“Sunning of the Buddha” at China Monastery
Guo A huge Thangka bearing the image of the Buddha was unrolled to kick off an important Tibetan Buddhist gathering Saturday at Labrang Monastery in northwest China’s Gansu Province.
The annual “sunning of the Buddha” is one of the most important ceremonies at Labrang, an 18th-century monastery in Xiahe County, which is regarded as a top Tibetan Buddhism educational institution in China.
The ceremony, held each year on the 13th day of the first lunar month, was heralded by a team of escorts who, dressed in their best Tibetan costumes, welcomed the Buddha on horseback on the square in front of the monastery’s main hall.
At 10 a.m., nearly 100 lamas carried the Thangka scroll down the side of a back hill about 1 km from the monastery.
They were followed by throngs of devout Buddhists, some of whom had traveled from Sichuan and Qinghai provinces. Many people tried to touch the Thangka with their foreheads to pray for safety and good luck.
The 100-meter by 40-meter Thangka was unrolled at 10:30 a.m., when crowds of Buddhists prostrated on the ground, prayed and presented hadas, a traditional white ceremonial scarf.
The portrait was sunned for an hour before it was rolled up again for next year’s presentation.
The local government of Xiahe county said more than 30,000 people watched this year’s ceremony, including tourists from Germany and Austria.
Labrang Monastery, built in 1709, is home to more than 1,000 lamas and is one of six prestigious monasteries of the Gelugpa, also known as the Yellow Hat Sect, of Tibetan Buddhism.
The monastery serves as a religious center for more than 340,000 Tibetans in Gansu’s Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gannan, one of the country’s 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures known for its sprawling pastureland and a rooted Tibetan culture.
Buddha carved from pine tree swept away by March 11 tsunami unveiled in Kyoto
NANTAN, Kyoto — College students here have produced a replica of the famous Kiyomizu Temple’s Buddha from a pine tree swept away by the March 11 tsunami.
The statue, which still needs some finishing touches, was unveiled at the Nantan Municipal International Hall in Kyoto Prefecture on Feb. 4. Visitors offered prayers in front of the image.
Kyoto College of Traditional Arts was asked by Kiyomizu Temple chief priest Seihan Mori to produce a replica of Dainichi Nyorai’s seated image owned by the temple. The image has been designated as an important cultural property.
In August last year, students at the college began to produce the replica using a pine tree from the Iwate Prefecture city of Rikuzentakata, much of which was washed away by the tsunami. They visited Iwate and Miyagi prefectures and asked about 3,500 disaster victims to help chisel the wood.
According to the college, the students visited Rikuzentakata in late August.
At the time, an elderly man there told them, “I don’t feel like going to any festive event for disaster recovery, but I came here after hearing about the Buddha image.” He talked tearfully about his wife who lost in the tsunami.
An elderly woman also helped carve the statue with two young girls who were with her. “These children’s mother was washed away by the tsunami. I’m bringing them up,” she was quoted as telling the students.
In November last year, Bhutan’s Royal Couple added their carving efforts to the project when on a state visit to Japan.
Kyoko Mori, 64, who visited the Nantan Municipal International Hall to view the image said, “The Buddha looks gentle and will watch over everybody.”
Ryota Aoki, 25, a fourth-year student who participated in the production of the image, said, “I hope the statue will provide emotional support for disaster victims.”
The statue will be on display at the college from Feb. 10 to 19. It will be dedicated to Kiyomizu Temple this coming spring and be on regular display there.
Asia Week NY rolls out an 8-day extravaganza of gallery open houses and museum exhibitions
 Kapoor Galleries, 1015 Madison Avenue, will present “Images of Divinity,” works from India, Nepal, and Tibet showcasing paintings, bronzes, and stone sculpture of deities, demigods, and divine beings. |
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NEW YORK, NY.- For Asia Week New York starting on March 16, nearly three-dozen galleries will host simultaneous exhibitions to spotlight prized ancient, antique, and contemporary Asian artworks. International and Manhattan dealers will showcase an astonishing array of the best art from China, Japan, Korea, India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. The rarest and finest Asian examples of porcelain, jewelry, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, books, bronzes, prints, photographs, and jades constitute the rich offerings at the 33 specialist gallery presentations, some of which are being unveiled to the public for the first time. With each participating show open to the public, Asia Week New York is organized to welcome Asian Art enthusiasts from around the world.
Carrying forth a mission to celebrate and promote Asian art in New York City, Asia Week New York 2012 is presented through a collaboration of Asian art specialists, auction houses, museums, and Asian cultural institutions in the metropolitan New York area. In addition to the simultaneous Open Houses hosted by 33 art galleries, Asian art auctions will be held at Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle New York, iGavel, and Sotheby’s. At multiple locations, there will also be a variety of other special events related to Asian art, including lectures and symposia by leading experts in the field. “Asia Week New York demonstrates just how vital New York has become as a leading center for the Asian art market,” says Henry Howard-Sneyd, Chairman of Asia Week New York 2012 and Sotheby’s Chairman, Asian Art, Americas. “In partnership with the renowned cultural institutions and auction houses, the thirty-three participating galleries will offer a unique and extraordinary week of activities and events.” To launch Asia Week New York on March 16, there will be a private, by-invitation-only reception at The Morgan Library & Museum. “We are absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to host this year’s reception,” says the Morgan’s Director, William M. Griswold. “The Morgan Library and Museum’s collection holds many surprises, and these include a number of Asian manuscripts and works of art. To celebrate Asia Week New York, we are pleased to share with the public several of the Morgan’s fascinating but rarely seen Chinese objects.” Organized by category, Asia Week New York’s participating galleries are: CHINESE ANCIENT THOUGH CONTEMPORARY ART As a first-time participant, Chambers Fine Art, 522 West 19th Street, will show “Seven-Layered Shell.” Included in the exhibition are large-scale installations by Wu Jian’an, one of China’s most celebrated emerging artists. For his creations, Wu Jian’an uses thousands of cut-out forms derived from Chinese mythology. “Manifest Destiny” at China 2000 Fine Art, 434A East 75th Street, will feature, among other works, Abundance of Gourds, a hanging scroll. This large work by Shao Yixuan is a masterpiece of brushwork, rhythm, strength, and beauty, and is painted in his distinctive style. Shao Yixuan’s home in Beijing was once a noted gathering place in the 1920s for the most important artists, writers, and musicians of the time. The Chinese Porcelain Company, 475 Park Avenue, will exhibit “Transcending Reality: New Ink Paintings by Tai Xiangzhou,” showcasing the works of rising artist Tai Xiangzhou. A student of famed artist Liu Dan since 2006, Tai is well-known for his dedication to ancient papermaking and for his exclusive use of 18th-century ink. His deft command of materials is evident in his landscape paintings, in which he reveals the romance between ink and paper. Last year Tai showed in Beijing, New York, Wiesbaden, and at the Sackler Museum at Peking University. Joe-Hynn Yang, Courage & Joy, Inc., 3 East 66th Street, will present “Serene Glazes, Elegant Forms: A Select Exhibition of Early Chinese Ceramics.” The exhibition