FA Art of the World Comparison between Indian representations of the Buddha and Chinese representations; Nepal; also Buddhist architecture in India

1. Buddhism
• Two
main
branches
of
Buddhism:
Mahayana
and
Theravada
• Mahayana
Buddhism
is
considered
the
“Northern
route”
and
encompasses
Central
Asia,
Nepal,
Tibet,
Bhutan,
China,
Korea,
Japan
and
Vietnam.
• Mahayana
Buddhism
focuses
more
on
BodhisaDvas,
enlightened
beings
who
remain
on
earth
unFl
all
are
enlightened.
All
are
called
to
become
bodhisaDvas
–
on
the
path
to
full
Buddhahood.
• Theravada
Buddhism
,
the
“southern
route,”
encompasses
Myanmar
(Burma),
Sri
Lanka,
Thailand,
Cambodia
and
Laos.
• Theravada
Buddhists
are
more
orthodox,
admiNng
only
the
oldest
of
Buddhist
texts
into
their
beliefs.
For
them,
bodhisaDvas
are
prior
incarnaFons
of
the
Buddha,
on
his
path
to
enlightenment.
• India,
the
homeland
of
Buddhism,
has
a
small
populaFon
of
Buddhists.

2. Spread of Buddhism

3. Cliff notes: History of Buddhism
• 566
–
486
BCE
Life
of
Siddhartha
Guatama,
historical
Buddha,
Lumbini,
Nepal
• 486
BCE
Buddhist
Canon
formalized
at
First
Buddhist
Council
• 272
–
231
BCE
Indian
Emperor
Ashoka
enthusiasFcally
embraces
Buddhism
&
builds
temples,
stupas;
his
son
Mahinda
spreads
Buddhism
to
Sri
Lanka
• Ca.
100
AD
Buddhism
established
in
Cambodia,
Vietnam,
Central
Asia
and
China
• Ca.
200
AD
Expansion
of
Buddhism
to
Burma,
Laos,
Indonesia.
• Ca.
300
AD
Buddhism
enters
Korea
• 538
AD
Buddhism
enters
Japan
and
quickly
becomes
state
religion.
• Ca.
900
AD
Buddhism
in
Thailand;
Islam
replaces
Buddhism
in
Central
Asia
• 1193
Muslims
conquer
Magadha,
heartland
of
Buddhism
in
India,
destroying
Buddhist
monasteries
and
universiFes
and
wiping
out
Buddhism
in
that
region.
• 15th
century
Dalai
Lama
lineage
begins
in
Tibet
• 17th
century
Zen
Buddhism
revived
and
thrives
in
Japan

4. Aniconic Buddha imagery
• IniFally,
Buddha
was
not
represented
by
the
human
form.
Footprints
(to
show
his
human
side),
an
empty
chair
or
throne,
or
empty
space
were
all
stand-­‐ins
for
Buddha.
Mara
aDacking
Buddha
(symbolized
by
empty
throne).
Ashoka
C.
300
BCE,
India

5. Attributes of Buddha
• Mudras
=
hand
gestures
which
signify
a
variety
of
aNtudes
and
purposes
• Elongated
earlobes
=
renunciaFon
of
earthly
riches
and
denial
of
greed
• There
are
a
total
of
32
major
lakshanas
including,
for
example,
hair
curls
turning
to
the
right.
One
of
the
most
important
is
the
Ushnisha
=
Head
bump
(someFmes
shown
as
a
bun)
signifies
enlightened
wisdom.
• Lotus
flower
–
grows
up
from
muck
at
boDom
of
a
pond,
symbolizing
the
spiritual
journey
to
rise
above
problems
to
find
enlightenment

6. Bodhisattvas
• Right:
BodhisaDva
Maitreya
(final
Buddha)
• Below:
BodhisaDva
Padmapani

7. Common mudras
• Abhaya
mudra
=
no
fear,
protecFon
• Dharmachakra
mudra
=
wheel
of
Dharma,
gesture
of
teaching
• Vitarka
mudra
=
discussion
and
transmission
of
Buddhist
teaching
• Dhyana
mudra
=
gesture
of
meditaFon
• Varada
mudra
=
offering,
welcome,
charity,
compassion
• Bhumisparsha
mudra
=
earth-­‐touching
gesture
which
depicts
Buddha’s
moment
of
enlightenment
and
vanquishing
of
the
temptaFon
of
demons;
the
transformaFon
of
anger
to
wisdom.

9. Gandharan
Buddha, ca.
100 AD
• Considered
the
oldest
extant
image
of
Buddha
• Tokyo
NaFonal
Museum
• Gandhara
=
Greco-­‐Roman
influence
daFng
from
conquest
of
region
by
Alexander
the
Great
• NaturalisFc
rendering
• Greek
style
toga,
ushnisha
becomes
a
hair
bun
• Buddha
Shakyamuni
(current
Buddha)

10. Gandharan
Buddha
Ca. 100-200 AD
• BriFsh
Museum
collecFon
• Carved
in
schist
(metamorphic
rock)
• Man-­‐bun
as
ushnisha;
elongated
ear
lobes;
Dharmachakra
mudra
(gesture
of
teaching)
recalls
Buddha’s
first
sermon
aoer
aDaining
enlightenment.

