Alissa Reeder
Contemplation and Action
January 26, 2015
Shiva and Buddah-Similar?
Shiva the Lord of the Dance and The Buddhist Wheel of Existence are both art
pieces that represent many things to different religions. While they are both art
pieces, they are extremely different in the ways they are made. The sizes are
different, they have different colors, and the overall structures of them are different,
though they both contain a giant circle that represents a cycle. The cycles that they
do represent differ much like the symbols that they contain and the meanings of
them. Shiva is of the Hindu culture and the Wheel of Existence represents Buddha.
The make and look of these two objects is vastly different. First of all, Shiva
is made of copper and stands at about 27 inches tall whereas the Buddhist Wheel of
Life is made of silk. It is an impressive nine and a half feet tall. The Shiva is one color
while the Wheel is made up of many different colors. One thing they have in
common about their look is that they both have a large circle that is the focal point
of them. In Shiva, the circle of fire stands for the cycling creation and destruction of
the Earth. In the wheel, the circle represents the Buddhist view of the universe.
With that being said, just because they both have circles, does not mean they
stand for the same things. In the Shiva, the cycle represents is the never-ending
cycle of time. It also represents the boundaries of the cosmos. For the wheel, the
circle shows the cycle of existence. It is split up into six section which explain the six
domains of the desire in which the Buddhists believe. The character represented on
this is the Yama, which is the Lord of Death. Yama is said to oversee the process of
rebirth and explains that nothing is permanent. Both of these characters stand for
the process of existence in which each religion believes. This is one similarity
between the religions. Another similarity is that they both believe in the idea of
reincarnation. Buddhism refers to this as Nirvana, whereas Hindi’s call this moksha.
Buddhists believe you can achieve enlightenment or Nirvana in one lifetime.
Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhism it means you have achieved rebirth. It is
represented on the Wheel by the picture of Buddha in one of the corners. Hindi’s
believe that it takes more than one lifetime to accomplish Moksha. Moksha is
represented in the Shiva sculpture by the left hand pointing towards the left foot
denoting salvation.
Though the purpose of both of these sculptures is to teach people about the
beliefs of each religion and some aspects are similar, many of the beliefs are vastly
different. The Hinduism teachings, which are reflected in the Shiva sculpture is all
about the journey of life. The different limbs all represent a different belief. The
arm that beats on a drum stands for the vibrating sound of creation. This is known
as damaru. Agni, the limb holding fire, represents destruction. The other limbs
represent a variety of things such as the things that lead humans astray and
protection. In the sculpture, under Shiva there is a dwarf that is being crushed
under one of the feet. This dwarf stands for ignorance in which Shiva is destroying.
This reflects the beliefs of Hinduism. One major difference between what Hindis and
Buddhist believe is that Hindi’s believe that things can be permanent, whereas the
Buddhists as reflected in Yama, who is on the wheel of existence, believe nothing is
permanent. The piece of art that represents Buddhism reflects many of the beliefs
of this culture. Buddhists are strong believers in morals. The entire religion is
based upon self-reflection. They believe in the power of meditation, and that it can
help you reach spiritual wellness. They believe in right and wrong and if dangers to
lead you into a bad path, with self reflection you can get out of it. These dangers are
referred to as the three roots of evil and are represented in the wheel as animals.
The three roots are greed, ignorance, and hatred. The animals used in the art piece
to symbolize these roots are linked together and shown attacking each other. The
actual wheel in the art piece represents the six different realms. These realms are
the different types of rebirths a person can enter. As previously stated, ideas that
concur in these religions are the ideas of rebirths. Moksha and Nirvana are both
represented in their appropriate art pieces. While they both believe in rebirth,
Buddhists believe more in self-reflection with their rebirth.
One major thing that sets these two religions apart is how they self reflect.
Hindi’s use the process of worship because they believe in Gods and spiritualism,
whereas Buddhism uses inner reflection such as in the six domains. They don’t
really worship a God so much as focus on the ideas of Buddha to lead their lives.
In conclusion, there are some similarities towards these religions, much like
the art pieces used to represent them. For example, their use of a eye catching
central figures, Shiva and Yama, to command attention. They are exponentially in
the way they are made and in the vast size difference. Although they both mean
something to their respective religions, they are extremely different in what they
stand for and what represents them. Even though these religions are so different, it
seems as though they are two of the most reflective and complex religions in the
world. They both have their own qualities that make them interesting and
complicated.