Buddha Image Research Articles

Book Reviews : Images of Buddha and Christ

Book Reviews : Images of Buddha and Christ

Engineering geology study of Lingquansi Cave Temple, People's Republic of China

The Lingquansi Cave Temple, in the Henan Province of China, is a cultural heritage relic of national importance. Exquisitely cut in the rock mass, the images of Buddha in low relief, the inscriptions and the Buddhist scriptures are all stone carving art treasures of the Sui Dynasty. The cave temple was constructed on intact and compacted crystalline limestone between the fifth and tenth centuries A.R. Heavy geological deterioration and other factors have resulted in various degrees of damage to the temple's grottoes and stone carvings over the centuries such that protection and renovation are urgently required. Dazhu Grotto and the biggest and best stone carvings are the main concerns of the engineering geological study discussed here. Detailed investigations of the nature of deterioration have been carried out and proposals for remedial/preservation works are presented.

About Looking at Buddha Images in Eastern India

Research Article| April 01 2001 About Looking at Buddha Images in Eastern India Janice Leoshko Janice Leoshko Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Archives of Asian Art (2001) 52 (1): 63–82. https://doi.org/10.1484/aaa.2001.0005 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Janice Leoshko; About Looking at Buddha Images in Eastern India. Archives of Asian Art 1 April 2001; 52 (1): 63–82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1484/aaa.2001.0005 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter Books & JournalsAll JournalsArchives of Asian Art Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © Asia Society2001 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal Issue Section: Articles You do not currently have access to this content.

Venerating the Buddha's Remains in Burma: From Solitary Practice to the Cultural Hegemony of Communities

The veneration of Buddha relics and images is a neglected, yet central organizing principle of Theravada culture and religious practice. My essay is informed by a historised understanding of Eliade's hierophany, a manifestation of a universal Buddhist sacred reality that defines and identifies cultural orders at the centers of local, historical contexts. I further rely on Bells' work on ritual and Gramsci's writings on hegemony to describe Burmese veneration of the Buddha's remains in diverse social and religious contexts. These range from the solitary practice, meditation and personal service in the Ananda mode to the Royal mode that defines social hierarchy in public rituals and expresses socioreligious aspirations of individuals and communities through culturally salient metaphors.

Absence of the Buddha image in early Buddhist art: toward its significance in comparative religion

Dr. Tanaka, for the first time explores the absence of the Buddha-image in early Buddhist art. Applying the motif of the empty throne, she undertakes a comparative study of Buddhism and other religions.

God Mothers, Good Mothers, Good Lovers, Godmothers: Gender Images in Thailand

The hit was typical in many ways. A gunman fired a nine-millimeter pistol into the car of Mass Communications Organization of Thailand chief Saengchai Sunthonwat, then fled with the driver on a waiting motorcycle. Two other members of the gang who had identified the victim also escaped. Due to the prominence of widely respected Saengchai, the police devoted a great deal of attention and resources to solving the crime. Ultimately, they traced the gunmen, who led them to the alleged mastermind. The assassination, according to police, was the result of a conflict of interest in the granting of concessions for provincial radio stations. When the accused mastermind had offered Saengchai a gift of an expensive gold chain and a valuable Buddha image to smooth relations, Saengchai refused the offer. He further insulted the mastermind by saying that the gift would only be good enough for his dog. This insult, as much as the loss of income, lay behind the killing. Although the hit was typical in many ways, two things, beyond the tragic death of a good man, make this killing academically interesting. First, the alleged mastermind was not a godfather but a godmother. Second, the press paid no attention to the fact that the culprit was a woman. In almost every reference, the word “godfather” could have been substituted for “godmother” with no change in meaning or inference.

Images, miracles, and authority in Asian religious traditions

Introduction: Miracles as Social Acts (Richard H. Davis. ) Expected Miracles: The Unsurprisingly Miraculous Nature of Buddhist Images and Relics (Robert L. Brown. ) The Miraculous Buddha Image: Portrait, God, or Object? (R. L. Brown. ) Divine Delicacies: Monks, Images, and Miracles in the Contest between Jainism and Buddhism (Phyllis Granoff. ) Miraculous Abhiseka: Miracle and Authority in a South Indian Non-brahmin Lineage ( K. I. Koppedrayer. ) The Jina Bleeds: Threats to the Faith and the Rescue of the Faithful in Medieval Jain Stories (P. Granoff. ) Changing Roles for Miraculous Images in Medieval Chinese Buddhism: A Study of the Miracle Image Section in Daoxuans Ji shenzhou (Koichi Shinohara. ) Dynastic Politics and Miraculous Images: The Example of Zhuli (544623) of the Changlesi Temple in Yangzhou (K. Shinohara. ) The Relication of Miraculous Icons: The Zenkoji Amida Triad and the Seiryoji Shaka (Donald F. McCallum.)

