When I
think of Buddhism the first two images that enter my mind are those of fishponds
and dragons. In about ninety percent of Japanese or Chinese art, structures, or
films have some representation of dragons or fish. When we watched Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring on
our first day of class this summer, I noticed the fishpond and dragon statues immediately!
I started to wonder if those animals have a significant meaning in the Buddhist
faith and I figured it would make for a pretty interesting first blog post. After
a few hours of research I found some very interesting information.
In
Buddhism, fish are known to symbolize happiness because they have absolute
freedom in the water without having to fear the possibility of drowning. They
are also a symbol of fertility and family because fish tend to reproduce very
rapidly. In my research I found many versions of the legend of the Golden Fish,
which is one of the eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism. Originally the two
fish represented the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India. These two sacred rivers
are commonly associated with the solar and lunar channels that carry the
rhythms of prana, which means ‘life-sustaining force’ in Pali.
In the
Buddhism found in Japan, Koi fish represent good luck and good fortune. Koi
ponds can be found in almost every Buddhist temple around the globe. In
addition to being good luck, Koi fish also symbolize courage and power. The
fish always swim upstream despite the strong current. Their ability to swim
upwards shows immense power and determination because nothing can stop them
from completing their mission, which is why it is a main symbol in Japanese
culture.
The second
animal symbol that I found interesting was the dragon. It is most commonly
found in Tibetan Buddhism and it symbolizes great creative power. According to the
legend, dragons are shape shifters that are able to transform at their will.
They are most commonly found in two colors, either brown or green. The brown
dragon of Buddhism represents the autumn equinox; that is when it dives into a
deep dark pull and encases itself until the next spring. The Azure, or green
dragon, is said to soar into the sky at the time of the spring equinox. It
represents the light’s rising power during the spring as well as the easterly
direction of the sunrise. The Dragon is known to have either jewels or pears
clutched in its claws, which symbolize both health and wisdom. It is said that
by squeezing the jewels the dragon has the ability to control the weather. It
can create dew, rain or even torrential downpours depending on how tightly it
squeezes the jewels. It is also found that the dragon is the medium of the
Vairochana, which is the white Buddha of the east or center. I have added an
image of dragon that can be found all over Tibet.
I agree that they are common and beautiful symbols. Thank you for looking into their symbolism.
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