beings who provide guidance and support)
For practicing Buddhists, the Dharma generally means the teachings of the Buddha

:: SAMSARA
According to the BHUDDA, the beginning point of Samsāra is not evident. It is just like finding the beginning point of a circle. All beings have been suffering in SAMSARA for an unimaginable period, and they continue to do so until attaining of nirvana
SAMSARA is the term for continuous movement, the concept of a cycle of birth and consequent decay and death, in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment

:: 6 LOWER REALMS
The six lower realms, are the six categories of rebirths within the system of traditional Buddhist cosmology. These six realms include all the possibilities, advantageous and less advantageous, of lives in SAMSARA
This six-fold system is most commonly seen in Tibetan Mahāyāna Buddhism

:: 10 SPIRITUAL REALMS
The ten spiritual realms are part of Buddhist cosmology and consist of four higher realms and six lower realms.
The four higher worlds are characterized by the belief that humans need to make an effort to reveal themselves from within their lives - Learning, Realization, Bodhisattvahood, Buddhahood

:: WHEEL OF LIFE
The wheel of life will be found at the entrance of Buddhist monasteries
The areas between the six spokes represent the six forms of unenlightened existence. In the middle of the wheel there are three animals ... [more]

:: AUSPICIOUS SYMBOLS
eight
that are the Conch, Knot, Fisch, Banner, Lotus, Parasol, Urn and Wheel ... [more]

:: 4 GUARDIAN KINGS
In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world
North (victory banner), East (pipa), South (sword), West (stupa) ... [more]

:: PRAYER FLAGS
Blue (sky/space), White (air/wind), Red (fire), Green (water), yellow (earth)
The best times to put up new prayer flags are in the mornings on sunny, windy days

:: 4 HARMONIOUS FRIENDS
The Four Harmonious Friends which can be seen in Most Bhutanese Houses, Monastery, Lhakhangs, Dzongs, Office in the form of Painting or in Thanka
elephant, monkey, rabbit and bird ... [more]