Question asked by Lia
I just went on a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya and have had a certain "feeling". After looking even after a picture of the Buddha at the Mahabodhi temple, I went there and had a very strong feeling that is hard to describe. Is that a sign of karma being cleansed or what exactly? Also, how did the image of the Buddha meditating with the top knot hair occur? I noticed other Buddhas like Maitreya, Amitabha, and so on had this hair style while sometimes having crowns instead. Is this top knot image what the Buddha actually look like or was it different like long wild hair with a starving body? The other Buddhas like Milarepa had a starving green body and long hair while others like Padmasambhava were fancy jewelry and robes with others like Lama Tsongkhapa in a monks robes with none of them having the top knot. As for the ages of deities in visualization, what does one do if one feels rather better off with a being around the same age as the person? I noticed Manjushri is to be 16 years old in visualization, but I don't feel comfortable with that especially the 8 year old White Manjushri. Would Yamantaka, Kalarupa, or Dorje Shugden appear at a certain age? I've noticed this with a lot of Buddhas and bodhisattvas without finding an old one.
Dear Lia,
Thank you for your very interesting questions. The strong feeling you had while at Bodhgaya, could be that you have a connection to practicing the Buddhadharma from previous lives. One of the benefits of going on pilgrimage to holy sites is that sometimes this can open up imprints from previous lives. Alternatively it could be that you were actually planting a strong imprint in your mindstream simply by looking at such a holy image. This may seem farfetched, but the scriptures clearly state that when you look upon the holy image of a Buddha, you plant imprints in your mind stream, to practice the Dharma and eventually attain Buddhahood in the future.
The top knot commonly portrayed on images of the Buddhas is not actually a top knot. Rather it is one the major marks of an enlightened being. It is a very small protrusion (bump) on the crown of their head, called an ‘ushnisha’ in Sanskrit. To portray this mark in paintings and statues, the tradition developed of portraying it as a top knot. However, in reality it is not, but an artistic portrayal of the ushnisha. When the enlightened deities are portrayed as a full Buddha, such as Shakyamuni, Amitabha, etc., they will have this crown protrusion. In the case of bodhisattvas they usually wear crowns, and in the case of the enlightened gurus, they wear their own head gear, such as Lama Tsongkhapa, who wears the yellow pandit’s hat characteristic of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
In regards to the age of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas during their visualisation, the reason why they are visualised as youthful, is because in ancient times, the age was considered the prime of a person’s life. In ancient times, a person’s life span was relatively shorter, compared to what it is today. These days we have abundant resources, food, nutrition and medical care. In ancient times, they did not, therefore their live span was shorter. They would have viewed this age as the prime age of a person’s life, when they would have had the energy of childhood and the wisdom of adulthood. The reason some deities appear youthful, is because they are showing you that enlightenment is the highest, in which you are neither bound by the ignorance of childhood, and the ailments of old age. They are showing us that the state of enlightenment is the best, free from all forms of suffering. Yamantaka and Kalarupa are not portrayed entirely as human, therefore their faces for instances would not appear youthful, but their bodies would be visualised as full of power and extremely strong, depending on the practice. Dorje Shugden in his wrathful form, would not have the same youthful appearance because his wrath would mask this. Yet, Dorje Shugden in his peaceful form would definitely be youthful.
That being said, there are some forms of the enlightened beings in which they do appear as being old. For example Palden Lhamo, Sengdongma and Ekajati are all portrayed as women who are not youthful, but older in age. Similarly, the Brahmarupa form of Four-Faced Mahakala is also portrayed as a very dark skinned man, and in certain portrayals has white hair, showing his old age. I hope this short explanation helps. Thank you.