Buddha Loves Me! This I Know, for the Dharma Tells Me So

So much of the religious life these days seems to me to be characterized by a lack of imagination. In my Christian tradition, for example, I see too few of us stepping up to the challenge of what could be done in the world in the name of our faith. Too many of us seem content to artistically describe a vision, or worse, to reduce everything to the politically possible. I suspect my own tradition in this regard is not unlike other traditions. Occasionally I see glimmers: Mother Theresa in Calcutta, Dr. Rahula in class. But mostly I find myself thirsty for someone to set the crossbar a notch or two higherjust to see if we might be able to jump over. When I look at my Buddha image, I see a man who gave up everything to follow his lust for truth; who never gave up on seeking truth even when it seemed nowhere to be found; who worked tirelessly for the well-being of all. And I look at the Buddha's face, so peaceful and content, in the midst of doing what most of us view as impossible. And I am inspired. My view of the Buddha? It is one part scholarly respect, one part practical gratitude, one part pure inspiration. I couldn't think more highly of anyone.

Misreading and re-reading: interpretation in comparative religion

Religion should no longer only be equated with a doctrine or philosophy which, although important, is but one aspect or dimension of the phenomenon religion. Apart from presenting the intellectual or rational aspects of Buddhism, we should aim at a balanced view by also focusing on the mythical or narrative axioms of the Buddhist doctrines, as well as on the practical and ritual, the experiential and emotional, the ethical and legal, the social and institutional, and the material and artistic dimensions of the religious phenomenon known as Buddhism. This will help us to arrive at a balanced, unbiased and holistic conception of the subject matter. We must be careful not to impose the ethnocentric conceptions of our time, or to fall into the trap of reductionism, or to project our own idiosyncratic or personal beliefs onto the subject of our research. For example, according to Marco Polo, the Sinhalese Buddhists were 'idolaters', in other words worshippers of idols. This interpretation of the Sinhalese custom of placing offerings such as flowers, incense and lights before the Buddha image is quite understandable, because it is one of the most conspicuous feature of Sinhalese Buddhism even today. However, in conceiving of Buddhists as 'idolaters', Polo was uncritically using the concept of the then prevailing ethnocentric Christian discourse, by which the worshippers of other religions used idols, images or representations of God or the divine as objects of worship, a false God, as it were. Christians, on the other hand, worshipped the only true God.

IDENTIFICATION OF URUSHI COATED FILMS TAKEN FROM ANCIENT BUDDHA IMAGES BY USING PIXE, FT-IR, AND ORGANIC ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

Six types of samples including urushi, urushi tree and black coating films taken from ancient Buddha images were examined by analyses of PIXE, organic element and FT-IR to identify with urushi another material. Based on the results of three analytical experiments above mentioned, the coating materials aging over hundreds of years were identified with weathered urushi films mixed with other material. Further investigation may reveal the urushi coating techniques used in the past.

The approach with analysis of physical movement to traditional performances, Hotoke-Mai