includes a pair of painted “Fat Ladies” pottery figures from the Tang Dynasty (617-906 AD). Figures of Tang nobility in the 7th and 8th centuries are often plump, an attribute that became fashionable at the Imperial Court because of the generous proportions of the Emperor’s favorite concubine. Paris-based Galerie Christian Deydier, exhibiting at Galerie Friedman Vallois, 27 East 67th Street, will present “Treasures from Ancient China IV: The Marcel and Chantal Gerbe Collection.” Included will be a selection of rare archaic bronze vessels from the Shang (1600-1111 BC) and Zhou (1111-265 BC) Dynasties, as well as some beautiful three-color-glaze terracotta figures from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). In a departure from its traditional focus on Chinese porcelains, bronzes and paintings, Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art, a new participant with its gallery at 724 Fifth Avenue, will present “In The Valley is Silence,” an exhibition of 24 photographs by Singapore photographer Wee Kheng-Li. Printed on Japanese rice paper specifically produced for archival digital printing and in a limited production run, the images bear the artist’s personal seal made of cinnabar paste. The photographs are mounted on traditional Japanese-size scrolls for hanging in a tokonoma, the alcove found in traditional Japanese homes. Shot with a Leica M8 digital camera, the images were made in the Yanaka district, the oldest neighborhood in Tokyo. Showing at Mark Murray Gallery, 39 East 72nd Street, Michael C. Hughes LLC will present “Asian Art: Recent Acquisitions,” a number of exceptional and unique pieces ranging from the intimate to the monumental in size. This year, Hughes’ emphasis is on two-dimensional, rather than three-dimensional art, exemplified by a rare two-sided Indian painting, dating from the 17th century, with one side depicting a Muslim nobleman offering a greeting before an armed retinue. With its “Magnificent Obsessions: China and Japan” exhibition, Kaikodo, 74 East 79th Street, introduces uncommon and unique works to Asia Week, including a large archaic Chinese bronze from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. One of the most important pieces on view is The Ten Bamboo Studio, a rare three-volume set of first-edition pictorial leaves, dating to the Ming Dynasty. It is the most complete example known of the original edition, with all but one pictorial and one poetry leaf. The exhibition also includes an album of flowers, animals, and figures by Ogata Korin, one of the most significant Japanese artists of the 17th century. J. J. Lally & Co. Oriental Art, 41 East 57th Street, presents “Silver and Gold in Ancient China,” a collection of rare gold and silver vessels, jewelry and objects made for use by the elite, for tribute, and for Buddhist rituals. Over the centuries, war, natural disasters, economic troubles, and changes in fashion, all of these factors have taken their toll on silver and gold objects, most of which were lost, stolen, or melted down. Consequently, ancient Chinese silver and gold are far rarer than ancient Chinese ceramics, jade, or bronze. This exhibition is the largest of its type ever mounted in an American gallery. An exceptionally rare piece in the show is an elaborate openwork Buddhist stupa-form reliquary, which bears a dedicatory inscription as well as a Chinese reign date corresponding to 986 AD. Pace Prints, 32 East 57th Street, will present its inaugural Asia Week showing with “Chinese & Korean Contemporary Prints—Fang Lijun, Lee Ufan, Yue Minjun and More,” an exhibition of contemporary, limited-edition prints and multiples by 14 artists from China, Japan, and Korea. The featured piece will be The Grassland Series Woodcut 1, Diving Figure by leading Chinese artist Yue Minjun, and also included are woodcuts, known as ukiyo-e, by preeminent Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, and monoprints by Qin Feng. M. Sutherland Fine Arts Ltd., 55 East 80th Street, will highlight traditional media (ink and color wash on paper) for its exhibition: “Contemporary Chinese Ink Paintings,” a showcase that will be a Who’s Who of Chinese masters. Zhu Daoping, a Nanjing-based artist, is known for ethereal landscapes such as Enjoying the Scenery in the Autumn, which shows off his striking style of repetitive patterns of color and ink. As a master of the tarashikomi technique, Jia Youfu is esteemed for controlling color and ink as no other. Taking a modern perspective, Hsu Kuo-huang is known for mixing thousands of years of literary tradition for his amalgamations of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. London-based new participant Jonathan Tucker Antonia Tozer, exhibiting at Arader Galleries, 1016 Madison Avenue, will present “An Important Private Collection of Southeast Asian Bronzes and Chinese Tomb Sculptures.” A highlight will be a rare painted-pottery tripod vessel from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). The cylindrical body, which is raised on three conical supports and is encircled by a wide red band with traces of white pigment above and below, depicts acrobats doing handstands while balanced on the rim. The handle is formed by their joined feet. Zetterquist Galleries, 3 East 66th Street, Suite 1B, celebrates a milestone with its “Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: Sui-Yuan Dynasty Chinese Ceramics,” a special presentation of Chinese ceramics from the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) through the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD). Every piece in the exhibition represents the highest quality of its type and was selected for its rarity and beauty of form and surface. The purity and soulful radiance of the glazes rank among the highest achievements in art history. The exhibition will offer the public an opportunity to view rare and exquisite examples of celadons, Jun-wares, Ding-wares, and important Yue- and Guan-ware vases. INDIAN, HIMALAYAN, AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART Milan-based Dalton Somaré, showing at Pace Gallery, 32 East 57th Street, will exhibit “Images from the Hindu and Buddhist Pantheon,” which will include a large image of Vajrasattva from the 14th/15th century. The use of semiprecious stones and the graceful pose indicate that this elegant bronze was made by a Newari artist for a Tibetan patron. Arnold Lieberman Buddhist & Hindu Antiquities, 311 East 72nd Street, will showcase some exceptional recent acquisitions. Among them: A powerful Pala sculpture of Kurukulla; a colorful 13th-century thangka of Medicine Buddha; a sinuous red-stone apsara from 10th-century Rajastan; and an exquisite small painting of White Tara. There will be other distinctive objects as well, primarily from South Asia and the Himalayan regions. London-based Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd., 9 East 82nd Street, will present “Indian Painting, 1600-1870,” an exhibition that includes Bullocks Driving a Waterwheel to Irrigate a Garden, circa 1760. Painted in opaque watercolors on paper, it was created at the Guler Court in the Pahari Hills of the Himalayas and was formerly in the private collection of Carter Burden (1942-96) of New York City. An almost identical version of this painting is in the British Museum. John Eskenazi Ltd., from London and showing at Adams William Fine Art and Moretti Fine Art, 24 East 80th Street, will present outstanding sculpture with a “Recent Acquisitions” exhibition. A notable work will be a sublime terracotta head of the Buddha dating from the 4th/5th century. From Gandhara, the artwork was likely part of an elaborate temple tableau that purported to offer a devotee a glimpse of heaven. Exhibiting at Leslie Feely Fine Art, 33 East 68th Street, Francesca Galloway joins Asia Week from London and will show “Indian Miniatures & Courtly Objects: Recent Acquisitions.” The exhibition will feature depictions of yalis, mythological felines represented in various media and seen mainly in Hindu temples in South India as well as other parts of India. Behind the roughly cast iron yali—shown here grasping tiny elephants within its claws, tail