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Throughout history religions have always governed how one becomes a ruler or given the power to rule, what structures are important to the governments and how rulers should rule their respective states. The Christians had the “Divine Right”, Egyptians had their pharaohs being the human forms of good and some religions never had an exact ideal ruler or way to legitimize their ruler. However, when you examine the nature that existed between Buddhism and the state there are strong ties between the two. Buddhism, when it came to managing states, believed the Asokan Paradigm to be the perfect model of what their ruler should be; the rulers used stupas to explain how the state fits into the cosmography; lastly they used relics to justify their right …show more content…
Asoka is considered to be the paradigm of kingship in Buddhism. The reasons are numerous for why the Asokan paradigm of kingship is the most popular for Buddhist rulers, but we will take a look at three of the main reason: his relationship to Buddha, his lifestyle and his policies. To start with the stories of both King Asoka and Buddha share much of the same qualities. “If we compare the Buddha and Asoka legends, even the story of Asoka’s so-called conversion to Buddhism the pattern of the Buddha’s life story” (Swearer, 75). This is a very important point in why the Asokan Paradigm is the most popular model, this creates a direct connection between the Buddha and King Asoka, which creates a legitimization to his rule, policies and methods. Another reason that Asokan model, was that the policies and edicts that, were based on Buddhist principles, became extremely popular and supported the religion which helped to reinforce his rule. Along with this he was also a strong supporter of the monastic order, which made him and his policies even more popular since the monks supported his systems. An example of the one of the edicts was, rock edict number 7, where “he urges self-mastery, purity of heart, gratitude, and …show more content…
Stupas were seen as axial centers of both cosmos and kingdoms. They were esstantially a line directly from the cosmos or heavens to the physical lay world that is where we exist. This was a very important thing and made these structures important to people and especially Buddhist’s. Since these are so important, they were often built to “become emblems of a ritually based galactic polity linking subordinate states to dominant ones” (Swear, 77). It was this use of stupa’s that really made them popular and is why they became a major of state sponsored construction. An example of one a stupa and the cosmographic symbolism of it, is Sañci. First some background of the stupa is, it is located in the modern state of Maharashtra and is believed to be associated with Asoka; during 3rd century BCE to 10th century CE this stupa was a center of Buddhist learning and pilgrimage, along with being an edifice. The Sañci was constructed using very prototypical methods consisting “of three major parts: a mound or dome; a raised platform above the base of the dome used for circumambulation; and a stone balustrade encircling the mound at ground level. Gateways are located in the balustrade at the four cardinal directions” (Swearer, 80) One important thing to note here, and what it meant, is the gateways at the four cardinal directions. These were used for the cosmic symbolism of
Buddhism is a religion that teaches peace to all, so when King Asoka of the Mauryan Empire began practicing Buddhism, he ceased expanding the empire. Instead the government diverted its efforts towards creating a road system and building sculptures. Confucianism was based on the teachings of Confucius who preached the practice of “reverence [respect], generosity, truthfulness, diligence [industriousness], and kindness.” Because Wudi wanted his government employees to embody these qualities, Wudi set up schools that would teach these and had examinations for students for students based on these principles. This placed people of wealth
Asoka, an emperor born in 304 BC, earns the title as an “enlightened ruler.” He guarded his citizens during the Conquest of Kalinga by teaching them how to properly govern, and conquer land non-aggressively, which helped them become a conjoined country. During his reign, he did few malevolent things but he surpassed them with the positive deeds. Some of those accomplishments included providing services for the men he murdered, allowing the citizens who were to be killed to speak with their family, and laboring hard for his people and their futures.
There is no simple answer to this question, especially with the convoluted and entwining relationship between Buddhism and Wu, so we focus on how the religion assisted Wu in grasping power and its indispensable role in the Chinese economy. The close connection between government and religion is not a new concept to the Tang era as it has been well-established prior to its time, and it even survived long after. In the case of Buddhism and Empress Wu, the religion played a pivotal role in justifying her rule, which could explain her special interest in it. Among the Buddhists followers, she was identified as the bodhisattva Maitreya, which helped her gain a sense of legitimacy to her reign, especially in a male-dominant society (Smarr Feb. 17 2012). The association of Buddhism with Wu helped spur Wu’s benevolent policies towards the religion, who benefitted handsome...
The four quadrants and the central axis in the Middle-world could be drawn as a quincunx abstractly. Mayan constructed their houses with walls consisting of poles and woven branches and with roofs consisting with thatches leaves. The four poles at the four corners of the houses corresponded to the four cardinal direction, the fifth pole at the center of the houses, was identified as the tree which was regarded as the cosmic axis. Meanwhile, the quincunx was replicated on a human scale in the agricultural fields. Mayan farmers erected four poles at the corners of maize fields as a boundaries which circumscribed a green center full with ripening corn. While the ancient Mayan constructed altars for ch’a chak ceremonies to summon a rain deity to their fields, they built four posts which indicated the four cosmic supports and built a arches above the altar top to signify the cosmos, at the same time the surface of the altar meant the
Asoka was the founding father of India from 268 BC - 232 BC (his death), ruling the Mauryan empire over 2,000 years ago. He wanted to help spread a religion called Buddhism. Buddhism is a variety of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices. A way he did that was spreading out edicts. They were carved by missionaries, which are groups of people that spread royal messages or religious ideas. Some of which were spread were edicts. Edicts are carved royal messages serving as ancient-era billboards. They were written on pillars, boulders, and walls in different languages for the people. It helped them understand the principles along his rule.