This research focused on the physical movements, which were the main expression media of traditional performances such as dance and sports, and tried to elucidate the spirit, which could be seen as one side of society and culture. It was common in anthropological research of traditional dances, sports, and events to explore an abstract idea from the outline information that surrounds the physical movement. This paper aimed to analyze the structure and function of the physical movement along the lines of the “black box” trend. Additionally, elucidation of the spirit from characteristic physical movements, that was extraction of the expressional intention, was a further aim.In order to approach such a subject, the traditional performance “Hotoke-Mai” was used as an example. Hotoke-Mai reflects the public spirit of Buddhism in the form of traditional dance.By the following viewpoints and methods, this paper analyzed seven Hotoke-Mai.I. The relative frequency of extraction patterns, and the whole composition of the movement element by body part.II. Moving phrases and stillness poses, and patterns of these combinations.III. Lines of physical movement in moving phrases.IV. The form of the dancers' hands.V. Formation changes the entire body, and direction of the individual body.As a result, the following things were found out. (1) With regard to overall tendencies of Hotoke-Mai, firstly, “limited patterns of movement repeated regularly”, where six moving patterns were made into a single composition, was seen. Secondly, quick rotational movement and jumping movement, which were dance movement frequently used by Japanese traditional performance, were not accepted. From these results, it was possible to interpret Hotoke-Mai as static dance.(2) It was possible to divide the dance into the Hotoke-Mai (A), characterized by upper limb movement, and the Hotoke-Mai (B), characterized by trunk movement. Each movement characteristic was as follows.(A) : a high center-of-gravity position, an erect body axis, the line of centripetal / curvilinear / circumductional of upper limbs, the pose of a specific hand, systematic formation change of the entire body and body directivity in all directions.(B) : a low center-of-gravity position, a flexional-extentional body axis, the line of the centrifugal / linear / swinging of trunk, nanba /henbai, the regular position, body directivity in four directions (90 degree conversions).(3) The characteristics of physical movement were interpreted as follows, and expressional intentions were extracted.The movement-characteristics of (A) were an erect body axis and a diversity of expression with the upper limbs. This was in line with the Japanese Buddha image, and in agreement with the characteristics of molding physical expression. In particular, it agreed with the pause of a specific hand, which could be regarded as a means of the in to express the concrete Buddha. That was, Hotoke-Mai (A) controlled the movement of the upper limbs, and was considered to direct an appearance of the Buddha effectively by making the movement of upper limbs concentrate the spectator's eye. Moreover, formation and physical directivity attained appreciation of all and could be said to hold strong spectator appeal. Therefore, the similar images of the “Buddha” would be interpreted as being expressed by physical movement as people visualize a statues or pictures of Buddha.There was a close resemblance between the movement characteristics of (B) and movements that bent and lengthened whole-body repeatedly, especially the trunk, as in the case of worshipping God or Buddha. It was considered that these were symbolically expressing magic-acts, such as hairei, harai, and shizume. Moreover, the formation and physical directivity could be

Repair of Cast Iron Buddhist Images in Japan

Repair of Cast Iron Buddhist Images in Japan

When Is The Buddha Not the Buddha? The Hindu/Buddhist Battle over BodhgayA and Its Buddha Image

When Is The Buddha Not the Buddha? The Hindu/Buddhist Battle over BodhgayÄ and Its Buddha Image Get access Jacob N. Kinnard Jacob N. Kinnard Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 66, Issue 4, WINTER 1998, Pages 817–839, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/66.4.817 Published: 01 December 1998

La pagoda budista en los templos japoneses

The buddhist Pagoda has its origin in the Indian Stupa. The Stupa is a funeral mound in the shape of a hemisphere. It already existed in the ancient cosmic religion, and was later accepted by the Buddhist iconography in order to keep the relics of the historical Buddha. The Pagoda, in the Buddhist temples of Japan, was getting the most important place, as the Stupa had in its origins. The Stupa is a symbol ofthe Buddha, and was located in the very centre pf the temple compound. But, little by little, it was giving its place to the main sanctuary where the Buddhist images were located.

The Rabbit on the Face of the Moon: Mythology in the Mesoamerican Tradition

Eighteen essays provide an accessible, entertaining look into a system of millennia-old legends and beliefs.Mythology is one of the great creations of humankind. It forms the core of sacred books and reflects the deepest preoccupations of human beings, their most intimate secrets, their glories, and their infamies.In 1990, Alfredo Lopez Austin, one of the foremost scholars of ancient Mesoamerican thought, began a series of essays about mythology in the Mesoamerican tradition, published in Mexico Indigena. Although his articles were written for general readers, they were also intended to engage specialists. They span a divers subject matter: myths and names, eclipses, stars, left and right, Mexican origins, Aztec incantations, animals, and the incorporation of Christian elements into the living mythologies of Mexico. The title essay relates the Mesoamerican myth explaining why there is a rabbit o the moon's face to a Buddhist image and suggests the importance of the profound mythical concepts presented by each image.The eighteen essays in this volume are unified by their basis in Mesoamerican tradition and provide an accessible, entertaining look into a system of millennia-old legends and beliefs.