and mouth—is a silk pane, thought to have been woven in East India in the 15th century. Kapoor Galleries, 1015 Madison Avenue, will present “Images of Divinity,” works from India, Nepal, and Tibet showcasing paintings, bronzes, and stone sculpture of deities, demigods, and divine beings. The theme of the show is divinity in its various forms, from Gods to hallowed emotions like love. Highlights from the show include the earliest known Nepalese paubha of a Vasudhara Mandala. This magnificent work is dated to 1365 and is signed by Jasaraja Jirila. Another masterpiece on view is a folio from the Gita Govinda series, attributed to a master of the first generation after Nainsukh, from the Kangra School, circa 1780. This lovely painting depicts Krishna and Radha in loving embrace amid a lush floral landscape near the banks of the Yamuna River. Both masterpieces come from the collection of the preeminent scholar Stuart Cary Welch. London-based Susan Ollemans Oriental Art, showing at this year at Valentina Gallery Inc., 960 Madison Avenue, will exhibit “A Jeweled World: Jeweled Objects from India, China, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia.” Headlining the show is a fine pair of gold anklets with shanks inlaid with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds in the Kundan style. The finials are a pair of tiger heads, which resemble those in Tipu Sultan’s court (1750-99). Carlton Rochell Asian Art, 121 East 71st Street, will hold an exhibition of 25 sculptures and paintings from India, Tibet, Nepal, and Cambodia at his new gallery location. “Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Works of Art” will draw from prestigious private collections in both the United States and Europe. Highlights include a double-sided, mottled-red sandstone Yakshi bracket from the 2nd century AD, as well as a majestic 10th-century Chola bronze from South India depicting Shiva as Chandrashekhara. A symbol of healing and fertility, Shiva is the Hindu deity who acts to renew and regenerate the spirit and the greater universe. Joining Asia Week from London and exhibiting at C. G. Boerner Gallery, 23 East 73rd Street, John Siudmak Asian Art will present “Indian and Himalayan Art,” featuring a brass Vajrasattva with copper and silver inlay, dating from the 11th century. Though Buddhist art in Kashmir was in decline at the end of the 10th century, heavy demand in Western Tibet led to its resurgence in monasteries like Ta-bo and Tholing, where it underwent modification owing to contact with Pala artists from Northeastern India. Most of the surviving art from these locations consists of wall paintings and painted clay images, making small-scale bronzes like this rather rare. Related to an important group of 11th-century Khmer bronzes—including works in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art and National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh—this rare kneeling-male figure from Nancy Wiener Gallery, 39 East 78th Street, embodies the highest level of Khmer bronze sculpture. Clothed in a pleated sampot, the figure displays a neck, upper arms, and wrists adorned with jewelry. The deeply incised eyes, eyebrows, and moustache likely once held silver and semi-precious stones. Seated in a posture suggesting the role of devotee, the figure has a plaited coiffure intricately entwined with jasmine blossoms and embellished with remnants of gold. Showing at the Tambaran Gallery, 12 East 82nd Street, Hong Kong-based Michael Woerner Oriental Art Ltd. will present “Recent Acquisitions,” which includes works from European and Asian private collections as well as sculpture and paintings from South and Southeast Asia. Highlights are a monumental limestone head of a Dvaravati Buddha, which is exceedingly rare on the market; a powerful bronze bell with a human face from the Dong-son Bronze Age culture; and a spectacular 18th/19th -century Indian pilgrimage map of Benares, acquired from a Swiss collection. JAPANESE AND KOREAN ANCIENT THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ART KooNewYork’s “Portraits & Pantheons in Korean Art” will be on view at Mark Murray Gallery, 39 East 72nd Street. The exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to see extraordinary portraits of late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910 AD) civil court officials, Buddhist priests, and deities. Assembled from various private Western collections and in their inaugural unveiling, these extant examples are rendered as full-length scrolls, album paintings, and wooden sculptures. Featured are Buddhist Guardian and Horse Deities, a colorful matching pair of Korean paintings on silk with gilt details, from the private collection of Jean and Ugo Tori. Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., 39 East 78th Street, will present “Approaching the Horizon: Important Japanese Prints from the Collection of Brewster Hanson,” an exhibition of particularly fine impressions. Among them: Some of the most coveted designs by Katsushika Hokusai, such as Amid a Waterfall on the Kisokaido, as well as masterworks by Hiroshige, Eisen, and Yoshitoshi. Assembled from acquisitions made around the world, the prints from this important collection are being offered for the first time ever. The Kang Collection, 9 East 82nd Street, will commemorate Asia Week New York with the exhibition “Divine Beauty: Buddhist Art of Korea,” which will focus on religious and spiritual artworks from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910 AD). Among approximately 25 artworks, the highlight of this show is Dragon Amid Clouds, from the late 19th century. The dragon represents the water deity who brings rain and thus an abundant harvest and who protects people from misfortune and disaster. Unlike dragons in the West, those of Asia are considered benevolent animals, a symbol both of the East and of rulers. Scholten Japanese Art, 145 West 58th Street, will exhibit “Sacred Sutras and Profane Pledges.” Among the offerings will be a number of woodblock prints that feature either poetry or references to poetic themes. At right is Haku-gire, attributed to Fujiwara no Tameie of the 13th-century Kamakura Period. It is an image from the “Koi Jo” chapter in Volume VII of a now-dispersed Kin’yo Wakashu (Collection of Golden Leaves). This exceptional piece is in ink on paper, embellished with silver, gold, and album leaf, and is mounted as a hanging scroll. Erik Thomsen, showing at his new gallery location at 23 East 67th Street, will present “Japanese Paintings: Screens and Scrolls from the 17th through the 20th Centuries,” an exhibition that includes Plovers Flying Over Waves by Suzuki Kinji. On a two-panel screen, Suzuki depicts chidori (plovers) flying over foamy waves, a classic motif usually depicted with the sun and with craggy rocks in a stormy sea. The scene references a poem in the famous poetry anthology Kokin Wakashū and uses the plovers flying over the ocean as a poetic allusion to the wish for a long rule. Kyoto-based Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art, located during Asia Week New York at Arader Galleries, 1016 Madison Avenue, will show “Sacred Traditions and Renewed Visions: Selections of Japanese Art.” The exhibition will feature traditional, early-Modern, and contemporary Japanese masterworks. Other items in the exhibition: Important Buddhist sculptures that represent Japan’s religious arts from the Heian to the Meiji Periods (12th to 19th centuries), including an eight-armed Benten crafted from hinoki wood and bearing pigments. There will also be outstanding screens and scroll paintings by renowned masters such as Matsumoto Sansetsu, Hon’ami Koetsu, Hakuin, Soga Shohaku, Nagasawa Rosetsu, and Shibata Zeshin, among others. Together featuring thousands of works of art, the diverse exhibitions during Asia Week New York 2012 will provide an exceptional opportunity to view and enjoy Asian art of the highest caliber. |
“Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism” at Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University
Rubin Museum of Art This Buddha Amitayus of 18th- century gilt copper alloy is part of the exhibit.
“Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism,” a beautiful exhibition at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, is an opportunity not only to learn about the mandala’s complex meanings and functions but also to enjoy the exquisite embodiment in paintings, sculptures and ritual objects. Organized by the Rubin Museum in New York, it spans the 8th century to the present.
Because the West is most familiar with tangkas, or paintings, of mandalas, it’s natural to assume that the mandala is an abstract diagram. But it is much more: the mandala is a (square) palace protected by circular walls and the fundamental structure of existence, replicated in the body, the community, the cosmos.
The large and richly embellished wooden model of the palace in the center of the first gallery brings this home immediately. Made by the monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India, with which Emory has a special relationship, it immediately recalibrates one’s reading of the rest of the work in the show. A computer animation in the next gallery provides a high-tech aid for good measure.
A 12th century copper sculpture in the shape of a lotus is another three-dimensional representation of the mandala. When the petals are closed, it resembles a bud, a symbol of potential. It is presented here with the petals open, so that you can see the nine small sculptures of siddhas, or masters, inside.
The exhibition stirs admiration for the craftsmanship and imagination of the artists who created these intricately detailed works and seem to apply the same care to each one, no matter how small or private.
One display features a densely carved 10-inch-square woodblock, the actual woodcut and the woodcut folded into a tiny amulet. It is bound with myriad strings arranged to create a colorful pattern.
But these objects are not intended to be art. They are aids to worship. Tantric Buddhism, the kind most commonly practiced in Tibet, is a teacher-guided meditative practice through which an individual seeks to dissolve the self and achieve a oneness with the infinite. Tangkas, for example, are visual prompts to be used during meditation.
Some are beatific. They help the practitioner imagine himself in a state of grace as a buddha (an enlightened being) in a palace surrounded by fellow buddhas and deities. Others are quite horrific. Intended to aid one in overcoming base emotions, they depict wrathful deities in mandalas whose rings of intestines encircle a flayed skin of a human body. Talk about confronting your demons.
The idea of the mandala as the fundamental structure of the universe suggests the interrelatedness of all things. It speaks to something common to all religions (as well as our growing ecological consciousness). Every action we take impacts universe. A better self means a better world.
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Fact Box
“Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism.”
Through April 15. 10 a.m. — 4 p.m., Tuesdays -Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays; noon -5 p.m. Sundays. $8. adults; $6,students, seniors and children ages 6-17; free for children 5 and under free, museum members and Emory students, faculty and staff. Michael C. Carlos Museum, 571 South Kilgo Circle., Atlanta. 404-727-4282. www.carlos.emory.edu
Buddhist monks from Drepung-Loseling Monastery will construct a sand mandala in the museum Wednesday through Feb. 11 during museum hours.
Related exhibitions
“Contemporary Mandala: New Audiences, New Forms” Through April 15. Emory Visual Arts Gallery, 700 Peavine Dr. 404-712-4397.
“The Sacred Round: Mandalas by the Patients of Carl Jung.” February 5–May 6. Oglethorpe University Museum of Art,
4484 Peachtree Road NE.404-364-8555
Catherine Fox is chief art critic for http://www.ArtsCriticATL.com
The merry monk of Hangzhou
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| The 18 life-size murals encircling the Ji Gong Hall of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou make a pictorial narration of the life of the legendary monk Ji Gong.(Source: China Daily) |
BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhuanet) — Murals depicting the life story of a somewhat eccentric but immensely-adorable ascetic who lived in the Southern Song Dynasty now adorn the walls of the famed Lingyin Temple.
Eighteen huge life-size murals depicting the life of the legendary monk Ji Gong (1130-1209) debuted at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in November.
Delicately painted on the walls of Ji Gong Hall in the temple, the 18-meter-high and 50-meter-long murals display 18 stories about Ji, a Robin Hood-like living Buddha, anecdotes about whom can be heard in every corner of the city.
Unlike the heavy paint and thick colors in Western frescoes, the Ji murals are more like a Chinese water-and-ink painting.
The murals are not painted directly on the wall, but on palettes that hang on them. The background features a yellow earth color and the drawings are mainly in black and white with some red shadows.
The quiet colors and the vague scent of mud, combining with mineral pigments, convey a sense of peace and tranquility.
Together, the 18 murals encircling the hall make a pictorial narration of monk Ji’s life story.
The first mural shows Li Maochun, Ji’s father, praying for a child. His wish was realized - a gift for his philanthropic acts.
When Ji, whose name was Li Xiuyuan before converting to Buddhism, was born, the statue of an arhat fell to the ground - widely believed to be a sign that Ji was an incarnation of Taming Dragon Arhat, one of the 18 legendary Buddhist arhats.
At a young age, Ji was fond of researching Buddhist scripture. At 18, he became a monk at Lingyin Temple against the wishes of his family, starting his life as a legendary living Buddha.
Rebelling against traditional Buddhist customs, Ji loved drinking and eating meat. All his life he roamed the streets of Hangzhou, punishing bullies and helping the unprivileged with his magic powers.
The murals on the wall depict mythical stories from his life. Ji had predicted that a hill would fly and settle down in front of the Lingyin Temple premises, but people thought it was a fantasy of the “mad monk”.
On the day the peak was expected to fly in, a wedding was due to take place on the very same spot. Ji kidnapped the bride, which made the villagers chase after him, thus vacating the spot and eventually helped them avoid the disaster. This is the mythical story behind the origin of the Peak Flying-from-Afar.
A fire destroyed the main hall of the Jingci Temple, even as Ji slept in the premises. The abbot urged him to acquire large pieces of wood to restore the hall, but he slept through the crisis for three days, induced by a drunken stupor.
Shaken back to consciousness, Ji shouted: “The wood is here, take it from the well!” Large pieces of wood kept falling off the temple well until there was enough to rebuild the hall. The Shenmu Well, or “Legend Wood Well”, located in Jingci Temple, is associated with this mythology.