11. Mathura Buddha
ca. 470
• Red
sandstone
• Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art,
NYC
• Abhaya
mudra
(protecFon)
• Simple
monk
robes
• Robust
musculature
and
frontal
standing
pose
recall
warrior-­‐savior
figures
of
Kushan
period
(northwest
India,
100
BCE
-­‐
200
AD)

12. Mathura
Buddha, 82
AD
• Kimball
Art
Museum,
TX
• Carved
of
local
red
sandstone
• Indigenous
figural
style
(less
naturalisFc)
• Emphasis
on
grace
and
delight
(smile)
• Large
halo
=
diviinity
• Hands
and
feet
marked
with
lotus
and
wheel,
symbolizing
divinity
and
teaching.
• Same
style
and
some
aDributes
shared
with
Hinduism
and
Jainism

13. Gupta Buddha
Ca. 550 AD
• Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art,
NYC
• Bronze
• Mathura
influence
• ProporFons
reflect
aestheFc
canons
of
the
Fme
• Elegant
body,
stylized
hair

14. Buddhist architecture in India
• IniFally,
shrines
or
temples
followed
the
same
paDern
as
Hindu
temples:
square
inner
space
with
surrounding
pathway
with
colonnade.
• Spire
represented
Mount
Meru,
center
of
the
universe
and
home
of
the
deiFes.
• Viharas
are
Buddhist
monasteries.
• The
stupa
is
a
uniquely
Buddhist
structure,
originally
designed
to
hold
relics
of
the
Buddha.

15. Stupa (Sanskrit for “heap”)
• Early
stupas
were
simply
dirt
burial
mounds.
The
earliest
surviving
stupa
is
located
at
Sanchi,
India,
and
was
constructed
by
Ashoka,
Indian
emperor
who
converted
to
Buddhism
aoer
witnessing
the
carnage
caused
by
his
conquest
of
Kalinga
and
enthusiasFcally
converted
his
kingdom,
building
stupas
to
house
parts
of
the
historical
Buddha’s
remains
and
scaDering
pillars
throughout
his
kingdom.

16. Stupa at Sanchi ca. 200 BCE
• Oldest
stone
structure
in
India,
doubled
in
size
in
later
years.

17. Ashoka’s pillar at Lumbini (birthplace of
Buddha) ca.

18. Ashoka’s apology to village of
Kalinga

19. • Two
periods
of
construcFon:
300
–
100
BCE;
460
–
480
AD
• Considered
the
“finest
surviving
examples
of
Indian
art”
• They
include
stupas,
viharas
(monasteries),
shrines
and
temples:
approximately
30
in
total
• Dry
fresco
painFngs
survive
in
both
early
and
late
caves;
earliest
examples
of
Indian
painFng.
• Although
considered
early
manifestaFons
of
Mahayana
Buddhist
tradiFon,
the
Buddha
is
the
key
figure,
not
the
BodhisaDvas
–
only
a
few
are
depicted
at
Ajanta.

20. Aerial view of Ajanta caves

21. Ajanta Cave 1
• Cave
1
is
a
vihara
–
halls
for
prayer
and
living
for
monks;
• Note
individual
“cells”
around
central
space,
• sanctuary
at
rear
(image
above)

22. Ajanta Cave 1
The
Ajanta
cave
painFngs
mostly
reference
Jatakas,
or
“birth
stories”,
stories
about
the
various
lives
of
the
Buddha.

23. Cave 4 – ceiling painting

24. Cave 9 – early Chaitya (stupa hall)

26. Cave 26 – late chaitya

27. Reclining Buddha

29. Cave 4 – ceiling painting

30. Cave 4 – Buddha surrounded by Bodhisattvas

31. • Some
painFngs
from
various
caves

32. Buddhism in China
• Buddhism
entered
China
ca.
200
BCE
• China
and
India
traded
influences
unFl
11th
–
12th
century
when
Islam
took
over
India.
Aoer
that,
Tibet,
China,
Korea
and
Japan
became
world
centers
of
Buddhism.
• In
China,
Mahayana
Buddhism
embraced
more
than
the
“historical
Buddha”,
Siddharta
Guatama
(Buddha
Shakyamuni);
rather,
“celesFal
Buddhas”
and
BodhisaDvas
are
also
revered.
Between
300
–
900
AD,
2
branches
of
Chinese
Buddhism
developed:
Pure
Land
(based
on
devoFon
and
faith
as
the
path
to
enlightenment)
and
Chan
(Zen)
Buddhism
(based
on
meditaFon
and
mindfulness
during
daily
acFviFes).

