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Origin Infinite Mariya Nishiuchi
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Some are small and petite, but they look cute, while others are medium in height and fir, but they look gorgeous. Some women are too thin and too tall, but people think not so attractive. So, it is complicated to make an accurate ideal female body measurement or perfect measurements for a woman as there are other factors also grabs someone's attention. These Factos are busts, cups and shaped waist (hourglass) etc.
Mariya is both cute and gorgeous despite not so attractive.
My discernment:
Mariya s good liking for her current age 29. She is perfect 5.5 and 55 kg for an Asian
just about perfect stats except for her bust. Despite she is being cute and gorgeous, she is flat chested, and she may not grab my attention. I am not surprised to see her popularly in Instagram and YouTube as her CECA counterparts with no or low quality are making so much more fuzz and frenzy in social media world.
We need to offload all the CECA girls from social media sooner or later
Mariya is both cute and gorgeous despite not so attractive.
My discernment:
Mariya s good liking for her current age 29. She is perfect 5.5 and 55 kg for an Asian
just about perfect stats except for her bust. Despite she is being cute and gorgeous, she is flat chested, and she may not grab my attention. I am not surprised to see her popularly in Instagram and YouTube as her CECA counterparts with no or low quality are making so much more fuzz and frenzy in social media world.
We need to offload all the CECA girls from social media sooner or later
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Happy Harmony Harae
Happy Harmony Harae is a Singaporean-Japanese DJ artists duo consisting of trance music producers DJ Sephiroth (born Varaibim Hau Cheong on 13/04/1976 in Singapore) and DJ Majestic Mariya (born Mariya Nishiuchi 西内 まりや on 24/12/1993 in Fukuoka, Japan). Both were reborn into Far Eastern families.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:DJ_duos
This category contains musical duos whose members are both disc jockeys.
DJ duos from the United Kingdom.
DJ duos from England.
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony#cite_note-Harmony_in_Design:_A_Synthesis_of_L-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harmonic objects such as chords, textures and tonalities are identified, defined, and categorized in the development of these theories. Harmony is broadly understood to involve both a "vertical" dimension (frequency-space) and a "horizontal" dimension (time-space), and often overlaps with related musical concepts such as melody, timbre, and form.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, or engaging in enjoyable activities. However, happiness can also arise spontaneously, without any apparent external cause.
Happiness is closely linked to well-being and overall life satisfaction. Studies have shown that individuals who experience higher levels of happiness tend to have better physical and mental health, stronger social relationships, and greater resilience in the face of adversity.
The pursuit of happiness has been a central theme in philosophy and psychology for centuries. While there is no single, universally accepted definition of happiness, it is generally understood to be a state of mind characterized by positive emotions, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of fulfillment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
Love is an emotion involving strong attraction, affection, emotional attachment or concern for a person, animal, or thing.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue, good habit, deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a> An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food.
Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another"—and its vicerepresenting a moral flaw akin to vanity, selfishness, amour-propre, and egotism.[<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2025)">citation needed</span></a></em>] It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, oneself, or animals.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-Fromm-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a> In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships, and owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a> Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-Fisher-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a>
Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: familial love (storge), friendly love or platonic love (philia), romantic love (eros), self-love (philautia), guest love (xenia), and divine or unconditional love(agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: fatuous love, unrequited love, empty love, companionate love, consummate love, compassionate love, infatuated love (passionate loveor limerence), obsessive love, amour de soi, and courtly love. Numerous cultures have also distinguished Ren, Yuanfen, Mamihlapinatapai, Cafuné, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, Amore, charity, Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regard to specified "moments" currently lacking in the English language.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
The triangular theory of love suggests intimacy,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>i<span>]</span></a>passion,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-9"><span>[</span>ii<span>]</span></a> and commitment<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>iii<span>]</span></a> are core components of love.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-:10-11"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a> Love has additional religious or spiritualmeaning. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
https://www.elizabethrider.com/7-types-of-love-and-what-they-mean/
According to Greek philosophy, here are the 7 different kinds of love:
To the ancient Greeks, this physical, desirous love was quite dangerous. As you can probably imagine, the human impulse to procreate is powerful, and eros is the sort of love that is easy to lose control of.
Because Eros is solely a physical love, it isn’t necessarily something that you want to build a relationship upon (on its own, that is). Eros is intense and sexual and —you guessed it— fleeting.
A relationship built on Eros should also rely on other forms of love to create a firm, whole foundation (more on that later).
Nonetheless, Eros still represents the love for sexual intimacy and romance.
In the modern world, it illustrates our physical attraction to one another, and it is embodied by that passionate, romantic love that is gushed over in all our favorite books and movies.
Philia is a friendly love. Those soul-to-soul bonds, per se. It encompasses the love shared between friends and intimate family members and is characterized by loyalty and trust.
Philia is encouraging, kind, affectionate, and everything that makes up a true friendship. It is entirely platonic, yet both meaningful and sweet.
Essentially, you can think of Philia as the type of love where you simply want the best for another person.
Because Philia is a kind of equal love —shared between people who value one another— the ancient Greeks thought it was even more precious than Eros.
Just as I said that a romantic relationship cannot be sustained on Eros alone, a romantic relationship where Philia is born out of Eros is built to last. Plato believed that this was the best kind of friendship.
3. Storge – Unconditional, Familial Love
Storge refers to the unconditional love that parents have for their children. It is a protective, kinship-based love that embodies approval, sacrifice, and acceptance.
Storge looks a lot like philia, though it is more one-sided. Think of it as the love a mother has for her child, regardless of whether the child reciprocates her emotion.
Basically, it is a strong bond and fondness that is built out of familiarity and need.
Another way of looking at storge is in the love you have for your sister, even if she constantly stole your favorite clothes growing up or is a little too eager to hand off her toddlers to you on date night.
That’s unconditional love right there!
Agape is one-of-a-kind love. It is an empathetic, selfless love for others that includes a love for God, nature, strangers, and the less fortunate.
It doesn’t depend on familiarity (as does storge), but instead, Agape has links to altruism, which is understood as an unselfish, genuine concern for the welfare of others.
