Question about the Swastika symbol?

Question

I went to Vietnam a few years ago, and noticed the swastika in a lot of Buddhist temples. They were even on the statues of the holy gods/spirits. What is the reason for this? I don't know much about the swastika symbol, other than in history class, learning about the n**i's. Please educate me! Thank you.

Answer 1

It's not the Swastika, it's the footsteps of Buddha. A traditional Asian symbol that predates the n**i by centuries. You will find in in many Asian countries with Buddhist traditions including China, Japan and Vietnam.

Answer 2

You should've wathced the Da Vinci Code movie. They talked about this very comparison. The eyes see what they're trained to see. The Buddhist symbol has absolutly nothing with the n***s.

Answer 3

The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols of the known world. You can find the swastika in many old temples of Asia, ancient pagan European ruins or even the native Americans used the symbol.

     Hitler adopted it out of cultural belief. It is believed that the 6 German "kernrassen (core races)" originated around what is today modern day Tibet/Iran. From there they began a great migration to the west and settled in what is today modern day Europe.

     For him it was a symbol of origin and ancient heritage.

Answer 4

The "real" swatiska is more than a thousand years old, and is found throughout Asia, esp in Buddhist and Hindu areas.  Hitler hijacked it and ruined it for everyone.  It used to mean "life."

Answer 5

Because Hitler did not invent the symbol, he stole and corrupted  it for his own uses.

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

maybe this helps?

Answer 7

well the swastika was originally a peace symbol, and hitler used it for his own purposes trying to "create peace" with his ideas of the perfect race. but it's still a peace sign to the people who originally used it.

Answer 8

Even many native American nations had the swastika as a symbol.  It can mean anything from a stylized sun-burst to the feet (travels) of the Buddha.  It took a loon like Hitler to bastardize the meaning(s).

Answer 9

There is even the Red Swastik like the Red Cross or Red Crecent.  My Hindu friends are members.  It's the same; they do charity and feed poor ppl.  It really is a major thing in hinduism.  They put the swastika all over their houses and things, and when I first saw it (in a Bollywood movie) on someone's wall I freaked out.  Then I realized it's a religious thing.  I think Americans and Europeans just associate it with Hitler because it had such an impact, and people generally associate images with events.

Answer 10

Hitler tilted the symbol, but the symbol itself is very old.  It represents the sun, in its motion through the sky.

Answer 11

Not only can you find it in Bhuddist temples but it can also be found in some Orthodox churches espically in eastern Europe. Hitler took the symbol after seeing it in a church.

Answer 12

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...

sorry idk

Answer 13

A brief snippet from Wikipedia...

"...The motif seems to have first been used in Neolithic India. The symbol has an ancient history in Europe, appearing on artifacts from pre-Christian European cultures. In antiquity, the swastika was used extensively by the Indo-Aryans, Persians, Hittites, Celts and Greeks, among others. In particular, the swastika is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Mithraism, religions with a total of more than a billion adherents worldwide, making the swastika ubiquitous in both historical and contemporary society. The symbol was introduced to Southeast Asia by Hindu kings and remains an integral part of Balinese Hinduism to this day, and it is a common sight in Indonesia. It is also used by several Native American cultures..."

Because the n**i party commandeered the symbol, it is out of favor in many western countries despite its innocuous beginnings.  Take a look at the top right of the following page to see the difference in design between the stylized "n**i" swastika and the Hindu version, you'll notice a more angular style to one over the other...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Answer 14

Swastika is the holiest symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism. An altar is not an altar without swastika drawn on it.

Answer 15

The svastika is originally an Asian symbol for good luck and other such things, the sun, gods etc... Hitler in his lunatic dreams considered it both as the symbol of the first Aryans (the first white population who emigrated from India to settle in Europe) and as a religious symbol harking back to the old pagan nordic religion which he admired, and he used it for his party. But before that sad period it was used in Europe too both as good luck symbol or decoration. Sweden even used it for its airforce (blue, not black).

After the war the svastika became the symbol of the n***s for everyone in Europe and the US, but in Asia it is still used with its original meaning. It is quite a shock for a European or an American to walk down an Asian street and see a coloured svastika on a wall.

Answer 16

im not sure if it has to do with buddhism or hinduism, but i would read about...

Answer 17

For thousands of years the swastika has been a symbol of good luck and prosperity in severl cultures. In fact that is why it was adopted by the n***s, to bring their third reich good fortune. But it was not a symbol used in western culture until that point, so it has become tainted to us. Many people cannot understand that the swastika was not developed by the n***s, but simply used by them out of original context.

Answer 18

The image appears to have first been used in Neolithic India, where Hinduism and Buddhism arised.  The symbol has been used in many religions and cultures.  In Buddhism it represents Dharma, universal harmony.

Answer 19

The Swastika was NOT "invented" by Hitler and the n***s.  it is a symbol that has been found all over the world as it had been used by many different cultures to mean different things

the swastika has been found in art from north American native tribes, in Asia (as you saw) and in northern Europe.  Hitler got the swastika from the viking symbol. it meant something totally different from "Nazism" which is what people think it means today.

many of the symbols the n**i's used they took from viking and ancient Germanic tribes. for example, I've heard from different historians that the symbol i have as my avatar was used by the n***s. i don't know what for, all i know that it is an ancient viking (runic) symbol that means "opposites" (example -- hot vs. cold)