33. Buddha Maitreya, 486 AD,
Northern Wei Dynasty

34. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
(Guanyin), ca. 550, N.Qi
dynasty
• Nearly
14
feet
tall,
sandstone
• Extreme
adornment
references
Central
Asian
and
Chinese
culture
of
the
Fme
• Alludes
to
passage
in
Lotus
Sutra

35. Avalokiteshvara
as Guan-yin
• Ca.
1025,
China
Contemporary
statue

36. Avalokiteshvara, China
• “Thousand-­‐armed”
Guanyin
• Guanyin
vowed
that
Should
He
ever
become
disheartened
in
saving
senFent
beings,
may
His
body
shaDer
into
a
thousand
pieces.”
Bao’en
Temple,
China
• hDps://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=OE-­‐jPFqvUTo

37. Qingzhou, Shandong Province site, 1996

38. Qingzhou Buddhist sculptures: What happened?
• 1996,
a
bulldozer
was
leveling
a
playing
field
in
Qingzhou,
Shandong
Province,
when
bits
of
statuary
started
turning
up.
• Archaeologists,
excavaFng
under
severe
Fme
restraints,
found
400+
Buddhist
statues,
all
broken,
daFng
between
529
–
577
AD.
(Northern
Wei,
Eastern
Wei
and
Northern
Qi
dynasFes.
• Statues
were
carefully
placed:
biggest
and
most
complete
in
the
middle,
surrounded
by
many
heads
of
Buddhas,
covered
by
remains
of
reed
mats.
• Among
the
sculptures
were
found
coins
and
poDery
daFng
to
the
early
12th
century.
What
does
it
all
mean??

39. • Earliest
dates
to
529
AD
• Note
flaDened
bodies
hidden
by
drapery
• Later
sculpture
shows
more
rounded
bodies.
• Which
is
the
older?

40. • In
pre-­‐modern
Fmes,
sculptures
were
usually
painted.
Bright
pigments
were
expensive
and
rare,
so
the
presence
of
dazzling
color
on
a
sculpture
reinforced
its
sancFty.
• Most
of
the
Qingzhou
sculptures
retain
some
pigment,
usually
in
several
layers,
indicaFng
that
they
were
regularly
repainted,
repaired
and
regilded.

41. BodhisaDva
Avalokiteshvara
• Northern
Qi
Dynasty,
550
–
557
AD
• Influenced
by
Gandhara
and
Mathuran
(Indian)
style
Buddhas

42. Some differences between Chinese
and Indian Buddhist sculpture:
• Typically
thin
bodies
and
thick
drapery
in
Chinese
Buddhas,
typical
of
Chinese
scholars
• Early
Chinese
Buddhas
are
formal
and
sFff,
with
no
sense
of
the
body
beneath
the
robe;
later
there
are
Indian
influences.
• Many
statues
of
elaborately
carved
and
ornamented
bodhisaDvas
in
China
• BodhisaDvas
of
ambiguous
gender
• Chinese
Buddhas
have
more
Chinese-­‐like
facial
features
• New
design
elements,
such
as
dragons

43. Which is Indian and which Chinese? Why?

44. Lichuan, ca. 1000 AD

45. Some
monks,
in
old
age,
self-­‐mummified
by
meditaFng
unFl
death
and
subsisFng
on
a
diet
of
wood,
seeds,
etc.
In
Japan,
there
was
a
custom
of
being
buried
alive
with
a
breathing
tube.
This
is
considered
by
many
to
be
a
travesty
of
the
Buddhist
belief
in
impermanence
but
these
monks
felt
it
would
hasten
their
achievement
of
ulFmate
enlightenment.
Now
outlawed
as
a
form
of
religious
suicide.

46. Tibetan Buddhism
• Buddhism
(Mahayana)
introduced
to
Tibet
ca.
600
AD,
and
named
state
religion
by
end
of
700s.
It
became
dominant
there
by
around
1100
AD.
• Major
stylisFc
influences
from
Nepal
and
China
but
by
1400
Tibet
had
developed
its
own
style.
• Sculptures
and
painFngs
considered
aids
for
Buddhist
meditaFon,
to
encourage
presence
of
divinity
in
mind
of
the
worshipper.
• Commissions
of
art
brought
merit
to
donor
as
well
as
all
senFent
beings,
reminding
all
that
they
too
can
achieve
enlightenment.

47. Panjara
Mahakala
• Painted
stone
• Late
1300s
• God
of
death
–
symbolic
destroyer
of
the
bodily
self;
god
of
jusFce
who
punished
transgressors
and
protects
the
righteous.
Holds
a
skull
cup
and
chopper,
balances
a
baton.

48. Tibetan Tanka
or Thangka
• Typical
Tibetan
manifestaFon
of
the
Buddha
–funcFons
include:
• Teaching
tool
• MeditaFon
aid
• Used
during
rituals
or
ceremonies
• decoraFve

49. hDp://www.mymodernmet.com/
profiles/blogs/Fbetan-­‐buddhist-­‐
monks-­‐sand-­‐art
• Very
large
scale
Thangka,
Tibet
• Photo
from
1938