A lot of people consider Agape to be a kind of spiritual love and it’s expressed through meditation, nature, intuition, and spirituality.
Christians believe this is the love Jesus had for all of mankind. It is sacrificial and quite radical, honestly, as the Greeks believed that very few people were able to experience it long-term.
In today’s world, you can think of Agape as a pay-it-forward sort of love. It is a love that expects absolutely nothing in return, and in turn, just makes you feel good.
Not only is Agape associated with boosted mental and physical health, but some say it leaves a euphoric feeling, somewhat of a “helper’s high.”
We’ve covered 4 different kinds of love, and there’s still more if you can believe it. Keep reading to discover even more types of love.
If you’ve been in love before, then you know what I’m talking about.
When I think of Ludus, I think of a fling. A no-strings-attached sort of conquest. It is the oh-so-stereotypical butterflies in your stomach.
Ludus is all about having fun, so think of whatever that means for you — flirting, dancing, teasing, seducing, all the jazz.
This type of love results in relationships that are definitely on the casual side, though that doesn’t mean they won’t last.
As long as both parties have the same mindset, Ludus relationships can thrive for years, resulting in a lightweight, undemanding, and beautifully uncomplicated sort of love.
I love Pragma. In the simplest of terms, it is love that looks long-term. Pragma is a love that is seen in many long-term marriages and friendships.
It is built on commitment, endurance, companionship, and sharing similar hopes for the future, which includes things like building a family and putting down roots.
A lot of people (married folks, especially) will understand Pragma as “making it work.”
This type of love is an accepting, everlasting love that matures as a couple spends year after year together.
When I think of pragma, I think of the older married couple who have been together since they were teenagers.
Even after 50 years of marriage, they still hold hands and see the person they fell in love with.
I mean seriously, who doesn’t want that someday? Pragma is beautiful as it represents the constant nurturing that goes into a long-term relationship.
It is patient, sacrificial, mature, and in all honesty, quite rare (and therefore so special).
Philautia is self-love, which the ancient Greeks saw as a healthy, necessary love of one’s self that made it possible to give and receive love from other people.
(Haven’t we all heard something or other about not being able to pour from an empty cup?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae
Harae or harai (祓 or 祓い) is the general term for ritual purification in Shinto. Harae is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a>The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins (tsumi) and uncleanness (kegare).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Norbeck-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a> These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt in the English sense.
Harae is often described as purification, but it is also known as an exorcism to be done before worship.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Norbeck-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>Harae often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called ōnusa or haraegushi over the object of purification. People, places, and objects can all be the object of harae.
An ōnusa, which is used in certain types of harae.
Harae stems from the myth of Susano-o, the brother of the Sun goddess Amaterasu. According to the myth, while Amaterasu was supervising the weaving of the garments of the gods in the pure weaving hall, Susano-o broke through the roof and let fall a heavenly horse which had been flayed. This startled one of her attendants who, in her agitation, accidentally killed herself with the loom's shuttle. Amaterasu fled to the heavenly cave Ama-no-Iwato. Susano-o was subsequently expelled from heaven and Amaterasu's sovereignty resumed. The traditional Shinto purification ritual harae is represented when Susano-o is removed from heaven.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a>
There are various ways in which harae is practiced. At the Ise Grand Shrine, "the holiest of all Shinto shrines",<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> wooden charms named ō-harai, another name for harae or harai, are hung all over the shrine.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a>
In all Shinto religious ceremonies, harae is performed in the beginning of the ritual to cleanse any evil, pollution or sins away before anyone gives offerings to the kami. Often, water and salt are used for the ceremonies to rinse hands and the face, as well as the shrine before it is prepared with offerings of goods and food.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> Then the priest, along with the rest of the participants of the ritual chant a solemn liturgy before the assistant priest purifies the offerings using a wand called haraigushi.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Boyd-Williams-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
Another method used to perform harae is misogi, in which a participant stands under a cold waterfall while chanting a liturgy. Misogi (禊) is said to be done on the 11th day of the month, including the winter months at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Boyd-Williams-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> As both are related they are collectively referred to as Misogiharae (禊祓).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a>
Ōharae is another method performed as a cleansing ritual to cleanse a large group of people. This ritual is practiced mostly in June and December to purify the nation, as well as after a disaster occurs. The practice is also performed at the year-end festival and also before major national festivals.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Terms-9"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a>
Shubatsu (修祓), a cleansing ritual performed by sprinkling salt, is another practice of the Shinto religion. Salt is used as a purifier by placing small piles in front of restaurants, known as morijio (盛り塩; pile of salt) or shiobana (塩花; salt flowers), for the two-fold purposes of warding off evil and attracting patrons.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></a> In addition, sprinkling salt over a person after attending a funeral is also practiced commonly in the Shinto religion. Another example of this cleansing ritual is to sprinkle water at the gate of one's home, both in the morning and evening.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Terms-9"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a> A significant and visible form of this ritual is when sumowrestlers sprinkle salt around the fighting ring before a match, to purify the area.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-11"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Japanese_Shinto_priestesses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noro_(priestess)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiin_(priestess)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiō
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ancient_Japanese_priestesses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten
Benzaiten (弁才天／弁財天; Japanese pronunciation:[ben.dzaꜜi.teɴ][1])[a] or simply Benten is an East Asian Buddhist goddess who originated from the Hindu Saraswati, the patroness of speech, the arts, and learning.
Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra(Sanskrit: Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra), which has a section devoted to her.[2] Benzaiten was also syncretized with Japanese kami, and adopted into the Shinto religion, and there are several Shinto shrinesdedicated to her. As such, Benzaiten is now also associated with dragons, snakes, local Japanese deities, wealth, fortune, protection from disease and danger, and the protection of the state.
