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Identifying Bodhisattvas and such

ThomasThomas
edited January 2010 in Buddhism Basics
Hi,
I'm still a bit new here, but had a general question. As I read I often stumble over paintings and statues of various Buddhist bodhisattvas and godlike figures and while some are labeled, I wondered if there is a good book or somewhere online that has some of these deities cataloged. I find pictorial images a good way to remember certain things and it's clear that many of these images have a deeper meaning (which would often be nice to know).

Any suggestions?

Comments

  • StephenStephen
    edited January 2010
    Well, Boddhisattva, or Bodhisatta, doesn't mean a deity - it means one who is on the path to becoming a Buddha. There are cultural Buddhas, but the only two that I have personal knowledge of are Siddhattha Gotama and Metteyya (Maitreya) Buddha who is said to be the future "perfect" Buddha, able to bring enlightenment to the masses as opposed to only a small number.

    Siddhattha Gotama is usually a thin, short-haired depiction shown as in meditation, sometimes with his right palm placed on the ground. Metteyya is shown with a huge stomach and that's the statue that in the common populace is believed to bring luck if you rub its stomach (come on now... lol).
  • shenpennangwashenpennangwa
    edited January 2010
    Thomas wrote: »
    Hi,
    I'm still a bit new here, but had a general question. As I read I often stumble over paintings and statues of various Buddhist bodhisattvas and godlike figures and while some are labeled, I wondered if there is a good book or somewhere online that has some of these deities cataloged. I find pictorial images a good way to remember certain things and it's clear that many of these images have a deeper meaning (which would often be nice to know).

    Any suggestions?

    If they are Tibetan paintings or statues you could post an image here and there is a descent chance that either myself or Palzang could ID them for you.
  • sukhitasukhita
    edited January 2010
    If you're just looking for the names and a short description, try this link:

    http://www.sacredimages-ami.com/buddhistartprints.html
  • ThomasThomas
    edited January 2010
    Aldrisang, thanks for the clarification. The sacredimages site will help me out a bit. A lot of what was puzzling me turned out to be 'wrathful deities' which now make more sense. If anyone else is curious, I found some interesting links on this subject:

    http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/deities.htm
    http://www.buddhart.com/article/wrathful/
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited January 2010
    Thomas, there are also some good books available. You can see a selection here.

    Palzang
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