Color Symbolism
Bob
symbolic meaning in Buddhism. Where might
such information on color symbolism be found?
Thanks for any help.
Bob
cupcake
Bob wrote:
that is all *total* bullshit... --
beat it! SCRAM!
Ch'an Fu
Bob wrote:
on the label of your crayola box.
punnadhammo
There are various uses of colour symbolism in different schools of
Buddhism. I don't know of any particular relevance of red, green and
blue (except the OT one of being the additive primaries as in for
instance television)
Gileht
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Not on mine.
:-)
Gileht
Gileht
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Boy ... what a fall into realism ... you are not a party guy as I can see
...
Nick Argall
Never heard of such a thing.
Of course in Taoism, Red symbolises fire, Blue is for Water and Green
is for Wood.
But I've never heard of a religion applying significance to Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow and Black.
(Well, actually, Yellow and Black get covered around the place, but
I've never heard of the first two being given meanings.)
As for Hue, Saturation and Value, only Mac users have ever heard of
them.
Nick
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In Kalachakra:
" The colors represent the elements and mental types.
Black in the east is associated with the element of air and wind.
The south is red, representing the element of fire.
The west is yellow and associated with the element of earth.
The north is white, representing the element of water."
IN other mandalas the colors might change.
They might also represent the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and their
inseparability.
Or the inseparability of the body, speech and mind.
Or of the three realsm (desire, form and non form)
Or the father, the son, the holy spirit and their inseparability (the
mistery of the trinity)
etc. etc.
Gileht
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Color Symbolism In Buddhist Art
Article of the Month - February 2002
http://www.hindupaintings.com/article/colors
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symbolized by the five elements, five colors, animal deities, and the
seasons of the year. The five colors used to organize the Chinese universe
were yellow, red, black, white, and blue. Yellow (center) is associated with
the earth element and reserved for use by the emperor, the empress, and the
heir-apparent. Red (south) is associated with the fire element and used
during the rituals of marriage and birth. Black (north) is associated with
the water element. White (west) is associated with the metal element and is
the traditional color of mourning. Blue (east) is associated with the
element wood.
Five elements The Chinese universe was ordered in five directions
symbolized by the five elements, five colors, animal deities, and the
seasons of the year. The five elements are earth (yellow), fire (red), water
(black), metal (white), and wood (blue).
http://www.sdmart.org/dragonrobes/glossary.html
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and peace used throughout the world to represent the Buddhist faith.
The six colours of the flag represent the colours of the aura that emanated
from the body of the Buddha when He attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi
Tree. The horizontal stripes represent the races of the world living in
harmony and the vertical stripes represent eternal world peace. The colours
symbolize the perfection of Buddhahood and the Dharma.
The Blue light that radiated from the Buddha's hair symbolizes the spirit of
Universal Compassion for all beings. The Yellow light that radiated from the
Buddha's epidermis symbolizes the Middle Way which avoids all extremes and
brings balance and liberation. The Red light that radiated from the Buddha's
flesh symbolizes the blessings that the practice of the Buddha's Teaching
brings. The White light that radiated from the Buddha's bones and teeth
symbolizes the purity of the Buddha's Teaching and the liberation it brings.
The Orange light that radiated from the Buddha's palms, heels and lips
symbolizes the unshakable Wisdom of the Buddha's Teaching.
The Combination Colour symbolizes the universality of the Truth of the
Buddha's Teaching. Therefore, the overall flag represents that: Regardless
of race, nationality, division or colour, all sentient beings possess the
potential of Buddhahood.
http://www.vietnamnew.org/buddhism/english.htm
==================
The Buddhist Flag was invented in 1952 at the World's Second Buddhists'
Fellowship Conference which was held in Japan. The flag was invented to
symbolize the special features of Buddhism. Its six colours were taken from
the rays which radiated from the Holy Body of the Buddha immediately after
he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree at Buddhagaya in India. The
six colours are better interpreted as :
1. Blue: signifying the concept of loving kindness and peace in Buddhism
2.Yellow: signifying the Middle Path, that is, the complete absence of form
and emptiness
3. Red: signifying achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity.
4. White: signifying purity, emancipation, that the Dharma will always exist
regardless of time or space.
5. Orange: The essence of Buddhism which is full of wisdom, strength and
dignity.
6. The combination of these five colours symbolizes that it is the one and
only Truth.
The horizontal bars signify peace and harmony between all races through out
the world while the vertical bars represent eternal peace within the world.