Saraswati by Raja Ravi Varma
Benzaiten with eight arms holding a bow, an arrow, a sword, a spear, an axe, a single-pronged vajra, a wheel, and a noose
See also: Saraswati
Saraswati (Sanskrit: Sarasvatī; Pali: Sarassatī) was originally in the Rigveda a river goddess, the deification of the Sarasvati River. She was identified with Vach (Skt. Vāc), the Vedic goddess of speech, and from there became considered to be the patron of music and the arts, knowledge, and learning.[3][4][5]
In addition to their association with eloquence and speech, both Saraswati and Vach also show warrior traits: Saraswati for instance was called the "Vritra-slayer" (Vṛtraghnī) in the Rigveda (6.61.7) and was associated with the Maruts.[6][7][8] She was also associated with the Ashvins, with whom she collaborates to bolster Indra's strength by telling him how to kill the asura Namuchi.[6] In a hymn in Book 10 of the Rigveda (10.125.6), Vach declares: "I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion. I rouse and order battle for the people, and I have penetrated Earth and Heaven."[9][6]
Saraswati, like many other Hindu deities, was eventually adopted into Buddhism, figuring mainly in Mahayana texts. In the 15th chapter of Yijing's translation of the Sutra of Golden Light(Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra) into Classical Chinese(Taishō Tripitaka 885), Saraswati (大辯才天女, pinyin: Dàbiàncáitiānnǚ; Japanese: Daibenzaitennyo, lit. "great goddess of eloquence") appears before the Buddha's assembly and vows to protect all those who put their faith in the sutra, recite it, or copy it. In addition, she promises to increase the intelligence of those who recite the sutra so that they will be able to understand and remember various dharanis.
She then teaches the assembly various mantras with which one can heal all illnesses and escape all manner of misfortune. One of the Buddha's disciples, the brahmin Kaundinya, then praises Saraswati, comparing her to Vishnu's consort Narayani (Lakshmi) and declaring that she can manifest herself not only as a benevolent deity, but also as Yami, the sister of Yama. He then describes her eight-armed form with all its attributes — bow, arrow, sword, spear, axe, vajra, iron wheel, and noose.[10][11]
The poem describes Saraswati as one who "has sovereignty in the world", as one who is "good fortune, success, and peace of mind". It also states that she fights in battlefields and is always victorious.[12]
One key concern of the Golden Light Sutra is the protection of the state, and as such, Saraswati here also takes on some form of a warrior goddess, similar to Durga.[13] Bernard Faure also notes that the Vach already had martial attributes, which may have been retained in some form.[14]
Eight-armed Benzaiten surrounded by the goddesses Kariteimo (Hariti) and Kenrōchijin (Prithvi) and two divine generals (c. 1212)
Saraswati became the Chinese 辯才天 (Bencaitian) or "great eloquence deity" (大辯天). This became the Japanese 弁財天 (Benzaiten). In East Asian Buddhism, she is one of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān). She remained associated with wealth, music, and eloquence and also took on aspects of a fierce protector of the state (due to the influence of the Golden Light Sutra which promises to protect a country where the sutra is chanted).
During the medieval period onwards, Benzaiten came to be associated or even conflated with a number of Buddhist and local deities, including the goddess Kisshōten whose role as goddess of fortune eventually became ascribed to Benzaiten in popular belief). As such, she was eventually also worshiped as a bestower of monetary fortune and became part of the set of popular deities known as the Seven Lucky Gods (shichifukujin).
Benzaiten is depicted a number of ways in Japanese art. She is often depicted holding a biwa (a traditional Japanese lute) similar to how Saraswati is depicted with a veena in Indian art, though she may also be portrayed wielding a sword and a wish-granting jewel (cintāmaṇi). An iconographic formula showing Benzaiten with eight arms holding a variety of weapons (based on the Golden Light Sutra) meanwhile is believed to derive from Durga's iconography. As Uga Benzaiten, she may also be shown with Ugajin (a human-headed white snake) above her head. Lastly, she is also portrayed (albeit rarely) with the head of a snake or a dragon.
Benzaiten's worship also spread to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, and she is still venerated in certain locations in Taiwan, such as the Xian Dong Yan temple in Keelung City.[citation needed]
In Japanese Buddhism, Benzaiten also developed various esoteric aspects. For example, in the Tendaischool's Keiran shūyō shū 渓嵐拾葉 集 [Collection of Leaves Gathered in Tempestuous Brooks], a fourteenth century compendium, Benzaiten is associated with the three truths and the three contemplations in one thought, as well as various esoteric seed syllables, the unity of the two-world mandalas in the Susiddhi Dainichi (Vairocana Buddha), which represents the ultimate principle of enlightenment.[15]
Due to her status as a water deity, Benzaiten was also linked with nāgas, dragons, and snakes. Over time, Benzaiten became identified with the Japanese snake kami Ugajin. She also became identified with the kamiIchikishima-hime.
Benzaiten was also adopted as a female kami in Shinto, with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto(市杵島姫命).[16] This kami is one of three kamibelieved to be daughters of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the ancestress of the imperial family.
She is also believed by Tendai Buddhists to be the essence of the kami Ugajin, whose effigy she sometimes carries on her head together with a torii(see photo below).[17] As a consequence, she is sometimes also known as Uga (宇賀) Benzaiten or Uga Benten.[18]
सु (su), Benzaiten's seed syllable (bīja) in Siddhaṃ script
The bīja or seed syllable used to represent Benzaiten in Japanese esoteric Buddhism is su (सु, traditionally read in Japanese as so), written in Siddhaṃ script.[19]
In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo), Benzaiten's main mantra is as follows:[20]
Benzaiten statue, Hogonji in Nagahama, Shiga prefecture, Japan
Eight armed Uga Benzaiten, Hogonji
In Japan, the places of worship dedicated to Benzaiten are often called "辯天堂" (benten-dō) or benten-sha (弁天社). Shinto shrines dedicated to her are also called by this name. Entire Shinto shrines can be dedicated to her, as in the case of Kamakura's Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine or Nagoya's Kawahara Shrine. Benzaiten temples or shrines places are commonly located near bodies of water like rivers, ponds, or springs due to her association with water. Benzaiten's worship became integrated with native Japanese beliefs, including serpent and dragon symbolism, as she was originally a river goddess.
