Short Description Of God Goddess And Ritual Objects Of Buddhism And Hinduism

Buddhism introduced many Hindu Gods and Goddesses to the Japanese. The rulers were the first to be attracted to them. Historical records show that they earnestly believed in the miracles of these divinities promised in the sutras. Many miracle stories started appearing in popular literature as the divinities percolated down to the masses. The resulting naturalisation process in the case of some divinities went to the extent that they became an integral part of the native Shinto pantheon. Their popularity remains unabated even today. The Tantric Buddhist sects also played a vital role in propagating the divinities. They regularly worshipped the divinities in their temples where people thronged in large numbers. Many steps in these ceremonies, for instance, the homa ritual, are very familiar to the present-day Hindus. The monks have also produced a considerable volume of religious literature related to these divinities. Descriptions of many divinities show that they have not changed substantially over centuries. A study of these writings also shows that a large volume of Hindu myths and legends related to these deities were transmitted to Japan. These writings are also a testimony to the way the ancestors of the present-day Hindus thought about these deities, say, around the eighth or ninth century of the Christian era.

Predominantly on the Hindu and Buddhist gods of Southeast Asia.

Whenever there is degeneration of thought and increase in sin, I shall incarnate in different forms - Lord Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita the Supreme Being has no form to protect the righteous and the virtuous. He has emerged in the many forms of gods and goddesses to guide and teach humanity to lead an ideal life. No major religion in the world can claim to have as many gods and goddesses as Hinduism. At the same time, no other religion has as many forms of worship and places of pilgrimage as do the Hindus. the plurality of gods and goddesses are not evidence of different streams of thought, neither are they there to create confusion: they fulfil a definite purpose. Each god and goddess is assigned a special responsibility. In their own sphere of activity, they are benevolent. Gods and goddesses emerge and thrive upon positive values like patience, tolerance, love and forgiveness and lead one to a path of truth, honesty and integrity.