The last mural is about Ji’s parinirvana and return to Heaven as the Taming Dragon Arhat.
It took Lin Haizhong, a professor at the China Academy of Art, and his students more than two years to restore the work.
“While there are manuscripts to provide clues to the restoration of most traditional Chinese murals, in this case we are creating completely new murals,” Lin said.
According to historical records, a prototype of Ji lived in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Hangzhou was the capital city. They restored the city’s landscape to the way it looked 800 years ago, in deference to Ji’s life and work.
The Southern Song Dynasty was one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in ancient times, due to vigorous trade along the Grand Canal.
The emperors steadfastly believed in Buddhism and Taoism, leading to the construction of numerous temples along the Qiantang River and West Lake of the city.
Over time, the magnificent palaces, exquisite buildings and solemn temples were mostly destroyed in blasts during wars. Genuine Song Dynasty constructions have left no traces at all along the West Lake.
Lin and his students devoted much of their time researching the panorama of the city and urban life at that time.
They have closely studied the features of a large number of round silk fans, preserved in the Palace Museum and those in Shanghai and Shenyang.
The silk fans from the Southern Song Dynasty depict scenes from daily lives of ordinary urban people.
In August 2010, a group of restorers spent half a month traveling to Japan to study ancient architecture in Kyoto and Nara, where buildings from the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties are well-preserved.
A close observation reveals that Hangzhou’s scenic spots such as the Lingyin Temple, Liuhe Tower, Leifeng Tower and even the West Lake figure in the murals, although they look slightly different from their current images.
Many people picture Ji wearing a broken monk’s cap and torn cassock, holding a broken fan. Some of his behavior was considered eccentric and even mad, but he spoke with humor and was kind-hearted. Most of all, he was deeply loved by the common people.
To draw a vivid image of the monk, Lin and his students went through various versions of Ji’s stories and the resources in Lingyin Temple. Finally they decided to depict him as a ragged, jocular and kind monk, in keeping with the mythology about him.
The humid climate poses a threat to the murals. Lin said that in the next decade the murals will have to be watched closely to arrest the paint from chipping off and necessary repairs will be made.
(Source: www.china.org.cn)
The President unveils the newly constructed 27 feet Buddha Statue in the Sri Dharmagiri Giruvaseya Temple in Weeraketiya.
We bring you a museum quality item: Tang Camel in stone
A famous Taiwanese collector found a stone camel in Beijing which is identical to Tang pottery but with reservation without seeing any stone piece in the book or at museum, the vendor claims it’s excavated in Luoyang area (one of major sites for Tang sancai and pottery)
TANG dynasty: 618 907 AD
After visiting Luoyang Museum and seeing stone replica (1/2 or 1/3) of Tang pottery or sancai figures in identical size, patina, style, material and craftsmanship concluded the stone camel is authentic.
- Further research found stone sculpture of funeral objects available across many centuries in China from Tang, Sung to Ming Dynasty but much rare due to time consuming process in making stone pieces, only a few pieces found now
- blue stone material
- H: 28 cm, L: 28cm, W: 14 cm
- US$20 - 25K is the estimated retail value of this kind of piece.
Other pictures, bigger pictures, video on request.
Now, please check the following picture, We took at the museum in Luoyang.
Among several hundred pieces of pottery, there are only FOUR pieces of stone sculpture at 1/2 or 1/3 size of pottery figure but looks exactly the same.
There should be a HORSE or CAMEL with the groom, but not available at the museum. This is possibly this camel we bring to you today.
Ladakh: A spiritual awakening in the land of the gompas
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A vast wall of mountains greeted us as we drove down from the airport to our hotel. We were allowed a few hours of rest after our long journey to the Himalayan destination. We were told that we would require some time to acclimatise ourselves to low oxygen levels in Leh. We set off in the evening to explore Shanti Stupa and the Leh Bazaar.
Carving of the five Buddhas: We set off on a spiritual quest the next day. Ladakh is famous for its monasteries, and there is history attached to each. We drove down winding roads in sight of mountains in various hues, like an artist’s wide strokes on canvas. Our first stop was the Shey Palace. It was one of the ancient capitals of Ladakh.
The gompa of vibrancy: Situated in a small side valley in the Stok range was the Hemis Gompa. It is quite close to the village of Hemis. This is the most famous gompa in Ladakh, where the annual Hemis Gompa festival is held during the summer months of June-July. The festival features a dance drama called ‘Chams’ performed by monks in colourful robes and grotesque masks.
School of monks: On the way back to Leh, we visited a school affected by the cloudburst that occurred in August 2010. The school, where the famous Bollywood movie ‘3 Idiots’ was filmed, had a resplendent sunflower garden. Some of the monks obliged us by posing for photographs.
Blissful Buddhas
Shruthi Mathews
THE RIGHT PATH One of Manisha Raju’s works
Manisha Raju’s ‘Tathagata’ revolves around the core of her personal quest for spiritual peace
Walking into the Prakrit Art Gallery to have a look at Manisha Raju’s ‘Tathagata’ I’m confronted with an unfamiliar scene: right in the middle of the gallery is the artist, sitting at a table and drinking tea with her family. Bearing in mind the churchlike reverence and emptiness that is the norm in galleries, it’s quite surprising to come across an artist who has made herself so at home amidst its hallowed halls.
However, this rather charming tableau I’ve stumbled upon provides a wonderfully apt representation of Raju’s very personal relationship with her art: seated at the heart of the gallery surrounded by her paintings, Raju’s work similarly coils around the core of her personal quest for spiritual peace.
“I try to connect my theology with the spiritual icons depicted in my art,” says Raju, nodding at the serene, sleepy-eyed Buddhas that inhabit her canvases, “I’m interested in exploring concepts of the self and self-interaction.”
The ocherous shades that are a distinct feature of this series of Raju’s work evoke the sense of peace that she believes comes from finding a connection with the self, and the sunset hues that embrace her Buddhas spread seamlessly between background and the spiritual icon — indicating a harmonious union between inner and outer worlds.
Every element of the frame is weighted with a similar symbolic significance — the faint butterflies and lotuses that fleck its fringes are more than just pretty, decorative accents: “The butterflies represent the constant state of flux that is time; the lotus, with its brief lifespan, the brevity of life,” says Raju, passing me a small bowl of snacks.
Juxtaposing images of the delicate ephemerality of human existence with the eternal bliss represented by the Buddha, Raju’s work gently seeks to communicate on a silent, spiritual level.
Sitting peacefully amidst her work, Raju’s paintings do infuse the atmosphere with a certain tranquillity, her beatific, half-smiling Buddhas a visual balm to the sometimes tired inner self.