Benzaiten is enshrined on numerous locations throughout Japan; for example, the Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay, the Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa and the Itsukushima Island in Seto Inland Sea (Japan's Three Great Benzaiten Shrines); and she and a five-headed dragon are the central figures of the Enoshima Engi, a history of the shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kōkei (皇慶) in 1047. According to Kōkei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi (無熱池; literally "lake without heat"), known in Sanskrit as Anavatapta, the lake lying at the center of the world according to an ancient Buddhist cosmological view.
Ryōhō-ji, also known as the "Moe Temple", enshrines Benzaiten. It is famous for anime style depictions of Buddhist deities.[22]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo
Sungmo (崇母, "Holy Mother"), also called Daemo("Great Mother"), Jamo ("Benevolent Mother"), Sinmo ("Divine Mother"), Nogo ("Ancient Lady"), Chungkyun Moju ("Empress Mother of the Rightful View") and by other names,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee2010s6–7-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> is a mother goddess in Korean shamanism. She is regarded as the mother or daughter of the Heavenly King and, in some myths, as the mother of all shamans. In other myths, the shamans are rather explained as descendants of Dangun.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee198113-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>
In a collection of myths, the origin of the shamans is linked to Sungmo, who is associated with a mountain and presented as either the mother or the spiritual daughter of the "Heavenly King". In some myths, she is a mortal princess who is later turned into a goddess. The investiture of the shamans, according to such myths, is believed to pass down through female lineage.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–12-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a>
These myths usually tell of a man, Pobu Hwasang, who encountered the "Holy Mother [of the Heavenly King]" on the top of a mountain.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> The Holy Mother then became a human being and married the man who met her, giving birth to eight girls, the first mudang.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> According to some scholars, this myth was first elaborated in the Silla period, when Buddhism and influences from China had already penetrated the Korean peninsula.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6,_13-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a>
The myth of the princess is the most popular, and it differs from region to region.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> In one of the versions, the princess is Ahwang Kongju of the Yao kingdom, located on the Asian mainland.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> The princess had a strong link with divinity, granting welfare to her people.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> Her father sent the princess among the people, who began to worship her for her healing powers.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The first mudang were established as her successors.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The princess is worshipped with seasonal offerings in Chungcheong.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The yellow and red clothes worn by the mudang are regarded as Ahwang Kongju's robes.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
In the north of the Korean peninsula, the princess is known as Chil Kongju (the "Seventh Princess"), seventh amongst the daughters of the king.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The myth tells that she was rejected by her father, who sealed her in a stone coffin and cast it into a pond, but she was rescued by a Dragon King sent by the Heavenly King, and ascended to the western sky becoming the goddess of healing waters.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> Names of the goddess in other local traditions Pali Kongju and Kongsim.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> In the tradition of Jeju Island, where there are more male baksu than female mudang, the myth tells of a prince as the ancestor of all shamans.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee198112-8"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a>
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Main article: Japanese sword
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naemyŏngbu
Happy Harmony Harae is a Singaporean-Japanese DJ artists duo consisting of trance music producers DJ Sephiroth (born Varaibim Hau Cheong on 13/04/1976 in Singapore) and DJ Majestic Mariya (born Mariya Nishiuchi 西内 まりや on 24/12/1993 in Fukuoka, Japan). Both were reborn into Far Eastern families.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:DJ_duos
This category contains musical duos whose members are both disc jockeys.
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- British DJ duos (1 C, 3 P)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:British_DJ_duosDJ duos from the United Kingdom.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:English_DJ_duosDJ duos from England.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HarmonyIn music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony#cite_note-Harmony_in_Design:_A_Synthesis_of_L-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harmonic objects such as chords, textures and tonalities are identified, defined, and categorized in the development of these theories. Harmony is broadly understood to involve both a "vertical" dimension (frequency-space) and a "horizontal" dimension (time-space), and often overlaps with related musical concepts such as melody, timbre, and form.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness
Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, or engaging in enjoyable activities. However, happiness can also arise spontaneously, without any apparent external cause.
Happiness is closely linked to well-being and overall life satisfaction. Studies have shown that individuals who experience higher levels of happiness tend to have better physical and mental health, stronger social relationships, and greater resilience in the face of adversity.
The pursuit of happiness has been a central theme in philosophy and psychology for centuries. While there is no single, universally accepted definition of happiness, it is generally understood to be a state of mind characterized by positive emotions, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of fulfillment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
Love is an emotion involving strong attraction, affection, emotional attachment or concern for a person, animal, or thing.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue, good habit, deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a> An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food.
Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another"—and its vicerepresenting a moral flaw akin to vanity, selfishness, amour-propre, and egotism.[<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (November 2025)">citation needed</span></a></em>] It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, oneself, or animals.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-Fromm-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a> In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships, and owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a> Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-Fisher-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a>
Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: familial love (storge), friendly love or platonic love (philia), romantic love (eros), self-love (philautia), guest love (xenia), and divine or unconditional love(agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: fatuous love, unrequited love, empty love, companionate love, consummate love, compassionate love, infatuated love (passionate loveor limerence), obsessive love, amour de soi, and courtly love. Numerous cultures have also distinguished Ren, Yuanfen, Mamihlapinatapai, Cafuné, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, Amore, charity, Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regard to specified "moments" currently lacking in the English language.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
The triangular theory of love suggests intimacy,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>i<span>]</span></a>passion,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-9"><span>[</span>ii<span>]</span></a> and commitment<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>iii<span>]</span></a> are core components of love.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love#cite_note-:10-11"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a> Love has additional religious or spiritualmeaning. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
https://www.elizabethrider.com/7-types-of-love-and-what-they-mean/
According to Greek philosophy, here are the 7 different kinds of love:
1. Eros – Romantic, Passionate Love (Of the Body)
Eros is passion, lust, sexual attraction, and everything we think of when we think of the TV version of love. Unsurprisingly, this type of love was named after the Greek god of love and fertility.To the ancient Greeks, this physical, desirous love was quite dangerous. As you can probably imagine, the human impulse to procreate is powerful, and eros is the sort of love that is easy to lose control of.
