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Ancient India and Indonesia: The Cosmic Mountains of Buddhism.

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Presentation on theme: "Ancient India and Indonesia: The Cosmic Mountains of Buddhism."— Presentation transcript:

1 Ancient India and Indonesia: The Cosmic Mountains of Buddhism

2

3 Animistic ReligionSpeculative Religion ShintoBuddhism explains relationship between human beings and nature explains human purpose on earth and the end for which humans beings must strive

4 Hinduism: Cycles of the transmigration of the soul (reincarnation) Goal: to become one with the World Soul once again Buddhism evolves out of Hinduism Buddhism: Enlightenment (nirvana) allows for early liberation from the cycles of transmigration

5 Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 BC ) 10 original brick stupas around India sheltering the Buddha’s relics Early Buddhists were itinerant ascetics The Buddha (“the Enlightened One”) Stupa at Vaishali, IndiaStupa at Sarnath, India 1.

6 I. Early Buddhism’s multiplication of sacred places = multiple centers of the world A. What was the rationale for erecting 40 “Pillars of Law”? Ashokan pillar next to one of 10 original stupasPillars erected by emperor Ashoka

7 Column at Besnagar in Madhya Pradesh, India, 1 st cen. B.C. cosmic axis boundary cosmicized (sacred) space chaos (profane) space I. B. How did the Ashokan pillars function as cosmic axes (apply Eliade’s theory)? 2.

8 II. Architectural monuments in a religion that renounced worldly and material comforts Great Stupa, Sanchi, India, 2 nd – 1 st century BC

9 II. A. Contexts of politics and religion 1. Why were there not stupa-centered monasteries before the 2 nd century BC ? Great Stupa in the Buddhist Monastery at Sanchi

10 II. A. 2. What purpose did stupas serve in the speculative religion of Buddhism?

11 Great Stupa B. Eliade’s concepts of sacred and profane space (cosmos vs. chaos; axis mundi) used to link the living essence of the Buddha (his body) to the cosmos II. B. Eliade’s concepts of sacred and profane space used to link the living essence of the Buddha (his body) to the cosmos II. B. 1. Where does the notion of a cosmic mountain find form and expression in the Great Stupa?

12 II. C. Ritual and design: How is the stupa a diagram of Buddhism that is used by individual believers? Great Stupa

13 II. C. Great Stupa

14 II. C. Great Stupa

15 II. C. Great Stupa

16 II. C. Great StupaGreat Stupa - upper vedika

17 II. C. Great Stupa Great Stupa’s cube railing (harmika), mast (yashti) and triple chattri

18 III. Buddhist architecture as a university to attain perfected wisdom (Bodhi) in Southeast Asia The Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia, 770-850

19 III. A. Context of politics and religion

20 III. B. What are the parts of the Borobudur and how do they differ from the Great Stupa at Sanchi? Great Stupa at SanchiThe Borobudur

21 III. B. 1. The earthly realm: geometry, sculpture (formal quality and content) The Borobudur: Four terraces of the earthly realm

22 III. B. 2. The celestial realm (ruphadhatu): geometry, stupas and sculpture (quality and content) The Borobudur: Three terraces of the earthly realm

23 III. B. 3. The world of formlessness (arupadhatu): how does architecture convey the world of formlessness? The Borobudur: the Great Stupa

24 III. C. Ritual and design: How is the Borobudur a diagram of Buddhism, used by individual believers to instill perfected wisdom (Bodhi)? The Borobudur

25 III. C. first square terracesecond square terrace The Borobudur: the Great Stupa

26 III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa first circular terrace

27 III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa circular terraces: miniature stupas with statues of the Buddha inside

28 III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa the Great Stupa

29 III. D. Eliade’s concepts of sacred and profane space (cosmos vs. chaos) used to link Buddhist wisdom to the cosmos 1. Where is the idea of a cosmic pillar (axis mundi) present? The Borobudur

30 III. D. 2. Where does the notion of a cosmic mountain find form in the Borobudur, and why is it square? The Borobudur

31 III. D. 3. Where does the profane end and the sacred begin at the Borobudur? The Borobudur


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