Ancient bronzes, life-size warriors among five exhibits opening Friday at the Holter
Rare bronzes pieces, some of them dating back more than 3,000 years, are featured in the centerpiece exhibit of five new shows opening Friday night at the Holter Museum of Art, kicking off the celebration of the museum’s 25th anniversary year.
“Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation” has an opening reception, along with four other exhibits (see articles in today’s Your Time), at 7 p.m. Friday at the Holter. A talk by the curator of the Sackler Foundation, Trudy Kawami, will be at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.
Crafted by artisans of the Asian steppes, the 85 ancient bronzes on display were used by horsemen, chieftains and shamans. These nomadic steppe dwellers were the first to domesticate the wild horse, said Holter curator Yvonne Seng. They also guided trade caravans along the famous Silk Road linking Asia to Europe, a major route of goods and cultural exchange.
Among the items are cauldrons used by shamans for mixing mind-altering herbs, yak-shaped belt buckles, ornate knives, a sword with an ibex-shaped handle, and shaman rattles.
“It’s a huge honor,” said Seng, of landing the exhibit. The Helena showing is the first time the artworks, dating from 1300 B.C. to 200 A.D., have been shown in the Rocky Mountain region.
Asian history is a major inspiration for another compelling exhibit of life-size, modern-day “warriors” in the High Gallery, “Wanxin Zhang: A Ten Year Survey.”
Zhang, an acclaimed San Francisco artist who grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution, was inspired by the famous Terracotta Warriors of the first emperor of China.
Among the “warriors” are “Poet of Battlefield,” eyes concealed by John Lennon glasses, gazing skyward, his clothing a blend of traditional Chinese military armature and tunic, topped by a necktie; and “Imperfect Square II,” a tribute to the defiant youth who stood up to the Chinese tanks as they rolled into Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Other Holter exhibits include: “Horse and Rider” a joint exhibit by Montana artists John Buck and Deborah Butterfield; “Shifting Perspectives,” a photo-and-essay exhibit of China by Missoula photographer Dudley Dana and writer Candace Crosby; and “Invite Your Demons to Tea,” a series of Tibetan-inspired ceramic works by Helena artist Valerie Hellermann.
“It’s exciting, it’s really exciting to have all these exhibits together,” Seng said. They speak powerfully of Asia’s historic influence on art, but also provide fresh inspiration for contemporary artists. “It will be a feast for the eye. I think it will be a great celebration for the 25th.”
Hanford: New Clark Center exhibit explores the Buddhist faith
HANFORD — The path to enlightenment begins at the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture on Feb. 4. The center will present “Wrathful Deities and Compassionate Bodhisattvas: Aides of the Buddhist Faith,” a brand new exhibit exploring various aspects of Buddhism. The featured artwork will be open for public viewing until April 28. “Buddhism arrived in Japan in the mid-6th century, carrying with it a belief of a vast pantheon of deities,” said Sabine Neumann, curatorial assistant for the center. Originating in India and passing through China and the Korean peninsula, the Buddhist faith underwent various transformations while keeping the one, ultimate goal: attainment of nirvana or salvation and escape from the endless cycle of rebirth. The upcoming spring exhibition will showcase the diverse forms of spiritual aides and deities within the faith and explain their purpose through Buddhist sculptures and a rare bronze votive plaque (kakebotoke), ranging in dates from the 12th to the 14th century. Also featured are sophisticated Buddhist hanging scrolls dated from the same period, as well as painted saints and deities created during the 17th to the 19th century. “Buddhism contains benevolent, merciful deities that assist the adherents in their faith called bodhisattvas, and there are also fierce-looking deities guarding the doctrine known as the Wisdom Kings,” Neumann said. “The exhibit takes a look at the contrast between the merciful bodhisattvas and the ferocious deities, often confused to be devils and demons because of their gruesome outer appearance.” The highlight of the exhibit is a large painted, hanging scroll from 1682 depicting Buddha’s death and entrance into nirvana. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. the center is closed on national holidays and during the month of August. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and active military service with valid ID. Children age 12 and under are free. Weekly tours are held Saturdays at 1 p.m and guided group tours can be arranged by calling the center in advance at 582-4915. Read more: http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/arts-new-clark-center-exhibit-explores-the-buddhist-faith/article_f5b78946-43b1-11e1-9788-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1k3O70yJq
Nearby Buddhist temple will expand
This same building is also used as an education center for Sunday dharma school, which instructs its 12 school-aged students in the Buddhist way of life, including the teachings of Buddha, and how to practice meditation.
According to a monk at the temple who preferred to remain anonymous, the community is in need of a larger temple to accommodate six Buddhist monks.
The project, officially titled the “New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Centre Project,” has been in motion since the construction of the Samadhi statue.
“The temples in Sri Lanka tend to have a statue. A statue like ours brings peace and happiness and is used to practice meditation,” the monk said.
The 30-foot depiction of the Samadhi was crafted by a young artist monk from Sri Lanka and is composed of 99 percent bricks, concrete and cement. It is now the destination for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike since being revealed to over 1,000 visitors in 2009.
“Some come, look and go. Some look and ask what it means, so we teach,” the monk said.
The second phase, a plan to create a larger temple as well as community facilities, is also in the works.
According to the monk, this new facility would contain a large prayer and meditation room for the colder months, a library, facilities for the dharma school to meet, a conference room, living quarters for the six monks and a meditation trail. Before this can happen, though, he said that the group needs to raise $2.3 million in donations.
He said they envision a yearlong process that begins with designing the center itself, then submitting the plans for township approval. Following approval, the center will start building immediately and hopefully be completed by the end of March 2012.
Amy Ridgeway ’12 took professor Jonathan Gold’s Tibetan Buddhism class her sophomore year. As a result, she is now a religion major and a scholar in the study of Buddhism, despite not being a Buddhist practitioner.
“The project sounds incredible. The timeline and plans appear very well-structured and thought out. This will be a wonderful resource for the Princeton community,” Ridgeway said in an email.
“This project is in response to the requirements of a growing Buddhist community,” the monk said, adding that they have not been able to perform a lot of outreach to the community because of the size of their current facility.
Stephanie Miceli ’12, another religion major, said she had not heard of the project beforehand but added that she believes it is another step in a natural progression as more individuals are becoming interested in Buddhism for various reasons.
“There is the appeal of the exotic. And there are meditation practices taken out of context of Buddhist belief used by psychologists and health professionals as mindfulness-based stress reduction in a growing movement towards holistic healing,” Miceli added.
The monk said that as people are becoming more educated, they are also becoming more interested in Buddhism and visiting the statue and temple.
“In this country, there is so much focus on learning science. And that is what we do here and hope to do with the center too: Learn about the science of life.”