Because Eros is solely a physical love, it isn’t necessarily something that you want to build a relationship upon (on its own, that is). Eros is intense and sexual and —you guessed it— fleeting.
A relationship built on Eros should also rely on other forms of love to create a firm, whole foundation (more on that later).
Nonetheless, Eros still represents the love for sexual intimacy and romance.
In the modern world, it illustrates our physical attraction to one another, and it is embodied by that passionate, romantic love that is gushed over in all our favorite books and movies.
2. Philia – Affectionate, Friendly Love
Philia is a friendly love. Those soul-to-soul bonds, per se. It encompasses the love shared between friends and intimate family members and is characterized by loyalty and trust.
Philia is encouraging, kind, affectionate, and everything that makes up a true friendship. It is entirely platonic, yet both meaningful and sweet.
Essentially, you can think of Philia as the type of love where you simply want the best for another person.
Because Philia is a kind of equal love —shared between people who value one another— the ancient Greeks thought it was even more precious than Eros.
Just as I said that a romantic relationship cannot be sustained on Eros alone, a romantic relationship where Philia is born out of Eros is built to last. Plato believed that this was the best kind of friendship.
3. Storge – Unconditional, Familial Love
Storge refers to the unconditional love that parents have for their children. It is a protective, kinship-based love that embodies approval, sacrifice, and acceptance.
Storge looks a lot like philia, though it is more one-sided. Think of it as the love a mother has for her child, regardless of whether the child reciprocates her emotion.
Basically, it is a strong bond and fondness that is built out of familiarity and need.
Another way of looking at storge is in the love you have for your sister, even if she constantly stole your favorite clothes growing up or is a little too eager to hand off her toddlers to you on date night.
That’s unconditional love right there!
4. Agape – Selfless, Universal Love
Agape is one-of-a-kind love. It is an empathetic, selfless love for others that includes a love for God, nature, strangers, and the less fortunate.
It doesn’t depend on familiarity (as does storge), but instead, Agape has links to altruism, which is understood as an unselfish, genuine concern for the welfare of others.
A lot of people consider Agape to be a kind of spiritual love and it’s expressed through meditation, nature, intuition, and spirituality.
Christians believe this is the love Jesus had for all of mankind. It is sacrificial and quite radical, honestly, as the Greeks believed that very few people were able to experience it long-term.
In today’s world, you can think of Agape as a pay-it-forward sort of love. It is a love that expects absolutely nothing in return, and in turn, just makes you feel good.
Not only is Agape associated with boosted mental and physical health, but some say it leaves a euphoric feeling, somewhat of a “helper’s high.”
We’ve covered 4 different kinds of love, and there’s still more if you can believe it. Keep reading to discover even more types of love.
5. Ludus – Playful, Flirtatious Love
Ludus is easy breezy love. Playful, flirtatious, non-committal—Ludus is having a crush on someone and then acting on it. It is the infatuated phase that occurs in the early stages of romance.If you’ve been in love before, then you know what I’m talking about.
When I think of Ludus, I think of a fling. A no-strings-attached sort of conquest. It is the oh-so-stereotypical butterflies in your stomach.
Ludus is all about having fun, so think of whatever that means for you — flirting, dancing, teasing, seducing, all the jazz.
This type of love results in relationships that are definitely on the casual side, though that doesn’t mean they won’t last.
As long as both parties have the same mindset, Ludus relationships can thrive for years, resulting in a lightweight, undemanding, and beautifully uncomplicated sort of love.
6. Pragma – Committed, Long-Lasting Love
I love Pragma. In the simplest of terms, it is love that looks long-term. Pragma is a love that is seen in many long-term marriages and friendships.
It is built on commitment, endurance, companionship, and sharing similar hopes for the future, which includes things like building a family and putting down roots.
A lot of people (married folks, especially) will understand Pragma as “making it work.”
This type of love is an accepting, everlasting love that matures as a couple spends year after year together.
When I think of pragma, I think of the older married couple who have been together since they were teenagers.
Even after 50 years of marriage, they still hold hands and see the person they fell in love with.
I mean seriously, who doesn’t want that someday? Pragma is beautiful as it represents the constant nurturing that goes into a long-term relationship.
It is patient, sacrificial, mature, and in all honesty, quite rare (and therefore so special).
7. Philautia – Self Love
Of all of the different kinds of love, this one is often the most challenging for people. However, it’s perhaps foundational to the other types of love.Philautia is self-love, which the ancient Greeks saw as a healthy, necessary love of one’s self that made it possible to give and receive love from other people.
(Haven’t we all heard something or other about not being able to pour from an empty cup?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae
Harae or harai (祓 or 祓い) is the general term for ritual purification in Shinto. Harae is one of four essential elements involved in a Shinto ceremony.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a>The purpose is the purification of pollution or sins (tsumi) and uncleanness (kegare).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Norbeck-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a> These concepts include bad luck and disease as well as guilt in the English sense.
Harae is often described as purification, but it is also known as an exorcism to be done before worship.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Norbeck-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>Harae often involves symbolic washing with water, or having a Shinto priest shake a large paper shaker called ōnusa or haraegushi over the object of purification. People, places, and objects can all be the object of harae.
