The Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew Morakot) currently resides at Wat Phra Keow in Bangkok, Thailand, and has been there since 1784 (Diskul; Kislenko, 138). The statue sits high up in a glass case and only the King is able to touch the Buddha statue (Suksri). A very important ceremony occurs where the King cleans the Buddha and wipes away the dust in preparation to re-dress the statue (Roeder). The ceremony performed by the King involving the most sacred object in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha, for the well-being of the Thai nation, is the robe changing ceremony that occurs three times a year: March, the hot season, July, the rainy season, and November, the cool season (Roeder; Trainor, 126).
The Emerald Buddha is made of Jade or nephrite, but was originally covered with stucco until lightning struck reveling the Jade or nephrite underneath (Roeder; Suksri). “Close inspection is prohibited”, according to Naengnoi Suskri on the Asian Historical Website. The Buddha is seated in the virasana position where the right leg lays on the left leg (Roeder). The Buddha’s right had is laying is his left hand and both hands are facing up and resting in his lap (Roeder). There is a gold third eye on his face above his eyebrows (Roeder). To this day, its origin is unknown; however, it is believed to have magical powers to whoever possess it (Suksri). It is also believed that the Emerald Buddha has magical powers against evil spirits and disease (Roeder).
In 1782, King Rama I started the holiest shrine in Thailand that was to house the Emerald Buddha and it was finished in 1784 (Diskul; Kislenko, 106). The temple has three doors that face the sunrise and three doors that face the sunset (Kislenko, 106). The temple is filled with mural pain...
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Kislenko, Arne. "Architecture and Design." Culture and Customs of Thailand. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2004. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Kislenko, Arne. "Festivals and Fun." Culture and Customs of Thailand. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2004. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Kislenko, Arne. "Social Customs." Culture and Customs of Thailand. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2004. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Professor M.C. Subhadradis Diskul, . N.p.. Web. 10 Feb 2014. .
Roeder, E. n. page.
Suksri, Naengnoi, . N.p.. Web. 10 Feb 2014. .
Trainor, Kevin . Buddhism The Illustrated Guide. OXFORD, 2004. print.
The Buddha was and is an important figure in several different cultures, and his influence has spread over large areas. Across these different cultures, many forms of art portrayed him in different ways. In Japan, one of the Buddha’s titles stood out as the “Amida Buddha.” The statue that this paper will be detailing portrays “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light” (“Amida”). The statue is located in the Dayton Art Institute’s Japanese Art Gallery 105 with the acquisition number 1935.1. Created in the thirteenth century during the Kamakura period, this statue stands out in the Dayton Art Institute as a prominent Buddha figure. It is made of wood with lacquer and gilt, and it was built to be approximately the size of a normal person.
I arrived at the Hsi Lai Temple in the city of Hacienda Heights around 3:00 p.m. on March 7, 2014. Although I am Chinese, I have never been to this temple before because my family does not practice Buddhism. This is my first time collecting data about the His Lai Temple. This method is referred to as participant-observation which is, “the anthropological method of collecting data by living with another people, learning their language, and understanding their culture” (Arenson and Miller-Thayer 521). The temple is built on a hill top. After driving up the long hill into the parking lot, I found that before entering the temple, I walked up many stairs. In the brochure For Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, it said that the name Hsi Lai stands for “coming to the West”. The temple, which was founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, signifies the dedication of Taiwan’s largest Buddhist organizations called the Fo Guang Shan. It took ten years to build the temple and was completed in 1988. This $30 million Temple on 15 acres of land was financed by donations from Buddhist devotees from around the worlds.
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.
Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the area of Sonqo.
Edwardes, Michael. Ed. A Life of the Buddha - From a Burmese Manuscript. The Folio Society, London; 1959
I am going to compare two iconic statues from two distinct religions, Buddhism and Daoism. The Buddhist statue I have chosen to examine is the Giant Buddha at Leshan from the Tang Dynasty in China and the Daoist statue being the Laozi Statue from the Song Period in China. Both statues are in China and are large icons, yet intricate differences lie within the details of each statue that reveal major advances and philosophies from their times. Both religious statues have a being associated behind them; Siddharth Gautama being the Buddha from Buddhism and Laozi being the founder of Daoism.
"Basics of Buddhism." n.d. The Living Edens: Thailand. Public Broadcasting Service. Website. 6 March 2014. .
Buddhism was first introduced into Nara Japan through trade with Han China and reportedly, a few ambassadors from the Chinese imperial court appeared at the emperor’s palace one day bearing the finger bone of Buddha, among other gifts, to present as a gesture of goodwill in order to be allowed to spread their religio...
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Altarpiece Dedicated to Buddha Maitreya (Mile) [China] (38.158.1a-n). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
Chinese artwork is a form that contains and demonstrates many different meanings and morals that can be linked back to not only religion, but the overall meaning of life. This paper will discuss the sculpture titled Seated Buddha and how it represents peace, enlightenment, and the overall importance of how these two components influence the mindset of the people involved in the Buddhist religion. The Seated Buddha was created between the 5th and 6th century in China. The artist of this piece is unknown, but this does not hinder us at all from seeing what the artist was trying to portray through the different aspects that they included in the Seated Buddha sculpture. This piece is crafted from stone and a chisel was then used to create the
Buddhist art spread across Asian countries, as believers brought the existing art and principles with them. The religion evolved in each new place to fit the new societies, which influenced the way the Buddha and Buddhist principles were represented in art. Starting from Theravada Buddhism in India, the religion evolved into another main branch called Mahayana Buddhism, which is popular in China, Korea, and Japan. Throughout its history, Buddhism has been ever changing to include local beliefs and customs, and the combination of these local usages with imported beliefs and symbols is characteristic of Buddhist art throughout Asia. Each new offshoot of Buddhism has its own unique take on the symbolism and rituals used to represent the religion.
It will discuss the different types of dwellings throughout recorded human history from the perspective of how art and culture influences building design. This will fulfill my own curiosity to understand the different influences on homebuilding and design over the years and how people have dealt with these changes.
The architects are unknown. It was originally built as a Hindu temple and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple, which is built out of stone, is covered in relief carvings depicting different religious scenes, primarily from Mahabharata and Ramayana, which are popular stories in Hindu mythology. It is also surrounded by a moat on all sides. The temple was converted to a Buddhist temple in the 14th century CE.
Customs and traditions differ from one part of Nepal to another. A conglomeration lies in capital city Kathmandu where cultures are blending to form a national identity. Kathmandu Valley has served as the country’s cultural metropolis since the unification of Nepal in the 18th Century.A prominent factor in a Nepali’s everyday life is religion. Adding color to the lives of Nepalis are festivals the year round which they celebrate with much pomp and joy. Food plays an important role in the celebration of these festivals.