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By:

Min Bahadur Shakya

 Nagarjuna Institute

Chakupat, Lalitpur, Nepal 

By:

Min Bahadur Shakya

 Nagarjuna Institute

Chakupat, Lalitpur, Nepal 

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Description of the site

Legends

Sources for the legends

Digital pictures of the Namobuddha

Story of Prince Mahasattva in paintings

Conclusion

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DIGITAL PICTURES

Entrance gate of Namo Buddha Stupa

 Namo Buddha Stupa

Shrine dedicated to Prince Mahasattva’s mother 

Stone Relief depicting Prince Mahasattva sacrificing hisflesh to a hungry tigress and her five cubs

The cave with sculptures of Prince Mahasattva sacrificing

his flesh to a hungry tigress and her cubs

Buddha Shakyamuni delivering his first sermon to hisfive disciples

Eight Mahacaityas

A bird-eye view of the Namobuddha hill ranges

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 Entrance Gate of Namo Buddha Stupa

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 Namo Buddha Stupa

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 Shrine dedicated to Prince Mahasattva’s mother 

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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/namo-buddha-mountain-and-its-environs 9/28 Buddha Shakyamuni delivering his first sermon to his five disciples

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THE STORY OF TIGRESS IN

PAINTINGSLord Buddha narrates the story of his past life as

Mahasattva [Picture 1]

Once three princes happened to go out for hunting with

his followers in a forest [Picture 2]

When they arrived in the forest they happened to witness

a starved tigress about to devour her own cubs [Picture 3]

Prince Mahasattva, out of his great compassion to the

tigress, offered his flesh and blood to her without anyhesitation [Picture 4]

Since the tigress was too weak to eat the prince, Prince

Mahasattva himself cut up his body piece by piece and

fed them to the tigress [Picture 5] Contd...

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THE STORY OF TIGRESS IN

PAINTINGSWhen the two elder brothers came to know this event

they lamented bitterly for the loss of their younger 

 brother [Picture 6]

The Queen of Pancala had a bad dream in which she saw

her youngest son in the form of a pigeon being devoured

 by a hawk [Picture 7]

The Queen reported her dream to the king who ordered

his people to investigate if the queen's dream was true

[Picture 8]

The people searched for the three princes in every nook 

and corner of the city and the forest [Picture 9]

Contd...

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THE STORY OF TIGRESS IN

PAINTINGSAt last, they found the two princes in a forest, lamenting

the loss of their youngest brother [Picture 10]

They came back to their palace and lamented bitterly

when their family members came to know that Prince

Mahasattva really passed away [Picture 11]

Finally the King together with his queen and family

members performed his death rituals and erected a caitya

with his bone relics. This was the end of the story [Picture

12]

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Picture 5

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Picture 6

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Picture 7

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Picture 9

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Picture 10

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Picture 11

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Picture 12

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CONCLUSION

The Namo Buddha Mountain is considered a sacred andholy place because it was blessed by the Buddha

Sakyamuni.

The main stupa on the mountain is a symbol of the great

compassion of a Great Being (Skt: Mahasattva) which

can pacify the turmoil of the world and stirs the mind of 

whoever hears this story.

When the Mahasattva gave his body to the tigress he

expressed this altruistic wish: “Through the merit of 

completely giving my body, may I, in future times for 

eons utterly beyond thought, perform the deeds of 

Buddhas for sentient beings.”

Contd...

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CONCLUSION

It is said that when this wish was made, countless beings,including gods and humans, generated the altruistic

intention for supreme and perfect enlightenment.

this is the reason for revealing this stupa here.

THE END