History
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An ōnusa, which is used in certain types of harae.Harae stems from the myth of Susano-o, the brother of the Sun goddess Amaterasu. According to the myth, while Amaterasu was supervising the weaving of the garments of the gods in the pure weaving hall, Susano-o broke through the roof and let fall a heavenly horse which had been flayed. This startled one of her attendants who, in her agitation, accidentally killed herself with the loom's shuttle. Amaterasu fled to the heavenly cave Ama-no-Iwato. Susano-o was subsequently expelled from heaven and Amaterasu's sovereignty resumed. The traditional Shinto purification ritual harae is represented when Susano-o is removed from heaven.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a>
Practice
editThere are various ways in which harae is practiced. At the Ise Grand Shrine, "the holiest of all Shinto shrines",<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> wooden charms named ō-harai, another name for harae or harai, are hung all over the shrine.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a>
In all Shinto religious ceremonies, harae is performed in the beginning of the ritual to cleanse any evil, pollution or sins away before anyone gives offerings to the kami. Often, water and salt are used for the ceremonies to rinse hands and the face, as well as the shrine before it is prepared with offerings of goods and food.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> Then the priest, along with the rest of the participants of the ritual chant a solemn liturgy before the assistant priest purifies the offerings using a wand called haraigushi.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Boyd-Williams-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
Another method used to perform harae is misogi, in which a participant stands under a cold waterfall while chanting a liturgy. Misogi (禊) is said to be done on the 11th day of the month, including the winter months at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Boyd-Williams-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> As both are related they are collectively referred to as Misogiharae (禊祓).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-8"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a>
Ōharae is another method performed as a cleansing ritual to cleanse a large group of people. This ritual is practiced mostly in June and December to purify the nation, as well as after a disaster occurs. The practice is also performed at the year-end festival and also before major national festivals.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Terms-9"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a>
Shubatsu (修祓), a cleansing ritual performed by sprinkling salt, is another practice of the Shinto religion. Salt is used as a purifier by placing small piles in front of restaurants, known as morijio (盛り塩; pile of salt) or shiobana (塩花; salt flowers), for the two-fold purposes of warding off evil and attracting patrons.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-10"><span>[</span>10<span>]</span></a> In addition, sprinkling salt over a person after attending a funeral is also practiced commonly in the Shinto religion. Another example of this cleansing ritual is to sprinkle water at the gate of one's home, both in the morning and evening.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-Terms-9"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a> A significant and visible form of this ritual is when sumowrestlers sprinkle salt around the fighting ring before a match, to purify the area.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae#cite_note-11"><span>[</span>11<span>]</span></a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Japanese_Shinto_priestesses
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten
Benzaiten (弁才天／弁財天; Japanese pronunciation:[ben.dzaꜜi.teɴ][1])[a] or simply Benten is an East Asian Buddhist goddess who originated from the Hindu Saraswati, the patroness of speech, the arts, and learning.
| Other names | Benzaitennyo (弁才天女) Daibenzaiten (大弁才天) Benten (弁天) Myōonten (妙音天) Bionten (美音天) Sarasabakutei (薩羅婆縛底) Sarasabattei (薩羅薩伐底) Sarasantei (薩羅酸底) |
|---|---|
| Japanese | 弁才天, 弁財天 (shinjitai) 辯才天, 辨才天, 辨財天 (kyūjitai) |
| Affiliation | Deva Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva(assumed traits of) Kisshōten (assumed traits of) Ichikishimahime (conflated with) Ugajin (conflated with) |
| Mantra | Oṃ Sarasvatyai svāhā (On Sorasobateiei sowaka) |
| Animals | snake, dragon |
| Symbols | lute (biwa), sword, cintāmaṇi |
| Consort | None Daikokuten (some traditions) |
[th width="387px"]
Benzaiten
[/th]
[td width="387px"]
Goddess of all that flows: water, music, arts, love, wisdom, wealth, fortune
[/td]
[td width="387px"]
Member of the Seven Lucky Gods
[/td]
[td width="387px"]
Benzaiten with a lute (biwa) seated on a white dragon
[/td]
Benzaiten
[/th]
[td width="387px"]
Goddess of all that flows: water, music, arts, love, wisdom, wealth, fortune
[/td]
[td width="387px"]
Member of the Seven Lucky Gods
[/td]
[td width="387px"]
_Seated_on_a_White_Dragon_MET_DP135895.jpg)
Benzaiten with a lute (biwa) seated on a white dragon
[/td]
Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra(Sanskrit: Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra), which has a section devoted to her.[2] Benzaiten was also syncretized with Japanese kami, and adopted into the Shinto religion, and there are several Shinto shrinesdedicated to her. As such, Benzaiten is now also associated with dragons, snakes, local Japanese deities, wealth, fortune, protection from disease and danger, and the protection of the state.
Indian deity
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Saraswati by Raja Ravi Varma
Benzaiten with eight arms holding a bow, an arrow, a sword, a spear, an axe, a single-pronged vajra, a wheel, and a noose
See also: Saraswati
Saraswati (Sanskrit: Sarasvatī; Pali: Sarassatī) was originally in the Rigveda a river goddess, the deification of the Sarasvati River. She was identified with Vach (Skt. Vāc), the Vedic goddess of speech, and from there became considered to be the patron of music and the arts, knowledge, and learning.[3][4][5]
In addition to their association with eloquence and speech, both Saraswati and Vach also show warrior traits: Saraswati for instance was called the "Vritra-slayer" (Vṛtraghnī) in the Rigveda (6.61.7) and was associated with the Maruts.[6][7][8] She was also associated with the Ashvins, with whom she collaborates to bolster Indra's strength by telling him how to kill the asura Namuchi.[6] In a hymn in Book 10 of the Rigveda (10.125.6), Vach declares: "I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion. I rouse and order battle for the people, and I have penetrated Earth and Heaven."[9][6]
Saraswati, like many other Hindu deities, was eventually adopted into Buddhism, figuring mainly in Mahayana texts. In the 15th chapter of Yijing's translation of the Sutra of Golden Light(Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra) into Classical Chinese(Taishō Tripitaka 885), Saraswati (大辯才天女, pinyin: Dàbiàncáitiānnǚ; Japanese: Daibenzaitennyo, lit. "great goddess of eloquence") appears before the Buddha's assembly and vows to protect all those who put their faith in the sutra, recite it, or copy it. In addition, she promises to increase the intelligence of those who recite the sutra so that they will be able to understand and remember various dharanis.
