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 …show more content…
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
Guanyin (Bodhisattva) (See Fig. 1 in Appendix) is an artefact, with Object Number of 2400, in the Honolulu Museum of Art. The medium, or material, of this sculpture of Guanyin is painted wood, and traces of pigment can still be seen on the sculpture. Its height is approximately 67 inches, or 170.2 centimeters. The origin of this sculpture is China, Northern Song (960-1126) or Tangut Xia (1038-1227). According to the museum, this sculptural art piece was purchased, or acquired, in 1927 from a renowned collection of Matsukata Kojiro, who passed away in 1950.
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).
Buddhist steles are typically large, stone carvings meant to act as markers in prominent locations, such as temples, crossroads, or other Buddhist sites, in order to promote Buddhism. This stele in particular, entitled Shakyamuni and Prabhutaratna, is carved stone, standing 19.7” high. The work was created in China during the Eastern Wei period, sometime around 500 CE, and features indications of the late 5th-early 6th century such as the two seated buddhas and the dense robes worn by the buddhas. For it’s age, the stele is in respectable condition. All of the figures can be discerned from one another and the only obvious wear is around the edges of the stele, predominately on the left hand side. This wear could be from the object being transported from one place to another throughout its history, or from followers touching the piece while admiring it.
This sculpture seems to epitomize the ideal male human form. All of the body parts seem perfectly proportioned and the muscles are beautifully defined as if the image were of an athlete. The image is youthful with a calm demeanor. The right missing forearm looks as if it used to be resting at his side, while the left elbow was probably at a 90 degree angle, with the hand holding something. The slight bend in the left leg gives the impression of movement, as if the image was frozen while walking. The counterpoised stance adds an air of nobility to the "man".
Christianity is one of the largest and most powerful religions in the world with Jesus Christ being the main figure that is most celebrated. Jesus is known to be a man of kindness and wisdom with a connection with his assumed father (God) that makes Christians want to follow his footsteps. Buddhism is a religion that may not actually be a religion as its guidelines do not highlight one true ruler but that there is divine wisdom in everyone. What has fascinated me is the parallels between the two religions that have few similarities in foundation have many in practices. Throughout this paper there will be explanation on what Christ consciousness truly is along with Buddha nature and how as different as they might seem in reality they are one and the same.
According to ancient traditions Buddha was mediating under a tree when he reached enlightenment which is defined as the perfect insight to the process of the universe, after this process he began to preach his beliefs to mass groups of people and began to attract a diverse audience (McKay, 2012). His teachings of concise human analysis and human condition were attractive to crowds as it was a change from the rigid social structure of North India at the time, it allowed people from every walks of life be accepted(Namgyal Monastery Institute).
Almost everybody I have ever met can recognize a Buddha statue, but few folks who I have ever associated with understand the meaning of the Buddha. Myself included was one of those folks blessed with such ignorance. When the term Buddha was brought up, all I thought about was the pudgy bellies of myself and fellow offensive lineman on my high school football team. Nirvana! Hey isn’t that one of the great rock bands of the early nineties? Right? In this paper, I will explain who the Buddha was and the deep meaning of the message that Prince Guatama preached.
