Transformation of Religious Symbol in Indian Buddhism: Reflections On Method From a Reading of Mus's Barabudur

Abstract

One half century ago Paul Mus engaged in an extensive investigation of the Javanese Buddhist monument Barabudur. In 1935 his labors bore fruit in a work of two volumes, the first of which outlines the history of Buddhism in India from what-some fifty years later-still may be considered an innovative perspective. Although much literature on Buddhism has been generated since, his work is nonetheless revolutionary.2 Mus wrote the history to give Barabudur an intelligible context. However, there is no doubt that his study of the monument, conversely, illumined his understanding of Indian religious history. From Mus's work on both archeology and history, an interdisciplinary method emerged that cast light on the morphology and development of religious symbols.3 It is no accident that Mus's pivotal insight regarding the history of Indian Buddhism involves the dynamic interaction between ritual and art. The monument is a microcosm of the Buddhist