She then teaches the assembly various mantras with which one can heal all illnesses and escape all manner of misfortune. One of the Buddha's disciples, the brahmin Kaundinya, then praises Saraswati, comparing her to Vishnu's consort Narayani (Lakshmi) and declaring that she can manifest herself not only as a benevolent deity, but also as Yami, the sister of Yama. He then describes her eight-armed form with all its attributes — bow, arrow, sword, spear, axe, vajra, iron wheel, and noose.[10][11]
The poem describes Saraswati as one who "has sovereignty in the world", as one who is "good fortune, success, and peace of mind". It also states that she fights in battlefields and is always victorious.[12]
One key concern of the Golden Light Sutra is the protection of the state, and as such, Saraswati here also takes on some form of a warrior goddess, similar to Durga.[13] Bernard Faure also notes that the Vach already had martial attributes, which may have been retained in some form.[14]
Bencaitian / Benzaiten
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Eight-armed Benzaiten surrounded by the goddesses Kariteimo (Hariti) and Kenrōchijin (Prithvi) and two divine generals (c. 1212)
Saraswati became the Chinese 辯才天 (Bencaitian) or "great eloquence deity" (大辯天). This became the Japanese 弁財天 (Benzaiten). In East Asian Buddhism, she is one of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān). She remained associated with wealth, music, and eloquence and also took on aspects of a fierce protector of the state (due to the influence of the Golden Light Sutra which promises to protect a country where the sutra is chanted).
During the medieval period onwards, Benzaiten came to be associated or even conflated with a number of Buddhist and local deities, including the goddess Kisshōten whose role as goddess of fortune eventually became ascribed to Benzaiten in popular belief). As such, she was eventually also worshiped as a bestower of monetary fortune and became part of the set of popular deities known as the Seven Lucky Gods (shichifukujin).
Benzaiten is depicted a number of ways in Japanese art. She is often depicted holding a biwa (a traditional Japanese lute) similar to how Saraswati is depicted with a veena in Indian art, though she may also be portrayed wielding a sword and a wish-granting jewel (cintāmaṇi). An iconographic formula showing Benzaiten with eight arms holding a variety of weapons (based on the Golden Light Sutra) meanwhile is believed to derive from Durga's iconography. As Uga Benzaiten, she may also be shown with Ugajin (a human-headed white snake) above her head. Lastly, she is also portrayed (albeit rarely) with the head of a snake or a dragon.
Benzaiten's worship also spread to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, and she is still venerated in certain locations in Taiwan, such as the Xian Dong Yan temple in Keelung City.[citation needed]
Esotericism
editIn Japanese Buddhism, Benzaiten also developed various esoteric aspects. For example, in the Tendaischool's Keiran shūyō shū 渓嵐拾葉 集 [Collection of Leaves Gathered in Tempestuous Brooks], a fourteenth century compendium, Benzaiten is associated with the three truths and the three contemplations in one thought, as well as various esoteric seed syllables, the unity of the two-world mandalas in the Susiddhi Dainichi (Vairocana Buddha), which represents the ultimate principle of enlightenment.[15]
Syncretism with Shinto kami
editDue to her status as a water deity, Benzaiten was also linked with nāgas, dragons, and snakes. Over time, Benzaiten became identified with the Japanese snake kami Ugajin. She also became identified with the kamiIchikishima-hime.
Benzaiten was also adopted as a female kami in Shinto, with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto(市杵島姫命).[16] This kami is one of three kamibelieved to be daughters of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the ancestress of the imperial family.
She is also believed by Tendai Buddhists to be the essence of the kami Ugajin, whose effigy she sometimes carries on her head together with a torii(see photo below).[17] As a consequence, she is sometimes also known as Uga (宇賀) Benzaiten or Uga Benten.[18]
Bīja and mantra
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सु (su), Benzaiten's seed syllable (bīja) in Siddhaṃ script
The bīja or seed syllable used to represent Benzaiten in Japanese esoteric Buddhism is su (सु, traditionally read in Japanese as so), written in Siddhaṃ script.[19]
In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo), Benzaiten's main mantra is as follows:[20]
Temples and shrines
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Benzaiten statue, Hogonji in Nagahama, Shiga prefecture, Japan
Eight armed Uga Benzaiten, Hogonji
In Japan, the places of worship dedicated to Benzaiten are often called "辯天堂" (benten-dō) or benten-sha (弁天社). Shinto shrines dedicated to her are also called by this name. Entire Shinto shrines can be dedicated to her, as in the case of Kamakura's Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine or Nagoya's Kawahara Shrine. Benzaiten temples or shrines places are commonly located near bodies of water like rivers, ponds, or springs due to her association with water. Benzaiten's worship became integrated with native Japanese beliefs, including serpent and dragon symbolism, as she was originally a river goddess.
Benzaiten is enshrined on numerous locations throughout Japan; for example, the Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay, the Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa and the Itsukushima Island in Seto Inland Sea (Japan's Three Great Benzaiten Shrines); and she and a five-headed dragon are the central figures of the Enoshima Engi, a history of the shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kōkei (皇慶) in 1047. According to Kōkei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi (無熱池; literally "lake without heat"), known in Sanskrit as Anavatapta, the lake lying at the center of the world according to an ancient Buddhist cosmological view.