Religion has a big influence on Mesopotamian and Japanese architecture. Mesopotamia shifts their religious views to the concept of having multiple gods looking over them. This same concept influenced the Mesopotamians to build massive, tall structures called Ziggurats. The purpose to the ziggurat’s design was to enable the community a way to become closer to the gods, essentially as a passageway between heaven and earth. Japan on the other hand, centralizes their beliefs around Buddhism, Shintoism, and Zen. Although Shintoism centralizes around the way of the gods, all three of these religions focus greater on the concepts of connecting with nature and not as much with the gods. Japans religious structures include temples and shrines designed
I did not find myself strongly sided with any of the four paradigms. I felt that findings from any of the paradigms could provide beneficial information in different areas of education research. Constructivist researchers focus on understanding the people and the world they are studying; transformative researchers focus their work on people facing social oppression; while pragmatic researchers use both quantitative and qualitative methods to research the questions they want answered.
Asoka’s conversion to Buddhism, affected with the help of his own teacher, Upragupta, was gradual. Even though he did little to change the system of government he inherited, he introduced a novel and powerful moral idealism, which was a moral rule or way of life in the Buddhist sense, as he understood it. He called this the “Law of Piety.” This law, though following the tenets of the Buddha, was distinct from them and peculiar to Asoka. It was to become one of the great turning points of the civilization of the East, having profound effects throughout the neighboring kingdoms, not least in
Stratton, E. (2002). The evolution of Indian stupa architecture in east Asia. New Delhi: Vedams.
The earliest sacred space was the stupa. When the Buddha was cremated, his ashes were placed under a mound at a crossroads and when it was removed, it was divided among a variety of Buddhist groups. Hardy states that different sources, say different numbers. Some say 8, some say 11, and others say it was 12 Buddhist groups. Each group is said to have enshrined their part of the Buddhas cremated body in a stupa. Legend says that king Ashoka divided the Buddha’s divided cremated body and distributed it to 84,000 stupas throughout his realm. Monuments were built to mark the Buddhas important moments. Some of the examples of the important moments of the Buddha are where the Buddha was born or where he gave his first sermon. Ashoka than started the ritual of making pilgrimage to these places. As time passed, large temples were built around the stupas. After some time, stupas were also being built to house the cremated or mummified body of a famous monk who died during deep meditation. What was built around the stupas are stone railings with carvings. The carvings tell the life of the Buddha and the Jataka Tales. When people walk around the railings, they are recreating the experiences of the events and make them feel like they are actually there. The Buddha is kept alive through these carvings and sacred places. Hardy also states that another form of sacred space is the mountain. She writes that there are legendary
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
...tures are built in the attempt to be noticed for their cultural significance but not as a main religious gathering place, and they both have spacious ambulatories for flow of spectators. Now in contrast of the two monuments, the pair have differences in their imagery, exterior as well as added spacing. The Dome of the Rock has mosaics on its exterior and interior and the mosaics are non representational. The overall shape of the temple is simply a dome on a octagonal base. However, San Vitale has multiple images of figures and animals but excludes it to only its interior. In addition, unlike the Dome of the Rock, its floor plan consists of a narthax, two towers, an apse and two chapels. By studying these monuments, it is possible to understand the importance of religious or cultural imagery as well as limiting materials for construction in these distinctive areas.
The end of the Geometric period resulted in the beginning of the Orientalizing Period, dated between 700-600 BC. Within this time frame, Greek introduced a new innovation, the Peripteral Temple. For many years prior, a row of colonnade was used on the interior primarily to hold up the roof of the building. In contrast, columns are seen being used on the outside, creating a visual wall around the building exposing parts of the interior. With in the temple existed the megaron style, carried forward from Bronze Age homes. It was also in eastern influenced period, the first real stone temples, and terra cotta roof tiles came to exist to hold the weight on these new stone temples. The population grew drastically, introducing new techniques and styles, which blended to form designs with balance and symmetry. It was during this period, two major Greek designs were developed, the Ionic and Doric order. (Pedley, 2012: pg. 180) The Doric order, being the first and most simple, consisted of baseless columns placed closely together as the Greeks did not know how much weight the shortened columns could hold. Reason behind this was the lack of length in the columns were believed to hold less weight and therefore forced into being placed closer together. This closely set arrangement created a very bold statement in the Doric temple. The Capital, which sat on top of the concaved shaped shaft, was left plain but when grouped alongside others, suggested a bold harmony. In contrast, the Ionic order was less bulky and more delicate than the Doric order. The top of the capital is decorated with two scrolls, also known as volutes, which could have resembled a shell or animal horns. Above the capital, held room for a surrounding frieze depictin...
When Ashoka, the Beloved of the Gods, first became king of the Mauryan Empire he was a cruel and savage ruler. Ashoka’s conquering of Kalinga lead to a hundred thousand deaths, not counting the death’s of his own men, nor all of the people who were inadvertently affected by this horrifying war. But, once Kalinga was annexed into the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka began to feel guilty for his actions, prompting him to adopt and spread the teachings of Buddhism, specifically that of the Dhamma (Thapar 255). This Buddhist teaching, which upheld order, called for an end to war and violence, as well as sacrifices and unnecessary festivals (Thapar 250). The Dhamm...
The Temple was very large and beautiful. My friend and I were both stunned by how gorgeously built the Mandir was. The buildings were big and stretched across several acres of the land. Next to the temple was another large building, which was used as a center for gatherings and entertainment purposes. The temple had many different entrances, the main one we noticed were the big steps ...