Vietnamese ceramics: Birmingham Museum of Art to exhibit 221 works from its collection
18th century jar. Glazed stoneware, two applied dragons chasing Buddhist jewels of wisdom, above band of cloud motifsOne of the finest collections of Vietnamese ceramics in the United States is about to emerge from galleries and storage facilities at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
“Dragons and Lotus Blossoms,” which opens next Sunday, will reveal a unique tradition that can be traced back 6,000 years, despite centuries of Chinese occupation, French colonization and devastating wars.
Prized for their vibrant yellow, green, red and brown hues and decorative floral and animal motifs, these bowls, jars, ewers, vases, plates and other objects have been traded for centuries. Some were inscribed with Chinese characters and Buddhist symbols, others destined for tea ceremonies in Japan. One jar reached Germany, where it was given to the Elector of Saxony in 1590. In recent years, forgers have attempted to profit from their exquisite beauty.
They have also had their “Titanic” stories. Since the 1990s, excavations of 15th and 16th century shipwrecks have recovered hundreds of thousands of objects, some of which have made it to the BMA collection and exhibition. A significant find in 1997 yielded 240,000 artifacts from the wreckage of the Cu Lao Chan, off the coast of Hoi An in the South China Sea, but many more had been recovered prior to 1997 by Hoi An fishermen.
What: Dragons and Lotus Blossoms: Vietnamese Ceramics from the Birmingham Museum of Art
When: Jan. 22 through April 8.
Admission: Free. Call 254-2565 for more information.
Where: Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. (8th Ave. North).
Accompanying book: Dragons and Lotus Blossoms: Vietnamese Ceramics from the Birmingham Museum of Art. Annotated illustrations from the exhibition; essays by John Stevenson, Philippe Truong and Don Wood.
Opening lecture and reception: Next Sunday, 2:30 p.m. John Stevenson. Free.
Art and Conversation: Feb. 2, 10:30 a.m. Don Wood. $10, members; $15, non-members.
Artbreak: Feb. 21, noon. Don Wood.
“They were being exported as trade goods to the rest of the world, so they would be made and shipped right away,” said John Stevenson, the exhibition’s co-curator and author of the 1997 book on Vietnamese ceramics, “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition.” “The ship sank shortly after leaving the port. There may have been a half million pieces. That’s probably the reason it sank.”
Spanning 19 centuries, the 221 pieces in the exhibition form a comprehensive history of the genre.
“Some of them have been handed down from collections in the hill tribes in Vietnam and some were just found by farmers tilling their fields,” said Don Wood, BMA’s curator of Asian art and exhibition co-curator. “The collection contains everything from temple and palace pieces to everyday pieces.”
Visionary collecting
Starting in 1974, the collection was developed by the museum’s Asian Art Society at the urging of art historian Sherman Lee of the Cleveland Museum of Art. With the Vietnam War still in its final stages, it was a bold move, said Stevenson.
“What is so impressive about the BMA collection is that the Asian Art Society recognized this was an area of interest, and worth collecting,” he said. “Vietnam was still of limits. It showed vision. I put this collection on a level in this country with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.”
Ewer from Ly-Tran dynasty, 12th-14th century. Glazed stoneware with domed cover, lotus-petal collar, dragon spout with handle.A large part of the collection came to the museum as a bequest from collector William M. Spencer III, who died in 2010.
“Mr. Spencer gave some of the early pieces, and was able to acquire a collection for us in 2005 and 2007,” Wood said. “He liked Vietnamese wares, and he saw this as an opportunity to help put the collection over the top.”
But when he and Wood were designing the show, he wanted to find a centerpiece.
“I remembered a piece from my book, so I put the museum and dealer in contact with each other and the purchase was made,” Stevenson said.
A transaction with a private dealer in Bangkok brought the work to Birmingham — a 24¼-inch-tall, 500-year-old clay jar in pristine condition, purchased with funds provided by the Spencer estate. The London art magazine, Apollo, listed it ninth among the world’s top 26 acquisitions of 2011. BMA was listed alongside the Louvre, the Metropolitan, British Museum and Rijksmuseum.
Shaped with gray-white clay found in Vietnam’s Red River Valley, the jar exemplifies the best of the tradition — a carved surface, blue cobalt oxide underglaze and enamel decorations, with a carved illustration of four cranes.
But like many of the pieces, it has an air of informality with its fluid lines and animal depictions.
“You don’t find that with Chinese pottery,” said Stevenson. “When the French first discovered these pieces in excavations in the 1920s and 1930s, they considered them to be somewhat degenerate, provincial Chinese art, rather than from a Vietnamese tradition.”
Wood found the distinction fascinating.
“China ruled Vietnam for over 1,000 years,” he said. “In spite of that domination, Vietnam has its own aesthetic and tradition. Music, literature and ceramics are all distinctly Vietnamese.”
Dancing Shiva X-rayed by Rijksmuseum: Indian masterpiece shown to be solid bronze
 X-ray of the Shiva statue in the lorry. The dark solid shading indicates solid bronze casting. |
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AMSTERDAM.- Research recently revealed that the Rijksmuseum’s monumental bronze statue of Shiva was cast in solid bronze. The thousand year-old temple statue was X-rayed, along with the lorry transporting it, in the most powerful X-ray tunnel for containers of the Rotterdam customs authority. It is the first research of its kind on a museological masterpiece.
At 153 cm x 114.5 cm, the Rijksmuseum’s Shiva is the largest known bronze statue from the Chola Dynasty (9th to 12th century) kept in a museological collection outside of India. Given its weight (300 kg), the statue has always been suspected of not being hollow, as has been common practice in Europe since the Greek Antiquity. As part of an earlier investigation, an X-ray was taken of the statue in a Rijksmuseum gallery in 1999 while visitors were evacuated as a precaution against radiation. Unfortunately, the equipment used at the time (280 KeV) was not powerful enough to determine anything definitively. The Rotterdam X-ray tunnel of the Rotterdam customs authority offered a solution. Normally used to scan sea containers for suspicious contents, the high-energy digital radiation (9.3 MeV) offers sufficient resolution and range to distinguish between a 1mm copper wire and a 30 cm piece of steel. The Rijksmuseum renovation project has provided conservators and curators the opportunity to carry out in-depth research on special pieces from the Rijksmuseum collection, including this masterpiece from the Asian Art Collection. The statue was created ca. 1100 in South India. This region, the area that is now the state of Tamil Nadu in particular, is famous for its impressive Shiva temples, the most important of which were erected during the rule of the Chola Dynasty (9th to 12th century). Each temple had its own set of bronze statues which were carried through the city during major temple festivals. This gives the statues their name: utsavamurti, which is Sanskrit for ‘festival images’. Chola bronzes were considered masterpieces of Indian bronze casting. Anna Ślączka, curator of South Asian Art, comments, ‘We had expected that the statue itself would prove to be solid, but it was a complete surprise to discover that the aureole and the demon under Shiva’s feet are also solid.’ According to the literature, there is always at least one hollow element. A solid statue is much heavier and costly than a hollow one, and the high volume can cause damage to the bronze due to shrinking occurring during cooling. This solid bronze Shiva is evidence of a high level of mastery of bronze casting, as well as just how highly prized such statues were in the Hindu faith. Thanks to this research, it has now been possible to determine the date of the statue more accurately. With a view to conservation work, the research has also revealed useful information on the statues’ condition. |
2.7m-tall Jade Buddha on display at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza
Abbot Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi (right, centre) of Nepal’s Kopan Monastery preparing to place the ‘third eye’ - a 20-carat ruby - on the forehead of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at Ngee Ann City on Thursday.
