Along the street that leads to Duryu Park, in Daegu, Korea, a beautiful Buddhist temple shows these symbols: the ‘Swastika’; the ‘Three Buddhas’; the ‘Laughing Buddha’.
The swastika is a very ancient symbol. It can be found all over the world since time immemorial. If you have the chance to come to Sicily, go and visit the Villa Romana del Casale, in Piazza Armerina, dating back to almost two thousand years ago. Looking closely at the mosaics that depict scenes from Greek myths, you will see a swastika. It was considered a symbol of good luck. Hitler made from it the flag of his regime, but he rotated the swastika a bit. Apparently, the rotation of the symbol didn’t bring him good luck.
The ‘Three Buddhas’ symbolize the proper attitude toward evil. You should neither listen, nor speak, nor hear anything that is bad.
Finally, the ‘Laughing Buddha’ means not to be too serious in life and to avoid extremes. To live well, just laugh and be grateful for life. It is a way to get enlightenment!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)
– The Vibrations of Words (English version)
– Travels of the Mind (English version)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)
Ettore Grillo's Blog and Books 