Buddhism Swastika Awareness

The swastika is an ancient symbol found worldwide and especially common in India. The swastika's Indian name comes the Sanskrit word "svasti," meaning good fortune, luck and well being. In Hinduism, the right-hand (clockwise) swastika is a solar symbol and the left-hand (counter-clockwise) swastika represents Kali and magic. The Buddhist swastika is almost always clockwise. In Buddhism, the swastika was commonly used in sacred art before the days of the Buddha image. As in Hinduism, it signified auspiciousness and good fortune, but also symbolized the Buddha's footprints. The swastika has often been used to mark the beginning of Buddhist texts. In China and Japan, the Buddhist swastika was seen as a symbol of plurality, eternity, abundance, prosperity and long life. Today, the swastika is still used as an auspicious mark on Buddhist images and temples. It is also often inscribed on the chest, palms or feet of images of the Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is used as a clothing decoration.

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