In simple terms, the Buddhist Flag implies that there is no discrimination
of races, nationality, areas or skin colour; that every living being possess
the Buddha Nature and all have the potential to become a Buddha.
http://www.vietnamnew.org/buddhism/english.htm
===========================
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The Twenty-One Taras
Tara has 21 primary emanations which perform different activities such as
pacification, increase and so forth. The different colours of these 21 Taras
correspond to the 4 different types of enlightened activity, as explained by
Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche:
Tara is the female Buddha of Enlightened Activity (Tib: trinley), of which
there are 4 types: pacifying, increasing, overpowering and wrathful. Each of
these is represented by a different colour:
White represents the Enlightened activity of pacifying, for example
overcoming sickness, causes of untimely death and obstacles to success in
one's life or one's practice.
Yellow represents the Enlightened activity of increasing the positive
qualities conducive to a long life, peace, happiness and success in one's
Dharma practice.
Red represents the Enlightened activity of power, or overpowering external
forces that cannot be tamed through the first two activities, for example,
removing obstacles to sickness, untimely death, etc., and forcefully
accumulating conducive conditions for one's Dharma practice.
Black represents the Enlightened activity of wrath, which involves using
forceful methods for accomplishing activities for Enlightened purposes that
cannot be accomplished through other means.
Below is a list of the 21 Taras, their names in English and Tibetan, and
their colours:
1. The Swift Heroine (Nyur.ma.pa.mo) -- red.
2. Saraswati (Yang.chen.ma) -- white. This Tara is also known as "The Great
Pacifier" because she pacifies negative obscurations.
3. The Giver of Supreme Virtue (Sö.nam.chog.ter.ma) -- yellow (with a
slightly bluish hue). Also known as "Tara who Increases."
4. The All Victorious (Nam.gyal.ma) -- white. Also known as "Tara of Life
Force."
5. The Giver of Intelligence (Rig.je.ma) -- red/yellow. Also known as "Tara
who Resonates with HUM."
6. The Terrifier (Jig.je.ma) -- black with tinge of red. A.k.a. "Tara who is
Victorious over the Three Worlds."
7. The Invincible (Shen.gyi.mi.tub.ma) -- black. A.k.a. "Tara who Crushes
Others' Forces."
8. The Conqueror of Others (Shen.le.nam.par.gyal.ma) -- red/black. A.k.a.
"Tara the Pulverizer of the Maras."
9. The Saviour of the Scented Forest (Jig.ten.sum.la.gyal.ma) -- white.
A.k.a. "Tara who embodies the Three Jewels."
10. The Conqueror of the Three Worldly Realms (Jig.ten.sum.la.gyal.ma) --
red. A.k.a. "The Great Subduer."
11. The Giver of Wealth (Nor.ter.ma) -- red/yellow. A.k.a. "Tara who
Eliminates Poverty."
12. The Auspicious (Ta.shi.dön.je.ma) -- red/yellow. A.k.a. "Tara Who
Bestows Auspicious Conditions."
13. The Destroyer of Opposing Forces (Da.pung.som.ze.ma) -- red. A.k.a.
"Tara Who Blazes in Flames."
14. The Wrathful (To.nyer.chen) -- red/black. A.k.a. "Tara of Wrathful
Gaze."
15. The Very Peaceful (Rab.shi.ma) -- white. A.k.a. "The Great Pacifier."
16. The Blazing Light (Bar.wä.od.chen.ma) -- red. A.k.a. "Tara Who Saves by
Means of HUM."
17. The Subduer of Countless Harmful Forces (Pag.me.nön.ma) -- red/yellow.
A.k.a. "Tara Who Causes the Three Worlds to Tremble."
18. The Peahen (Ma.ja.ma) -- white. A.k.a. "Tara Who Eliminates Poisons."
19. The Invincible Queen (Mi.pam.gyal.ma) -- white. A.k.a. "Tara Who
Eliminates Conflicts and bad Dreams."
20. The Mountain-dwelling Mendicant (Ri.tö.ma) -- red/yellow. A.k.a. "Tara
Who Eliminates Diseases."
21. Rays of Light (Öd.zer.chen.ma) -- white. A.k.a. "Tara Who Accomplishes
All Enlightened Activities."
...
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If form is crucial to the mandala, so too is color. The quadrants of the
mandala-palace are typically divided into isosceles triangles of color,
including four of the following five: white, yellow, red, green and dark
blue. Each of these colors is associated with one of the five transcendental
Buddhas, further associated with the five delusions of human nature. These
delusions obscure our true nature, but through spiritual practice they can
be transformed into the wisdom of these five respective Buddhas.
Specifically:
White - Vairocana: The delusion of ignorance becomes the wisdom of reality.
Yellow - Ratnasambhava: The delusion of pride becomes the wisdom of
sameness.
Red - Amitabha: The delusion of attachment becomes the wisdom of
discernment.
Green - Amoghasiddhi: The delusion of jealousy becomes the wisdom of
accomplishment.
Blue - Akshobhya: The delusion of anger becomes the mirror like wisdom.
