Buddhist Docu
Introduction to Buddhist Exploration
The presenter is starting an exploration of Buddhist art, architecture, and key teachings.
Visits to monasteries and temples in India, Japan, and China are planned.
The journey begins in Berkhamsted at the Amaravati Monastery.
The journey will cover places of Buddhist worship across two millennia.
Travel Itinerary
India: Great Stupa at Sanchi, cave temples at Ellora.
China: Longmen carvings, Big Buddha Hall at Chengdu.
Cambodia: Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom, a 12th-century monastery (Ta Prohm) reclaimed by the jungle.
Japan: Traditional temples, an unconventional modern Buddhist temple.
These locations are associated with a sacred tradition with around million followers.
Meeting Ajahn Sumedho at Amaravati Monastery
Ajahn Sumedho, in his 70s, holds a master's degree from Berkeley.
He was drawn to Buddhism after working for the US Peace Corps in Southeast Asia in the 1960s.
Amaravati Monastery is a center for Theravada Buddhism, which focuses on meditation, silence, and stillness.
The monastery was transformed from a former school and army base in the 1980s, with the meditation hall completed in 1999.
Design of the Meditation Hall
The design aimed to blend into the English countryside rather than being an exotic Asian building.
The architect was tasked to create a peaceful space to calm stressed individuals.
The resulting space is exceptionally still and quiet.
Buddhist Teaching on Busyness
Meditation is presented as a way to free oneself from the problem of habitual grasping and being trapped in patterns of obsessions, self-criticism, guilt, remorse, and worries, which is what stress is.
Hostage Experience and Meditation
The presenter shares his experience of being a hostage in the late 1980s where time in solitary confinement was an opportunity to meditate.
A guard suggested meditation, highlighting its potential benefits even in dire circumstances.
The presenter and his fellow hostages, including Brian Keenan and Terry Waite, discovered a need for solitude upon their return to freedom.
Mindfulness and Stillness
Buddhist teaching provides tools to transcend the thinking process through mindfulness.
The temple design aims to create stillness and silence.
Puja with chanting, dimmed lights, and candles around the figure of Buddha creates a sense of peace and calm.
Sanchi: A Buddhist Pilgrimage Site
Sanchi, in Central India, has been a site of Buddhist pilgrimage for over 2,000 years.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi is a central monument.
Stupas were originally burial mounds for the ashes and belongings of Buddha and his followers and became fundamental to Buddhist architecture.
Origins of Buddhism
Buddhism originates from Prince Siddhartha (6th century BCE), who became the enlightened Buddha after seeking the true path.
After his death, relics were divided among followers who built commemorative mounds (stupas) to house them.
The chatra (three parasols) on top of the stupa symbolizes high rank and honors the relics.
Emperor Ashoka and the Great Stupa
The stupa was commissioned in the 3rd century BCE by Emperor Ashoka after he embraced Buddhism.
The stupa's gateways with scenes from the Buddha's life were carved around 70 BCE.
Symbolic Depictions
At this time, the Buddha was represented symbolically with footprints, the lotus flower, and the wheel (wheel of Dharma).
Evolution of Buddhist Architecture
Buddhist architecture evolved from stupas to prayer halls, monasteries, and temples.
A temple from the 7th century has a Greek-like classical design.
The site shows activity until the 12th century, after which Buddhism's influence in India declined.
Ellora Caves: A Synthesis of Religions
The Ellora caves, located 30 kilometers from Aurangabad, are a temple complex created seven centuries after Sanchi.
The complex features 34 Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples carved from solid rock along a 2-kilometer escarpment.
Built between the 5th and 10th centuries, the Buddhist caves were constructed between 630 and 700 CE after many Hindu temples.
The coexistence of temples dedicated to different religions suggests religious tolerance in India.
Buddhist Vihara (Monastery) at Ellora
Cave 11 is a three-story Buddhist Vihara or monastery where monks lived and worshipped.
Each floor is adapted to a different level of spiritual attainment.
Images of the Buddha are abundant, indicating the acceptance of depicting him in human form.
Cave 10: Vishvakarma
Cave 10, known as Vishvakarma (architect of the gods), features carpentry details.
It is also known as a "carpenter's hut”.
The architecture showcases divine permanence, symbolizing the unity of the self and the divine in creation.
Chaitya Hall
Beyond the entrance is a Chaitya hall with a seated Buddha.
The hall features vaulting that mimics wooden architecture.
Behind the figure of Buddha is a stupa where the divine things of Lord Buddha are kept.
Circumambulation around the stupa symbolizes circumambulation of the whole world. Symbolism is a great element of Indian architecture
Buddhism Arrives in China
Buddhism arrived in China during the first century CE via trade routes from India, gaining official favor in Luoyang by the end of the fifth century.
The Longmen Caves
The Longmen caves, located outside Luoyang, stretch for over a kilometer along the Yi River.
