I will be concentrating this art paper on monasteries, particularly Buddhist monasteries. Monasteries are beautiful, often very complex, buildings that comprise the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics. Monasteries generally include a place reserved for prayer such as a chapel, church, or temple. And even more particularly, I will concentrate on more of a temple rather than a monastery but one that could be considered both: the Borobudur. The Borobudur is located on the Indonesian island of Java. The Borobudur is the largest, most famous Buddhist temple in the world. This gorgeous, intricate temple was build over a time period of 75 years, and was abandoned sometime in the 14th century but now is one of Indias most popular tourist attractions.
Modeled like a stepped pyramid, Borobudur is constructed of two million volcanic block stones and consists of six rectangular terraces crowned by three circular terraces. On the top platform, the main dome is enclosed by 72 Buddha statues. Borobudur is decorated with a total of 504 Buddha statues and more than 2,600 elaborately carved relief panels representing the teachings of Buddha and everyday life in ancient Java. The whole monument is constructed from dark grey andesite stone, which attracts a lot of heat upping the difficulty of climbing the temple as a adventuring tourist.
You can think of Borobudur as a very large teaching graphic reteaching the life story of the Buddha, his teachings and his progress towards Nirvana. In summary, over 2,700 reliefs tell four important sets of anecdotes in the form of carved illustrations and Sanskrit engravings on the temple. The first is the law of karma. These are mostly concealed by the post-original construction masking at the foot ...
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... dedication put into each little carving and sculpture; personally (my artist self) gives up if a project is taking too long because then I over analyze the piece and over work it, or I simply just get bored.
If I were particularly Buddhist, this would be one place I would worship to the highest extend. I could just imagine going to even the foot of the temple and feel spiritually active. If it was possible, maybe even do some yoga on the temple during sun rise. That would be amazing. All in all, I’m so happy I learned so much about the Borobudur, and it’s intricate details. I couldn’t have chosen a better piece of artwork to do my assignment on. I wish it was closer in distance, I would definitely make a trip out there to see the Borobudur. It’s beautiful.
Works Cited
"Borobudur." Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
The statue that will be the focus of this paper portrays the figure “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light.” Like many other statues of the Buddha, this Amida Buddha was portrayed to be deep in meditation, sitting cross-legged. A viewer could observe that the Amida Buddha is making a hand gesture while in deep meditation. These gestures, also known as “mudras,” are symbolic in the Buddhist religion, and they are used to convey certain ideas (O’Riley 70). In this case, the Amida Buddha is making the mudra of appeasement (“Amida”). More physical observations could be made by pointing out the “balanced form, divine features, and flowing drapery” (“Amida”) of the Amida Buddha. Those qualities represent the nature of the Buddha, revealing him as “transcendent, graceful, and compassionate” (“Amida”). Features common to other Buddha sculptures show up on this Amida Buddha, like the elongated earlobes, the mole on his forehead, and patterned hair. At first glance, the Am...
...eautiful scenes within the temple. It was very interesting to learn about specific interactions and lifestyles many Buddhists go through when at the temple and their perspectives on life. The location of the temple was one that really provided an atmosphere that was heavenly. The architecture and the buildings were meticulously built. The landscape was very beautiful and the atmosphere was very relaxing. I felt at peace and calm when I was at the temple. I also feel a step closer to understanding my culture.
Rathnasambhava, the Transcendent Buddha of the South. Tibet, 13th century C.E. Mineral pigments on cotton cloth, height 361/2”. Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
...tues being so near. From the Sui dynasty (581-618), the “Quan Yin” statue reminded me of the readings in class about Red Azalea. I have always thought that this was a female saint; however, after seeing and observing it, maybe I’m wrong. Another place in the museum that evoked my feelings was the Japanese collection. The Japanese Buddhas were mentally more lifelike, because of the details of the color in the eyes. One could mistake some of them for demons and evil beings. However, they are all doers of good for mankind. The Japanese exhibit felt like a place of court where people came in to be cleansed, forgiven and punished after their evil deeds. Overall, my learning experience has taken me to a higher level of understanding that diversity within the same beliefs in Buddhism are mainly different by the way they migrated and the way Buddha is represented in the features and looks in another culture. However, whatever the culture might be, the teachings of Buddha are all shared and learned the same way:
My theme of my visual essay is the Dome of the Rock and the controversy that surrounds it. The images for my visual essay are arranged in the order through which I plan to write my final research paper. The Dome of the rock is a 7th century building located in Jerusalem at the visual center of a platform known as the Temple Mount (which is illustrated in the first image). The name of the original sponsor of the building was Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Malik in 691 C.E. (Grabar, The Dome of the Rock 62). The second image is intended to aid in the visualization of the Dome of the Rock, not as a mosque, but rather an Islamic shrine that was built over a sacred site. However, exactly which sacred site it is, is still up for debate. Three different religious traditions have significance associated with this site. I am curious to examine how the significance of the Dome of the Rock for each religious tradition effects how it is portrayed in religious art.
I was very nervous to visit the Hindu Mandir. However, once I got there, I saw how beautiful and amazing it really was. It was so beautiful that I thought that I was in a museum instead of a place of worship. It was absolutely nothing as I expected it to be at all. While I was in the Mandir, I felt a sense of honor and serenity and at peace while looking around at all the beautiful art. In addition, I learned many different things because of this visit about Hinduism. The visit made me learn things that I would have never learned if I did not go on the trip. I learned about what a Mandir is, a Mandir functions, the history of Hinduism, their beliefs, and their festival celebrations.