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/mandala
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http://kalachakranet.org/blissdeities.html
... Even the colors of each finger have a deeper meaning: the yellow color
of the outside of the thumbs refers to the element earth, the white index
finger refers to water, the red middle finger refers to fire, the black ring
finger to air and the green pinks to space. The colors of the inside of the
joints refer to the trinity of Mind (black), Speech (red) and Body (white).
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http://www.sulis.net/beltcolors.htm
The colors of the belts in taekwon-do represent a variety of things, on many
levels. They are not randomly selected. White, yellow, green, blue, red and
black -- the six colors of the taekwon-do belts.
...
Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of "geomancy" or placement and color.
It is interior design for the whole house -- right down to cardinal
orientation. According to Master Lin Yun, a scholar of Feng Shui, there are
six true (natural) colors. White, yellow, green, blue, red and black are
also the six holy colors that align with the six Buddhist "true syllables,
Om mani padme hum." According to Yun, "In sequence, these six colors
represent a holy figure -- a god or the Buddha, and are conceived of as
conjuring great increased spiritual power. Each color is linked to a sound
from the six Buddhist true syllables. ***The philosophical roots of the Six
True Colors return to the duality of emptiness and substance being opposite
ends of the same thing***. The sequence's initial color, white, represents a
beginning (yang). Black symbolizes the end (yin). When you add all of the
sequence's intervening colors, symbolizing all things in the universe, the
sum is black, which stands for everything in the universe."
...
----------------------
Holy shit ... that is deep !
Oups sorry Gileht
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http://www.mandalavillage.org/reading/opr_spir_mandala_colours.htm
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The five colors starting from the inside are white, yellow, red, blue and
black. For Shingon, these are the colors of the five elements as well as the
colors of the five main Buddhas. The colors of the pathway represent the
unity of the elements found within the mandala's center.
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y_tibetan.htm
kha ldog lnga: Blue, white, yellow, red, and green, the colors of the five
families and elements.
...
rigs lnga: The five divisions of the families of the mandala: Vajra, rdo
rje; ratna, rin chen, jewel padma; lotus; karma; and sangs rgyas, buddha.
They are associated respectively with sa.msaric and enlightened forms of
intellect and aggression; feeling, richness and territoriality; passion;
artistic sense, discrimination; energy of activity and accomplishment; and
spaciousness, the overall viewpoint, or neurotically just ignoring things.
There are extensive descriptions in VCTR's Cutting through Spiritual
Materialism and The Myth of Freedom. The five families are associated with
**the five colors**, kleshas, skandhas, elements, bhagavans and their
consorts, and wisdoms, qv. They are also associated with the seasons, time
of day etc.
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Ch'an Fu
Gileht wrote:
damn! you must have the new ones!
actually, the RGB mysteries are right
in front of him (unless he has a braille monitor)
discover4smiths
main energy channels. The right channel is white and is associated with the
male white drop which is of the nature of water and descends from the crown
of the head to the heart center. The left channel is red and is associated
with the red drop which is female and is of the nature of fire and rises to
the heart chakra. The central channel is blue.
Nancy
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"NoMatNoMnd" <nomat...@aol.com> a écrit dans le message de news:
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> i previously had a question on color symbolism which was not answered so
i'll
> take this opportuity to renew it.
>
> the systems of the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Tibetan Book of the Dead
are
> different.
>
> in the MVC Vairocana is white and Akshobhya is blue. in TBoD the Vairocana
is
> blue and Akshobhya is white.
>
> is anyone familiar with the origin of this difference? is there an Indian
> antecedent for the system in TBoD? it may have some bearing on
developments in
> use of imagery in East Asian Buddhism in which there is a similar
transposition
> in a five-fold symbolism.
>
> thanks for any help.
I think it (the five colors and their arrangement in a Mandala) is a Chinese
(or Taoist) concept.
"Elaborate correspondences are drawn in Chinese philosophy between sets of
five. There are the five notes of the musical scale, the five "xing2", the
five planets, the five colors, the five tastes (i.e., the tastes that are
distinguishable by the tongue, not the tastes that require olfactory nerve
participation, sweet, sour, salty, etc.), and so forth."
-- http://www.wfu.edu/~moran/planets_y_powers.html
" if you still remember the program when we spoke about the meaning of the
color red in China, you wouldn't have asked this question. We interviewed an
arts professor, and he told us that in ancient China yellow, blue, red,
white and black were seen as the five pure colors of the five directions.
... One more thing. The five colors also symbolize the five elements -
earth, wood, fire, metal and water. It's all to do with the theory used by
ancient Chinese philosophers to explain the origin of the world."
http://english.cri.com.cn/english/2002/Apr/56728.htm
"In Ancient China and Japan, the belief that all nature is made from the
combinations of the five elements (water, fire, earth, wood, and metal)
became an everyday concept. Symbolic relationships are worked out between
the five elements with five directions (north, south, center, east, west),
five planets, five colors (black, red, yellow, blue, white), the five notes
in the pentatonic scale, as well as everything else conceivable was
categorized into divisions of five. Cities were build by placing all the
houses and people in what would be its proper site according to its
relationship with the five directions. For example, because the north was
considered to be the gate to the other world, graveyards, outcastes, and
buddhist temples were placed there, while the south was considered the human
world, and the center where the palace was located was where the major
festivities took place."