There are over 1,000 caves with hundreds of thousands of Buddha depictions.
Construction began in 492 CE and continued for about 500 years.
In the early sixth century, about workers were employed.
Construction and Royal Patronage
The Tuoba Wei family, who followed Buddhism, initiated the construction of the Luoyang grottoes after moving the capital from Datong.
The location was chosen for its smooth rock surface and proximity to the capital.
Fengxian Temple
The main temple, Fengxian, features a 14-meter-high figure of the Buddha completed in 675 CE.
The statue is considered solemn, sacred, kind, and loving, with a mysterious smile earning it the nickname "Oriental Mona Lisa”.
The Buddha is accompanied by his attendants Ananda and Kasyapa, along with bodhisattvas.
Guyang Cave
Guyang Cave, built in 493, is the earliest cave at Longmen.
It features a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni with elegant features.
The walls contain mid-sized carvings commissioned by upper-class worshippers and smaller statues commissioned by working-class individuals, illustrating the society of that era.
Cultural Revolution and Damage
Many statues have been damaged, with heads broken or removed.
The Cultural Revolution of the 1960s led to zealous Maoists damaging the statues in rejection of China's superstitious past.
In the 20th century, parts of the Buddhist statues were stolen and taken to museums in America, Britain, Canada, France, and Japan.
Puning Temple at Chengde
Buddhism was banned under Chairman Mao but is now sanctioned by the state.
Sites damaged during the Cultural Revolution have been restored, including the Puning Temple at Chengde.
Dating from the Qing Dynasty (18th century), Puning Temple was built in 1755 by Emperor Qianlong to celebrate a victory in Tibet.
Puning means security, peace, harmony, and prosperity in Chinese.
The temple is dedicated to the harmony of peoples, combining Tibetan and Han Chinese architectural styles.
Guanyin Buddha
The temple houses the world’s largest gold-painted wooden Buddha, the Guanyin Buddha with 1,000 eyes and 1,000 hands.
The Guanyin Buddha symbolizes supreme wisdom.
The statue is 27 meters high, 50 meters around the waist, and weighs over 100 tons and is in the Book of World Records.
Guanyin is known as the one who hears the sound of the world, representing compassion.
Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple
Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century, was the capital of the Khmer empire.
At its center is the state temple, the Bayon, dedicated to the Buddha.
The faces on the gate towers may represent a bodhisattva or King Jayavarman VII.
The temple has over 271 faces on its 54 towers.
Rajavihara (Ta Prohm)
Rajavihara, now known as Ta Prohm, was built by King Jayavarman VII as a royal temple and monastery.
It was built from 1186 onwards. The royal monastery was built in honor of his family.
In its heyday, 12.5 thousand people lived and worshipped here.
It was abandoned to the jungle after the Khmer empire fell in the 15th century.
Archaeologists decided to leave Ta Prohm with its roots and trees as a concession to the picturesque and now the site is a truly magical place.
Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism came to Japan from China and Korea.
In 552, the Korean king gifted a bronze image of Buddha to the Japanese emperor.
The faith was initially embraced by fashion-conscious court circles for its intellectual appeal.
Todai-ji Temple in Nara
Nara, once the imperial capital in the 8th century, became a center of Buddhism.
Todai-ji features wooden buildings dating back 1,300 years.
The Great Buddha Hall, completed in 749 and restored in 1709, is a massive wooden structure.
Founded by Emperor Shomu, the Todai-ji Complex was a statement of political power.
In 743, he ordered the construction of a giant Buddha statue to protect the population and consolidate Nara's importance.
Great Buddha Hall
At over 50 meters high and nearly 60 meters long, the Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world.
The oldest part of the Buddha is the lotus flower pedestal and the area around the knees from the 8th century.
The bronze Buddha weighs about 500 tons.
Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto
Zen Buddhism came from China in the 12th century, emphasizing meditation over theoretical knowledge.
The temple's garden calms spirits and allows people to appreciate the moment.
The garden represents the ideal state of mind and heart that Zen strives for.
Elements of the Zen Garden
Earth: Represented by a square, symbolizing the land as the foundation of everything.
Water: Represented by a circle.
Fire: Represented by a triangle.
Wind: Represented by the air flowing all around.
Shingonshu Honpukuji (Water Temple) on Awaji Island
The water temple is designed by Tadao Ando.
It combines tradition with modern design, featuring geometric shapes and cast concrete.
The lily pond forms the roof of the temple.
Structure of the Temple
The complex sense that's woven in the outside and the inside of the building makes it hard to tell where one ends and other begins.
The vermilion red is an unexpected but welcomed shoe color as it gives off a different like it's inner sanctum.
A long walk around the outside of the central area promotes calmness and reflection.
Conclusion
Buddhism has moved beyond bustle, busyness, and everyday world.
Buddhism traveled from India to China, Korea, and Japan where it had a happy relationship with Shinto.