Buddhist images in action: Five stories from the Tang

Cette étude prend comme points de repère deux livres récemment publiés — Mantras et mandarins (Paris, 1996), du regretté Michel Strickmann, et Religious experience and lay society in T'ang China (Cambridge, 1995), du présent auteur. Le premier ouvrage présente une vision ésotérique de la culture du rituel bouddhique sous la Chine des Tang; le second une vue exotérique de la culture religieuse dans son ensemble. Le premier puise ses documents dans les textes rituels du canon bouddhique; le second se base sur un recueil d'anecdotes compilé par un fonctionnaire de province du VIIIe siècle. Le présent article examine cinq récits supplémentaires du même recueil Guang yi ji, lesquels ont pour sujet des icônes bouddhiques. Leur analyse fait ressortir un contraste très net par rapport aux procédés liturgiques et à la théologie étudiés par Strickmann. Les icônes bouddhiques y sont représentées comme des outils puissants capable de protéger toute personne assez riche et pieuse pour les avoir fait réaliser. Dans le monde matériel ces images exercent leur pouvoir sur les forces de la nature; dans l'autre monde, elles influent sur les autorités judiciaires. L'argent et les soins investis dans leur fabrication sont remboursés en fidélité personnelle. L'action des images n'attend pas de procédés rituels pour se manifester: elles peuvent être efficaces même inachevées, voire à l'état de simple intention dans l'esprit du commanditaire. La théologie sous-jacente ici reflète le système séculaire des cultes sacrificiels en Chine : les dons offerts avec sincérité parviennent à vaincre la colère du dieu et à assurer sa protection en temps de besoin; affronts et outrages sont vengés dans le sang. Le dernier récit présente la vision surnaturelle d'une statue de bronze articulée, capable d'effectuer des mouvements spontanés de la tête et des extrémités — cas à verser au dossier encore diffus des icônes articulées en Chine.

Jesus in the World of Religions a Preliminary Plotting of a Route Map

AbstractIn a comparative study the issue is raised about the relationship between the construction of the saviour-image in Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. The historical links between these traditions are highlighted and then the article proceeds to argue that when compared, the projections of the images of Jesus and Buddha, Jesus and Zoroaster and Jesus and Krishna exhibit a high degree of similarity. In the process questions are asked about the nature of religion and the value of comparative study.

The Buddha image: its origin and development

The Buddha image: its origin and development

Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism under Colonialism

This is a critical history of the study of Buddhism in the West, bringing the insights of colonial and post-colonial cultural studies to bear on this field. After an overview of the origins of Buddhist studies in the early 19th century, the essays focus on important curators of the Buddha, such as Aurel Stein, D.T. Suzuki and Carl Jung. The essays discuss many of the important social, political and cultural conditions that have shaped the course of Buddhist studies for more than a century. Contributors Charles Hallisey, Gustavo Benavides, Stanley Abe, Luis Gomez, Robert Sharf and Donald Lopez challenge some of the most enduring ideas in Buddhist studies: that Zen Buddhism is, above all, an experience; that Tibetan Buddhism is polluted, or pristine; that the Buddha image is of Greek or Roman origin; and that the classical text supersedes the vernacular, as the manuscript supersedes the informant.

Dialogue and Synthesis: Sot'aesan's Perspective and Examples

The author explores three issues: (1) how Sot'aesan's (founder of Won Buddhist) dialogical and synthetical methods work by showing concrete examples of his encounters with other religious traditions, mainly three Eastern religious traditions-Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism; (2) how Sot'aesan synthesizes the Christian dimension of faith into a non-theistic tradition of the East since Sot'aesan encountered Christian believers on several occasions; and (3) issues that might derive from the further expansion of Sot'aesan's perspective in the multireligious context of the world. Let me begin by defining five terms. Won Buddhism: Won means in Korean, a symbol of Buddha's cosmic body (Dharmakaya), the enlightened nature of all sentient beings, and the noumenal nature of all beings in the universe. Buddhism means a religion of enlightenment. Won Buddhism thus teaches how to be enlightened to the truth that the whole universe is nohe other than the manifestation of Buddha's cosmic body, the enlightened nature of all sentient beings and the noumenal nature of all beings in the universe. Sot'aesan: the founder of Won Buddhism. Pak, Chungbin is his full name and Sot'aesan is his Dharma name. He was born on May 5, 1891, accomplished the great awakening at the age of twenty-six after twenty years' incessant search for Truth, founded the Won Buddhist order in order to deliver people of the contemporary world enslaved by materialism due to the loss of spiritual power, and passed away at the age of fifty-three on June 1, 1943, after a twenty-eight year mission. Il-Won: unitary circle representing Dharmakaya Buddha. The figure of IIWon (0, or Il-Won-Sang) is enshrined in the Won Buddhist Temple, instead of Buddha's images, namely Nirmanakaya Buddha. Eun: grace or beneficence, representing Sot'aesan's reformulation of the Buddhist concept of causal dependent origination. Sot'aesan defines the funBuddhist-Christian Studies 17 (1997). ? by University of Hawai'i Press. All rights reserved. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.57 on Thu, 08 Sep 2016 05:17:06 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms