Module 15: Sacred Landscapes of East and Southeast Asia

Mandala

A diagram composed of a circle within a square used as a meditative device

What is the first of the noble truths

Life is suffering

What is the second of the noble truths?

The cause of suffering is desire and ignorance

What is the third of the noble truths?

There is an end to suffering

What is the fourth of the noble truths?

Theres a path to free yourself from suffering

Shintoism

Indigenous animistic religion of Japan based on the worship of the spirits who resided in all the aspects of the natural world

Wabi-Sabi

a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that embraces simple rustic forms, age, and imperfections

What is the translation of Wabi?

Simplicity, simplified forms, and rusticity

What is the translation of Sabi?

An appreciation for the patina of age and imperfection

Mahayana Buddhism

The “greater vehicle” of Buddhism in which it is believed many people have the power to reach enlightenment

Bodhisattva

someone who has reached enlightenment but chosen to remain in this world and help others along the path; featured in the niches at the Temple of Borobudur

Kamadhatu

The sphere of desire

Rupadhatu

The sphere of forms

Arupadhatu

The sphere of formless

Stupa

Mounds erupted over bodies of deceased leaders

Anda

A hemispherical dome erected on the platform and symbolizing the universe; the mound of a stupa

Pradakshina Path

A raised path for procession around the Anda

Harmika

a cubic receptacle at the top of the dome, originally holding a relic of the Buddha

Chattra

Umbrella like form often multi tiered, was placed on top of the mast; the ancient Indian emblem of royalty

Vedika

the stone railing around the path of the pradakshina path symbolizing the wooden fences of the ancient Arayans

Torana gates

provided access to the sacred path at the cardinal points, modeled on wooden prototypes and covered with relics depicting scenes in the life of the Buddha and symbols of his doctrine

Ashokan Pillar

Sarnath, India, 250 BCE

Great Stupa

Sanchi, India, 100 CE

Songyue Pagoda

Dengfeng, China, 525 CE

Nanchan Temple

Shanxi, China, 780 CE

Temple of Borobudue

Central Java, Indonesia, 800 CE

Ise Shrine

Ise, Japan, 690 CE

Siddhartha Gautama

A prince who was born in the 6th century BCE in a small Nepalese town at the foot of the Himalayas, later known as THE BUDDHA or the Enlightened One

Ashoka

extended the Mauryan empire to include all of northern India during the middle of the 3rd century BC; converts to Buddhism in 263 BCE and is instrumental to its spread

T/F: A stupa is a dome, you can walk into it

False

The Songyue pagoda combines elements of what two forms?

the stupa and the Han Dynasty watchtowers