Recycle oneself? Green Buddhism?

(all photos sourced from Bing Images)

According to - in very brief - Buddha we are constantly recycling ourselves.
The Green in Buddhism!
Buddha is green at Wat Suthep, Thailand!

We never die.
We just keep on being "one among ones".
If one is a true Buddhist, that is!

Others, who don't believe that, still insist on being the one, the only, the most special!

Yes, yes I know.. this is not the real Buddhism.
But these ideas sorta struck my funny bone at the lecture on Saturday afternoon.

On one hand, Buddha 'preaches' (for want of a better word) love and tolerance.
Abhors violence, and yet there are paintings from Tibet of a 'terminator of  exterminators'
(A kinda Arnold Sch. if you will, or the bogeyman of Western folklore, or the Golem?)
And one of which is said to have been a pretty woman.
She,  according to tales told, wanted to stop her fierce Mongol hubby from beheading his captives.
so she brings out their children. And swears he'll have to kill her and them, too.
But he does not heed her, and keeps on killing. \
So, in a "I'll show you mode" she tears the kids apart in front of him.
Too late, hubby, with the atoning!
Nice Lady, eh?

A cousin to Medea, perhaps?
I did wonder if the Medea lore brought to India by Alexander, the Great,  inspired Buddha to turn it into a warning. As the lot of demons may be - just that - warnings to be good - thou shalt not kill!
Although, they do look very fierce!
To scare some sense into us??
If so, humankind has not learned its lesson well!
Slashings, smashings and killings have been and are still going on, and probably always will!

Tibetan Mandala

The lecturer discussed the 4 gates of Mandala in great detail as well.
From Wikipedia:" In many tantric mandalas, this aspect of separation and protection from the outer samsaric world is depicted by "the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the vajra circle, the circle with the eight tombs, the lotus circle." The ring of vajras forms a connected fence-like arrangement running around the perimeter of the outer mandala circle."

Modern Celtic Mandal

I do know that the "circle-of-life"design has meanings for folks and religions worldwide. But perhaps with lesser introspective aspect, less of the 'the more mandalas made the closer to the ideal' reason for making them.

Aztec Calendar

And the cathedrals use it for those gorgeous stained windows:
 here Strasbourg's

Folklore of demons and saviors the world over seems much alike.

Interesting that!  Slayers of dragons, Tibetan and Western Style!

For more on demons and Tibet, and Buddha:

Buddhism
Basic terms
Three Jewels Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Buddhahood Enlightenment Nirvana
People
Gautama Buddha Dalai Lama Bodhisattva Sangha
Schools
Theravada Mahayana Zen Vajrayana Nyingma Kagyu Sakya Gelug
Practices
study Dharma Meditation Metta

see some answers here 

Buddha Quotes:
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell".

"There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind".
...................and in a nutshell some basics in the chart to the right!