The Swastika

Svastika, usually written swastika in English, is the Sanskrit word for a symbol in the form of a cross with its four ends bent at an angle of 90 degrees. The Pali equivalent is sovatthika. Although often associated with Nazism today, the svastika is a very old symbol and was used in ancient Mesopotamia, Pre-Colombian America, India, and China. It was probably originally meant to be a symbol of the sun. In Chinese art, the Buddha is often represented with a svastika in the center of his chest. This was an iconographic way of depicting the idea that the Buddha has a heart of radiance and light.

---A Guide to Buddhism A to Z, by S. Dhammika---