Malcolm Brown’s photo from 1963 demonstrates enlightenment through altruistic behaviour. Steve-MCcurry’s 2004 photo explores gender roles and minimalistic roles in Buddhism and the commitment to its practice. The photo published in 2011 by anonymous source is an excellent example of the bodhisattva discipline, and demonstrates the importance of reincarnation in Buddhist culture. In comparing these three photos one can see similarities such as (insert text here). Although these photos share these similarities, there are different messages attributed to each photo such as (insert text here). Without the dedicated study of these Buddhist monks, the tasks occurring in each photo would not occur without their commitment to Buddhism. This commitment has driven these monks beyond laymen’s terms, and their advancement physically and spiritually has led to them being able to perform tasks such as those depicted in these three
The Giant Buddha of Leshan is a carving of a large Chinese Monk that resides in the mountain of Mount Emei that looks over three rivers, the Minjian, Dadu, Qingyi. However, the element that stands out is that the Buddha of Leshan is considered to be one of the largest statues in the world. The carving stands 233 feet tall and is roughly 92 feet wide, and even some people would say if the giant statue was not sitting it would be taller than the Statue of Liberty. However, when looking at the statue from my perspective, the artist and construction crew captures a sense of artistic beauty, hard work, and dedication. With his black spiraled curly hair, his broad grin, and his gazing eyes as the water from the river flows below his feet; the giant
Most works of art involving Buddha have features that are almost always there. Whenever a person sees Buddha, he always has most of the ten qualities or powers of a Buddha, described in Story of the Life of Buddha Shakyamuni. However there are thirty-two major characteristics and eight minor, among them is the eight-spoked lines on the soles and palms. The spot between Buddha’s eyebrows, sometimes calls the third eye or wisdom bump, is a mark of wisdom. The nose has a specific length like the ears have their own characteristics. The enlightenment-elevation on the top of the head, describe by old texts as emerging from the head of a saint, symbolize Buddha’s enlightenment and is a visible symbol of the “spiritual generative power that strives toward heaven and passes into the immaterial sphere.” (Buddhist Art: Perfect Proportions of a Buddha, Para. 3). The Yoga position stemming from the pre-Buddhist tradition in India hides the lower half of Buddha’s body, but show the divine meditating with the utmost concentration, soles visible. The image of Buddha expresses serenity and proportional beauty. These Measurements are laid out in the canon of Buddhist art, which corresponds to ideal physical proportions; each span has a twelve-finger breadth and has 9 breadths. If there is a background behind Buddha it usually depicts a halo around his head. For example, the Buddha in Buddhism: a Brief Introduction on page thirty-eight exhibits a fiery halo. The Buddha statue from the Art Institute is sitting in the lotus position, have the wisdom bump, and the hair is knotted on the top of the head. Also the Buddha would have had long ear lobes if they were not broken off. The long ear lobes seem to be a symbol of his wealth and that the fact that they are now longer filled shows that he renounced wealth. At the end of the story the Prince did just the he renounced his wealth and became Buddha.
In the Buddhist religion, they praise several gods that represent different things and increase their chances fortunate opportunities such as increased chances of wealth, good luck, and fertility. To praise these gods, they can worship and pray to them in their homes and at their places of worship called temples. These temples have a statue of the god and, in respect to these gods, their worshipers burn incense and pray to the god- often placing money below the statue for the monks. These temples are designed to symbolize the five elements; fire, air, earth, water, and wisdom. When praying to the gods there are mantras that are repeated a certain amount of times. To remember how many times to repeat these mantras there is a physical aid that
The Drowa Sangmo Mural and the portrait of Shantarakshita are both essential examples of Himalayan Buddhist art, telling stories not just of the literal history of Buddhism but also of the underlying cultural forces and religious meanings at play. Taking a closer look at the painting Shantarakshita and Scenes of His Life in Tibet and the Drowa Sangmo mural, it can be stated that the color scheme, proportion and scale of these objects are similar, but significant differences can be found in the form, hierarchy and composition of these objects which can be explained with disparity in the main themes of these objects and materials.
Art holds several tasks: education, honoring, or worship. “In Buddhist painting and sculpture, the Buddha is always represented with a countenance happy, serene, content and compassionate. Never a trace of suffering or agony or pain is to be seen. Buddhist art and architecture, Buddhist temples never give the impression of gloom or sorrow, but produce an atmosphere of calm and serene joy. Although there is suffering in life, a Buddhist should not be gloomy over it, should not be angry or impatient at it.” (Rahula, 47) In this way, art teaches Buddhists to embrace life in a realistic and adaptive manner. Not only does it educate, but art also purposely glorifies Buddha. One can perceive all of Buddha’s features, each intricately carved to prompt followers of Buddha to also want to attain enlightenment, just as he has. Buddhist art also emphasizes many symbols such as the swastika, lotus, or the dragon. Unfortunately, the swastika symbol was distorted by the Nazis, but it originally represented Buddha’s heart or good fortune, prosperity, and abundance. Lotuses symbolize purity and detachment from society and other saintly virtues. In Buddhism, dragons represent enlightenment or Nirvana. This is why they remain guardians to countless temples and roofs. Colors also play a significant symbolic role, especially in the colors that are used in a temple. Red symbolizes preservation and