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Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as Prime Minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of the Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.
The Chinese god Erlang Shen, or sometimes Yang Jian, has various differing origin stories. In some, he is a deified folk hero who helped regulate China's torrential floods, in others he is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. Whatever his origin, Erlang Shen is known as the greatest warrior god of heaven, equpped with a third truth-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead, and is titled 'Divine Immortal of Purity and Decency'.<br/><br/> Erlang makes various appearances in Chinese folk mythology and writing, from 'Journey to the West' to 'Fengshen Yanyi'. In the former, he is titled 'Illustrious Sage' and is sent by his uncle, the Jade Emperor, to subdue Sun Wukong for causing havoc in heaven, eventually defeating the trickster monkey through teamwork with several other gods.<br/><br/> In 'Fengshen Yanyi', he is first seen fighting demons known as the Diablo Brothers alongside noble and sage Jiang Ziya. He later fights on the side of the Zhou army against the Shang army, helping to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. Erlang is almost always portrayed as a noble and righteous warrior god, exceptionally powerful and capable of 72 Transformations, and is worshipped as a filial deity for rescuing his deceased mother from torture in the Chinese underworld.
Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as prime minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.
Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as prime minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dewa chhenbi Phodrang ('the palace of great happiness or bliss') was built in 1637 - 1638 by the 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche and founder of the Bhutanese state, Ngawang Namgyal (1594 - 1651). It is the second largest and second oldest dzong (fortress) in Bhutan, located at the confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers in the Punakha-Wangdue valley.<br/><br/> Punakha Dzong is the administrative centre of Punakha District, and once acted as the administrative centre and the seat of Bhutan's government until 1855, when the capital was moved to Thimphu, though it still acts as the winter capital for the head of the Bhutanese clergy. It houses sacred relics from the southern Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
Buddhism in the Maldives was the predominant religion at least until the 12th century CE. It is not clear how Buddhism was introduced into the islands although there are a number of competing theories. The predominant view is that it was introduced with the expansion of the Sinhalese people from neighboring Sri Lanka who are primarily Buddhist.<br/><br/> In February 2012, a group of Islamic extremists forced their way into the National Museum in Male and attacked the museum's collection of pre-Islamic sculptures, destroying or severely damaging nearly the entire collection about thirty Hindu and Buddhist sculptures dating from the 6th to 12th centuries.<br/><br/> Museum staff indicated that as the sculptures were made from very brittle coral or limestone it would be impossible to repair most of them, and only two or three pieces were in a repairable condition.
Yashima Gakutei was a Japanese artist and poet who was a pupil of both Totoya Hokkei and Hokusai. Gakutei is best known for his <i>kyoka</i> poetry and <i>surimono</i> woodblock works.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
Lu Yu (Chinese: 陆羽; pinyin: Lù Yǔ, 733–804) is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture.<br/><br/> He is best known for his monumental book 'The Classic of Tea' (Chinese: 茶经; pinyin: chájīng), the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea.
Lu Yu (Chinese: 陆羽; pinyin: Lù Yǔ, 733–804) is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture.<br/><br/> He is best known for his monumental book 'The Classic of Tea' (Chinese: 茶经; pinyin: chájīng), the first definitive work on cultivating, making and drinking tea.
The Tacuinum (sometimes Taccuinum) Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on health and wellbeing, based on the Taqwim al‑sihha تقويم الصحة ('Maintenance of Health'), an eleventh-century Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân was a Christian physician born in Baghdad and who died in 1068. He sets forth the six elements necessary to maintain daily health: food and drink, air and the environment, activity and rest, sleep and wakefulness, secretions and excretions of humours, changes or states of mind (happiness, anger, shame, etc). According to Ibn Butlân, illnesses are the result of changes in the balance of some of these elements, therefore he recommended a life in harmony with nature in order to maintain or recover one’s health.<br/><br/> Ibn Butlân also teaches us to enjoy each season of the year, the consequences of each type of climate, wind and snow. He points out the importance of spiritual wellbeing and mentions, for example, the benefits of listening to music, dancing or having a pleasant conversation.<br/><br/> Aimed at a cultured lay audience, the text exists in several variant Latin versions, the manuscripts of which are characteristically profusely illustrated. The short paragraphs of the treatise were freely translated into Latin in mid-thirteenth-century Palermo or Naples, continuing an Italo-Norman tradition as one of the prime sites for peaceable inter-cultural contact between the Islamic and European worlds.<br/><br/> Four handsomely illustrated complete late fourteenth-century manuscripts of the Taccuinum, all produced in Lombardy, survive, in Vienna, Paris, Liège and Rome, as well as scattered illustrations from others, as well as fifteenth-century codices.
Jigme Lingpa was the promulgator of the Longchen Nyingthik, the Heart Essence teachings of Longchenpa, from whom, according to tradition, he received a vision in which the teachings were revealed.<br/><br/> The Longchen Nyingthik eventually became the most famous and widely practiced cycle of Dzogchen teachings. Namkha'i and Shane (1999) affirm that Jigme Lingpa also wrote a treatise on the spiritual and medicinal usage of crystals and gems of principal importance.
Two pages from a 19th century Korean book depicting a Korean writer and sage.
Kija's Tomb is a burial site located on Moran Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. The tomb is said to be the burial place of the controversial, semi-legendary Shang sage Jizi (Gija in Korean), a member of the Shang imperial family and relative to the tyrannical King Zhou, last ruler of the Shang dynasty.<br/><br/>Jizi allegedly fled China to Korea, where he founded the state of Gija Joseon and eventually succeeded the Dangun as king of Gojoseon. Legend says that Gija brought to the Korean people many skills from China, such as agriculture and weaving; he is also credited with founding the city of Pyongyang.<br/><br/>The site of Gija's burial mound was identified during the Goryeo Dynasty by King Sukjong, who constructed the first mausoleum at the site in 1102 CE. A memorial temple was later added and the mausoleum was enlarged and repaired in 1324 and again in 1355.<br/><br/>In 1570 King Seonjo of Joseon erected a monument at the site requiring all people riding past to dismount out of respect. When Korea was under Japanese rule, the site was heavily promoted as a tourist venue by the Japanese, who tempered Korean ethnic nationalism by pointing out that the first 'Korean' kingdom was founded by a foreigner.<br/><br/>However, the North Korean government denies Gija's existence as a fabrication of the Japanese, and has neglected and defaced the tomb. The tomb was allegedly excavated in the 1960s, which in turn yielded nothing but broken bricks and pottery. The current state of the tomb is unknown, though it is believed to have been destroyed shortly after its excavation. The site was purposefully excluded from the list of National Treasures of North Korea.
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.<br/><br/> Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BCE. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.
Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as prime minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.