Ryōhō-ji, also known as the "Moe Temple", enshrines Benzaiten. It is famous for anime style depictions of Buddhist deities.[22]
Benzaiten Buddhist temples
edit- Hogon-ji Temple (Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, Chikubushima, Japan's Three Major Benzaiten)
- Daigan-ji Temple (Hyokkaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Miyajima, Japan's three major Bensaiten)
- Yaotomi Shrine (Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, Takeshima (Aichi Prefecture), Japan Shichibenten)
- Enkyo-ji Temple (Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, on the day of Kishi every 60 days Uga Benzai Tenyu Shuku is practiced)
- Takian-ji Temple (Mino City, Osaka Prefecture)
- Shinju-ji Temple (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture)
- Shinfuku-ji Temple (Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture)
- Tokai-ji Temple Fuse Benten (Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture)
- Senso-ji Temple Bentenzan (Taito Ward, Tokyo) [11]
- Kanei-ji Temple Shinobazu Pond Benzaiten (Taito Ward, Tokyo, Edo Shichibenten)
- Myoko-ji Temple Itsukushima Bensaiten (Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, Kamehime-sama's dedication)
- Togo-ji Temple (Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)
- Kofuku-ji Temple Kubo Benzaiten (Nara City, Nara Prefecture, in the three-storied pagoda, hidden Buddha)
- Ryozen-ji Temple Daibensai Tendo (Nara City, Nara Prefecture)
- Chokenji Temple (Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City)
- Fukasawa Zenarai Benten (Tonosawa, Hakone-cho, Ashigashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Saifuku-ji Temple (Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan's largest wooden Buddha)
- Ikko-ji Temple Benten Cave (Inagi City, Tokyo)
- Daisei-ji Temple Inokashira Benzaiten (Mitaka City, Tokyo)
- Honko-ji Temple, Suse Benzai Kotoku Tenjo (Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture)
- Hase-dera Bentendo Benten Cave (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Kaiko-ji Temple, Izumiyama Yutsu Benzaiten (Yamauchi of Senwakuji Temple, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Hachibi statue with Denkyo Daishi Saicho Saku, Hidden Buddha)
- Ryōhō-ji Temple Shingo Benzaiten (Hachioji City, Tokyo, dating from 1489, known as "Moe-ji Temple" for its use of anime style depictions of Buddhist deities)
- Momo-ji Temple Naked Benzaiten (2-16 Yotsuya-dori, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya City)
- There is a shrine on a floating island protruding in Tanara-numa, Onrin-ji Temple (Oura-cho, Gunma Prefecture).
- Eian-ji Temple (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture) Enshrined in Bentendo where vermilion Hiten dances with Bishamonten and Daikokuten (opened several times a year)
- Myoen-ji Temple Iwaya Reijo Tsuchiya Zeni Benten (Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Jushoin Matsumoto Benten (Edogawa-ku, Tokyo)
- Hoju-in Kaiun Suzusato-saiten (Minato-ku, Tokyo)
- Meio-ji Temple (Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, Benten sect headquarters)
- Nyoi-ji Temple (the head temple of the Benten sect in Gojo City, Nara Prefecture, Gyoki Bodhisattva is said to have been carved in the Nara period)
Shinto shrines enshrining Benzaiten
edit- Enoshima Shrine (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Enoshima, Japan's three major Benzaiten)
- Koami Shrine (Nihonbashi, Tokyo)
- Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine (Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
- Shimizu Benzaitensha (Saku City, Nagano Prefecture)
- Tenkawa Daibenzaitensha (Tenkawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture, Japan's three major Benzaiten) [Note 6]
- Koganeyama Shrine (Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Mt. Kinka)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo
Sungmo (崇母, "Holy Mother"), also called Daemo("Great Mother"), Jamo ("Benevolent Mother"), Sinmo ("Divine Mother"), Nogo ("Ancient Lady"), Chungkyun Moju ("Empress Mother of the Rightful View") and by other names,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee2010s6–7-1"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a> is a mother goddess in Korean shamanism. She is regarded as the mother or daughter of the Heavenly King and, in some myths, as the mother of all shamans. In other myths, the shamans are rather explained as descendants of Dangun.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee198113-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a>
Relation to the shamans
editIn a collection of myths, the origin of the shamans is linked to Sungmo, who is associated with a mountain and presented as either the mother or the spiritual daughter of the "Heavenly King". In some myths, she is a mortal princess who is later turned into a goddess. The investiture of the shamans, according to such myths, is believed to pass down through female lineage.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–12-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a>
These myths usually tell of a man, Pobu Hwasang, who encountered the "Holy Mother [of the Heavenly King]" on the top of a mountain.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> The Holy Mother then became a human being and married the man who met her, giving birth to eight girls, the first mudang.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> According to some scholars, this myth was first elaborated in the Silla period, when Buddhism and influences from China had already penetrated the Korean peninsula.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19815–6,_13-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a>
The myth of the princess is the most popular, and it differs from region to region.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> In one of the versions, the princess is Ahwang Kongju of the Yao kingdom, located on the Asian mainland.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> The princess had a strong link with divinity, granting welfare to her people.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19816-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a> Her father sent the princess among the people, who began to worship her for her healing powers.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The first mudang were established as her successors.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The princess is worshipped with seasonal offerings in Chungcheong.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The yellow and red clothes worn by the mudang are regarded as Ahwang Kongju's robes.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a>
In the north of the Korean peninsula, the princess is known as Chil Kongju (the "Seventh Princess"), seventh amongst the daughters of the king.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> The myth tells that she was rejected by her father, who sealed her in a stone coffin and cast it into a pond, but she was rescued by a Dragon King sent by the Heavenly King, and ascended to the western sky becoming the goddess of healing waters.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> Names of the goddess in other local traditions Pali Kongju and Kongsim.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee19817-7"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a> In the tradition of Jeju Island, where there are more male baksu than female mudang, the myth tells of a prince as the ancestor of all shamans.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungmo#cite_note-FOOTNOTELee198112-8"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword
Japan
editMain article: Japanese sword
- Nihonto (日本刀; にほんとう)
- Bokken (木剣)
- Chokutō (直刀)
- Guntō (軍刀)
- Kyū guntō (旧軍刀)
- Shin guntō (新軍刀)
- Hachiwara (鉢割)
- Iaitō (居合刀)
- Jintachi (陣太刀)
- Katana (刀; かたな)
- Kenukigata tachi (毛抜型太刀)
- Kodachi (小太刀)
- Nagamaki (長巻)
- Ninjato (忍者刀)
- Ōdachi/Nodachi (大太刀/野太刀)
- Sasuga (刺刀)
- Shinai (竹刀)
- Shinken (真剣)
- Shikomizue (仕込み杖)
- Tachi (太刀; たち)
- Tantō (短刀; たんとう)
- Tsurugi (剣)
- Wakizashi (脇差; わきざし)
- Naginata (なぎなた)
- Sai (weapon) (サイ)
Korea
editMain article: Korean sword
- Hwandudaedo (환두대도; 环首大刀)
- Saingeom (사인검)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Korean_Buddhist_nuns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Chinese_harem_system
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kōkyū
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōoku
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naemyŏngbu
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