-- http://www.ai.wakwak.com/~carmina/page/column_e.html
"According to traditional medical theory, the human body includes five main
of Oriental internal organs: heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, plus
six secondary viscera. Besides having a close connection with each other,
these organs are also considered closely related with the five senses
represented by the tongue, nose, ears, eyes, and mouth. Five juices: sweat,
urine, sputum, saliva, and tears; the five tastes: salty, bitter, hot, sour,
and sweet; the five colors: red, blue, black, white, and yellow; and five
types of weather: hot, cold, windy, dry, and humid, all play an important
role in the theory. In addition, the body is considered to undergo the
influence of five natural elements that surround it, metal, wood, water,
fire, and earth, plus the five directions of north, south, east, west, and
center."
-- http://www.militaryliving.com/vietnam2/vietnamch8.htm
Also: "There are five colors of Kryptonite, only one of which is potentially
fatal to Superman, which is it?" hoooooooo ....
Also "The Theory of the Five Elements
2.1 The Production of the Five Elements
2.2 Restraint of the Five Elements
2.3 Explanation of the Connections
2.4 The Five Colors
2.5 The Five Tastes
2.6 The Five Masters
2.7 The Five Openings
2.8 The Five Hidden Entities of the Organs
2.9 Parts of the Tongue
2.10 Parts of the Eyes
2.11 The Five Sounds
2.12 The Five Sick Pulses
2.13 The Five Dying Conditions"
-- http://www.paradigm-pubs.com/assets/pdf/TreDisAcuSo_T.pdf
etc
Gileht
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"NoMatNoMnd" <nomat...@aol.com> a écrit dans le message de news:
20020813164015...@mb-bk.aol.com...
> i previously had a question on color symbolism which was not answered so
i'll
> take this opportuity to renew it.
>
> the systems of the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Tibetan Book of the Dead
are
> different.
>
> in the MVC Vairocana is white and Akshobhya is blue. in TBoD the Vairocana
is
> blue and Akshobhya is white.
>
> is anyone familiar with the origin of this difference? is there an Indian
> antecedent for the system in TBoD? it may have some bearing on
developments in
> use of imagery in East Asian Buddhism in which there is a similar
transposition
> in a five-fold symbolism.
>
> thanks for any help.
See also:
http://www.friesian.com/elements.htm
"Water corresponds to sattva, the desire for knowledge and goodness,
associated with the color white and the Brahmin caste; fire corresponds to
rajas, the desire for action, associated with the color red and the
Ks.atriya caste; and earth corresponds to tamas, sloth, associated with the
color brown (or black) and the Vaishya (or Shudra) caste (or the
Untouchables). Eventually the theory of the gun.as is widely accepted in
orthodox philosophy, and the association or the correspondence to the theory
of the elements is lost. Later other elements are added. Fire itself comes
to be seen as emanating from air (vāyu), which is later seen to emanate from
"aether" (ākāsha).
...
In Buddhism, the fifth element could be interpreted differently from
Hinduism. The Sanskrit word , used for "aether," could also mean "sky" or
"clear space." This could be the equivalent of "emptiness" (shunyata) in
Buddhism, and the fifth element in Buddhism is consequently often given as
"space" or the "void." The five Buddhist elements were subsequently exported
with Buddhism itself to China and countries influenced by China, viz. Japan,
Korea, and Vietnam. The five Buddhist elements in the Far East thus should
not be confused with the original five elements of Chinese philosophy. The
colors associated with the Buddhist elements below are out of the Tibetan
Book of the Dead. Another version exists in which the white and blue are
reversed. These can actually be combined, as shown, with the "body" one
color but the "light" the other. I have also seen Māmakī and Locanā reversed
(and spelled differently, e.g. Rocanī), and Ākāshadhātu as Vajradhāteshvarī.
The system of five elements and classifying things by fives is already
evident in Classics like the Tao Te Ching and the Shu Ching (the Book of
History), both of uncertain date and authorship. Later such classifications
are expanded almost without limit (when Buddhism arrives from India with its
own five elements, it adds its own system of fives). The first individual
known to have written about the five elements was Tsou Yen, of the Ying-Yang
or "Cosmologist" School, who lived in the third century B.C. But even with
him, the original texts are lost, and all we know is what the Han historian
Ssu-ma Ch'ien (Sima Qian) says about him in the Shih Chi (Shiji, Historical
Records), the first great Chinese dynasty history."