Truth Behind the Swastika

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Truth Behind the Swastika Anthony Celebre RLCT-1025-FW002 McCann, G November 18th 2014 RLCT-1025-FW002 Truth Behind the Swastika Celebre 2 Present day western views of the swastika do not necessarily reflect its original meaning . The swastika was once a symbol of good luck, life and peace in eastern religions; and does not deserve the negative reputation it has received and retained in the western world. In my essay, I will discuss the true and original meaning of the swastika in Buddhism , Hinduism and Jainism, outline its history before and after the Nazi Revolution, and dwell upon its relevance in a multicultural nation such as Canada. The swastika has remained a positive symbol in eastern cultures despite its negative reputation in the western world. Although its meaning varies sightly between eastern religions , it generally holds a symbol for good luck, life and peace. In Buddhism, the swastika signifies the Buddha's footprints and is often used to mark the beginning of Buddhist texts (Keown 2003). The swastika is also said to to contain the whole mind of the Buddha and is commonly found imprinted or engraved on the chest, feet and/or palms of the Buddha in images and statues (McArthur 2002). In present day Asia, the swastika is used to mark Buddhist temples and to decorate borders around paintings, banners and cloths/clothing (McArthur 2002). Contrary to Buddhism, the Hindu swastika represents Brahman and the four directions of the world . In Hinduism, the right-hand swastika is also known as the symbol representing the god Vishnu and the sun god Surya (Varma 2005). First mentioned in the Vedas, the swastika is seen as a symbol of power and is more often than not used to mark the beginning of Hindu texts as well as markings on entrances to homes, stores and temples RLCT-1025-FW002 Celebre 3 in present India (Varma 2005). The swastika is

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