swastika vs buddhist symbol

ancient Eurasian icon and later used as Nazi symbol

A swastika design made using Diyas inside a Hindu temple

Swastika on the medieval tower arche in Khimoy, Chechnya

Swastika on a Greek silver stater coin from Corinth, 6th century BCE

The swastika (/ˈswɒstɪkə/ SWOST-ik-ə, Sanskrit: [ˈsʋɐstikɐ]; 卐 or 卍) is a symbol that has been used in many cultures and religions of Eurasia, as well as a few in Africa and the … Wikipedia

Factsheet

Unicode character 卍
卐

Factsheet

Unicode character 卍
卐

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Swastika

Swastika - Wikipedia

1 week ago - The swastika symbol is common in esoteric tantric traditions of Buddhism, along with Hinduism, where it is found with chakra theories and other meditative aids. The clockwise symbol is more common, and contrasts with the counter-clockwise version common in the Tibetan Bon tradition and locally ...

Etymology and nomenclature Appearance Origin Historical uses Modern controversy Further reading

reddit.com › r/buddhism › displaying the swastika as a buddhist symbol?

r/Buddhism on Reddit: Displaying the swastika as a Buddhist symbol?

July 16, 2018 -

What are people’s thoughts on displaying the Buddhist swastika, given that it’s meaning has been grossly misappropriated by the Nazis? In Buddhism the swastika is homologous with the dharma wheel and also can symbolize eternal cycling, a theme found in the samsara doctrine. I have a poster of Amitabha Buddha with a swastika on his chest and a similar little statue I got at the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in northern CA. But I don’t want people to get the wrong idea either.

Top answer

1 of 9

I grew up with swastikas around me, here in Virginia. There's just a thriving Vietnamese community here, and our temple spaces have always been somewhat insular, so it's not a big deal. For a long time, I thought it was stupid that we had to "hide" the swastika from westerners. In today's political climate, where my office building was recently graffiti-tagged indoors (inside the elevator) with a Nazi swastika... it makes sense to me. I work for a FEDERAL contractor... the only people inside this building are either fellow employees, or federal agents, or else the contractors doing the elevator renovations right now, of whom I am sure the graffiti was meant to target. At least in this culture, while I don't think there is anything "wrong" with the symbol, I would keep it within the domain of our temples and private homes. Particularly when it's standalone. I think most people would recognize the swastika as Buddhist when it's very clearly emblazoned on the Buddha's chest.

2 of 9

Unless you are in a part of Asia with very little contact with Westerners I wouldn't use the swastika. Like it or not, "appropriated" or not, wrong or right, most people in the Americas & Europe will see the Swastika as a symbol of the Nazis. The symbol will stimulate a strong negative response in many people. Daily life is hard enough. I'm not one for pushing people's emotion buttons just to have an opportunity to make a point or "reclaim" a symbol. There are more positive ways to get attention.

Discussions

Settling the record right: Regarding the swastika

A symbol is easily hijacked and a statue defaced but the dharma is not. More on reddit.com

r/Buddhism

289

March 19, 2021

In Japan, a debate about swastikas takes on née urgency. - A proposal to limit the symbol’s public prominence ahead of the 2020 Olympics clashes against centuries of cultural history.

I don’t know if it’s appropriate for this sub, however the Buddhist use of the Swastika all over Asia is incredibly common, so I was wondering what people here thought about this. Personally I side with the author when she says: Logically speaking it’s not right for the West to appropriate the symbol, defile it, and then claim that the East can’t use it More on reddit.com

r/Buddhism

229

December 12, 2020

Should Buddhism reclaim the swastika?

Swastikas are still used in east Asia, there's no need to take it back. In India, swastikas are more of a Hindu symbol and Buddhists overwhelmingly use the dhamma wheel. So the real question here is, should we use it in the West? Nah, there's no need, its a tainted symbol which is not that important to Buddhism anyways since it already has many symbols. So, why bother? More on reddit.com

r/Buddhism

May 11, 2016

Would you take issue with a Buddha idol depicting the swastika?

Yes, it’s still a common and actively used symbol in Buddhism. In the East, that’s the symbol that demarcates a Buddhist temple on a map, quite often, and particularly for East Asians is heavily associated with Buddhism. It’s on display on the outsides of temples prominently.

Temples of the same tradition here in the West have stopped using it outside, cause they’d be subject to arson or, in one case at a Taiwanese temple in LA, a bombing, when they were. And as a show of respect to the Jewish people, now knowing what they endured under a similar symbol. But they’re still prominently on display inside the temple spaces, more or less out of public view.

I do not take objection to swastikas, since I grew up around them, and since I can visually tell the difference between the Nazi emblem and other kinds of swastikas used in religious traditions. They do not look the same to me.

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