On Sunday, September 8, 2013, I visited the Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist temple of Miami in Homestead. Every Sunday, they present a meditation service in English for two hours from three to five in the afternoon. Once I parked, the place of ritual was conveniently located across the parking lot. There was a shoe rack outside of the temple. Before I came to this temple, I read the guidelines from their website. The requirements for new guests are to remove your shoes before entering inside. Therefore, when I saw the shoe rack, I was not in shock. I was relieved to see that the temple provided a neat spot to place shoes rather than having them scattered on the floor.
It is speculated that this anti-iconic symbolism was done in order to comply with Gautama’s wish that his physical form not be depicted after his passing, but there are no found scriptures known to prove this statement. On the east gate is a continuous narrative scene called “The Great Departure,” where Gautama departs on his journey for enlightenment (Chien). He is represented as an umbrella, a royal symbol, when seated on his horse and as footprints, which shows his physical impact on the world, when he dis-mounts his horse. The Buddha is represented as an umbrella on a shrine on the Western gate. Buddha sculptures have evolved over time in order to fit the changing views of Buddhism. The earliest styles for Buddhist sculpture are from the ancient civilizations of Mathura and Gandhara started the iconic phase of depicting Buddha. A seated Buddha statue from Mathura resembles traditional Indian images of male nature deities, has fearless hand gestures, and is characterized by a cranial protuberance, which shows his greater understanding of all things. These seated statues constitute of broad shoulders, a swelled chest, firmly planted legs, a shaven head, a smiling round face, and drapery that clings to the form of the body while leaving the right shoulder bare (Britannica). Other characteristics include “the right arm raised in
Deep within the trees little hooded men walk along a path to meditate and pray dressed in brown robes tied with nautical rope. They dwell in silence and live a life of celibacy. This is what most of think of when we hear the word monk. Throughout the years, monks have always been people of intrigue. They live a different lifestyle than most. They live a life of seclusion far from the mores of modern society, which often makes people ponder who these people really are and why they choose to participate in such a foreign religious movement. This paper will attempt to unravel the mysteries of this peculiar movement of by researching it's origin, the true meaning of a silent lives, and how key leaders have helped to develop it one of the most popular movements in the history of Christianity. A movement called Monasticism.
It is well known that the religions of Asia have spread across the continent and lingered within the culture of the land and the minds of their people. It can be seen how Taoist, Confucius, Hindu, and Buddhist thought have influenced Asia and its people. Buddhism especially has had a profound effect on the Asian world and even its close neighbors in the Middle East. Statues of the grandeur yet modest Buddha can been observed all over the continent. The Longmen Grottoes, the site of the Vairocana Buddha, is one example of a giant Buddha statue that has been erected in worship. Buddha statues were erected north of modern Afghanistan, north of Kabul, a place thought untouched by Buddhism. Unfortunately for that Afghanistan Buddha statue, it was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. These sites show the true expanding powers of Buddhism across Asia.
For my site visit reflection paper, I decided to visit the Thai Buddhist Temple in Homestead. The reason this particular site was my choice was because information acquired from the videos in lecture about tradition and Confucianism in Asia made me curious to learn more about the Buddhist way of life. Because so many South Eastern countries instantaneously adopted Buddhism from India and then China with open arms, I decided to make the visit in the morning to learn the reasons for the international success of this way of life. This would give me a more interactive comprehension of Buddhism.
People admired the overall concept of the religion and how it brought peace and enlightenment not only into their life, but the people that they are surrounded by. Many different artist began to create what they thought Buddha and how he, being the face of the religion, demonstrates how one can find these qualities in their life. Author of the book History of Chinese Philosophy, Bo Mou states that “....an affectionate concern for the well-being of one 's fellows in the community, society, or a state governed by a wise and virtuous ruler”, when referring to Buddha. In Seated Buddha, it can be mistaken that this sculpture does not posses a lot of great detail, but upon further inspection, it is obvious that it holds very detailed designs. This sculpture has a halo-type structure around the head of the Buddha and he is seated on an elevated surface. I believe that by placing the Buddha on this surface it then emphasizes his holiness and his importance to and in the community. One main feature that the Seated Buddha holds is the fact that he is seated in the lotus position, which ultimately was done to support the concept of peacefulness and calmness. The man has his right-hand open resting on his knee with his palm facing up. By doing this, I believe that the artist is showing the concept of openness and the idea of the Buddha figure being welcoming to others. The Seated Buddha is depicted with his eyes shut and a smile on his face. To me, this is showing that one can be happy regardless of what they can and cannot see and that you do not have to observe something in order to be happy. This can also mean that even if there is bad happening in the world, you can not look at the bad and just help others through their pain, which can then boost the amount of happiness that you
I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.
They were beautiful gold objects, shining bright as if they were just made or polished. I asked the Monk what they were and he his one word response was “Decoration”. One thing that struck out for me was the way that the monks sat. They sit with their legs crossed as if meditating. I also wondered why were they bald? I once read that monks shave their head and beard to show their commitment to the Holy Life (Brahmacariya) of one gone forth into the homeless life (buddhanet.net). Something else that I found interesting was the enormous Buddha statue in the middle. The main Buddha statue at Wat Buddharangsi is called Phrabuddhadhammachinaraj. According to the temple’s website, this statue was named after the original Buddha from the city of Phitsanulok. The statue is twenty-three feet in height, weighs around five tons, and costs close to or more than sixty thousand dollars (thaitemplemiami.com). I also learned the outside of the building has fig trees known as The Bodhi Tree. This tree plays an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Buddhists of Sri Lanka. Buddhists believe that the Bodhi trees possess magical powers, which no other tree in the world possesses” (srimahabodhi.org). To me this is interesting because not many people look at trees as anything important, especially in the realm of