Helping him are Mr Ian Green (right), chairman and director of The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion, and logistics manager Greg Cowin.
The 2.7m-tall statue, carved in Thailand out of single block of jade from Canada, is in Singapore as part of a global tour, and will be on display at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza until Jan 26.
SINGAPORE
Two Tibetan Museums Latest Attraction in Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya which is the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightment or nirvana and is famous for the Mahabodhi Temple now has two Tibetan museums, and both will display the life story of the Dalai Lama along with the picture of his great achievements including the various awards bestowed upon him.
Both the Tibetan museums were inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister on 29th and 30thDecember. While one museum will be completely dedicated to Dalai Lama and his life along with compilation of pictures and documents showcasing Tibet during various stages of history, the other museum will showcase and commemorate 50 years of the Tibetan medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Also present during the inauguration were Kalon (Minister) Ngodup Dongchung, Department of Security and Mr. Tashi, Additional Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration. After a brief foreword by Dr. Tsewang Tamdrin, the director of the medical institute, Mr. Khandu stated, “The whole museum has been wonderfully organized.” Mr. Khandu, who along with his family is one of the chief patrons of the 32nd Kalachakra initiations at Bodhgaya also remarked that he learnt a lot about the difficulties Tibetans had to undergo in their 50 years of exile through the exhibition.
The Tibetan museums were opened to coincide with the Kalachakra Tantra which is a festival celebrated in Bodhgaya where the Dalai Lama preaches his teaching to the devotees and where the monks from his personal monastery, Namgyal, will be doing the rituals and ceremonies to consecrate the area.
Devotees from all around India, as well as other countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and the significant number of Tibetans from Tibet and Chinese also come for this festival. Therefore in order to attract more devotees to visit the newly inaugurated museums pamphlets written in English, Chinese and Tibetan were distributed all around the venue.
Ghosts, amulets, ringtones, and the rest of Thai Buddhism
THE CACOPHONY OF RELIGION TODAY
Somdet To is, according to Justin McDaniel “arguably the most famous monk in Thai history.” His image, picture, chants, biographies, amulets, and pamphlets are everywhere. Yet you could read everything written on Thai Buddhism in English for scholars or tourists without noticing his existence, let alone his importance. In this superb book, McDaniel not only does justice to Somdet To but suggests a new way of thinking about “Thai Buddhism” and how it is studied.
THE LOVELORN GHOST AND THE MAGICAL MONKPracticing Buddhism in Modern Thailand Written by Justin T. McDaniel Columbia University Press, New York ISBN 978-0-231-15376-8 | US$60 on Amazon
Somdet To was born around 1788. There are many biographies, films, and webpages on his life, but they conflict wildly and there is little documentary proof. He is known through many stories. According to one version, he was the son of King Rama I, sired on a Lao peasant girl during a military campaign in the North. This story gives him origins that range from the top to the bottom of society, from centre to periphery. He became a great Pali scholar, abbot of prestigious Wat Rakhang, and a preceptor of kings.
But why is he so famous down to the present? Not for his teachings. Only a few sermons survive and they are unremarkable. Not for his writings _ a few pages with recipes for making amulets. Not for any philosophical innovation or reform movement. His legacy consists mainly of stories about his life which show him as compassionate, very down-to-earth, even ready to mock his great patron, the king.
As with the Buddha, stories of the life (and previous lives) are a form of teaching by example. But perhaps the best-known facts about Somdet To are that he meditated on corpses, exorcised ghosts, and specialised in making protective devices, especially amulets. He is remembered for his exceptional powers. Amulets have since become big business and Somdet To’s are among the most valued and costly.
One story about Somdet To gives him a role in Siam’s most famous ghost tale. After dying in childbirth, Mae Nak refused to abandon her beloved husband and brutally killed neighbours who told him he was living with a ghost. Somdet To was called in to quell Nak’s spirit and end the carnage. Nak’s local wat (temple), now in the Bangkok suburbs, is thronged everyday with people begging help from the spirit of this loving but vicious ghost, from Somdet To, and from a host of other shrines and fortune tellers.
Somdet To quelled the ghost with a chant, the Jinpanjara gatha. This rather martial verse is now hugely popular, available through pamphlet, radio broadcast downloadable ringtone, or impregnated in sacred water by a statue of Somdet To enclosing a recorder playing the chant on an endless loop.
McDaniel’s point is that the practice of Buddhism in Thailand today is all about shrines to legendary ghosts, amulets related to famous old monks, magical chants used as ringtones, family outings to theme parks full of statues of figures gruesomely tortured in hell, and so on.
Scholars have presented an idealised Buddhism, cleansed and standardised by teachings from Sri Lanka, reform movements led by kings, and modern legislation. In reality, McDaniel argues, these efforts have all failed. There is not even a standard liturgy, a manual for religious performances. Thousands of monks and wats have produced their own versions. There has been no policing of the boundaries of what is worshipable. Local spirits, Hindu and Chinese gods, ghosts like Nak, past kings, and increasingly famous monks like Somdet To have slipped into the pantheon. An abbot asked McDaniel for a crucifix because he thought it would be a good addition to his collection of protective amulets.
McDaniel resists describing the result as syncretism on grounds that the practitioners themselves do not see it that way. The fashionable term, hybridity, does not appear once in this book. McDaniel also argues strongly against classifying practices into “pure Buddhism” and other, magical elements labelled as “tantric” or “esoteric.” He suggests that “pure Buddhism” is something imagined by foreign scholars, particularly those with a Protestant background (McDaniel is Irish Catholic). In history, the “pure” and the rest cannot be disentangled. The Thammayut reform movement, which supposedly began as an effort to purify Buddhist practice, ended up lionizing forest monks famed for their supernatural powers. McDaniel delights in pointing out that several modern-day proponents of “pure” Buddhism also own protective amulets.
McDaniel suggests that individuals have “repertoires,” meaning menus of religious things they will own or do. These repertoires can be very varied and very flexible over time. Fads come and go. Recently Ganesha has had a good run, but may now be fading. Neither state nor Sangha makes any significant effort to police what these repertoires may contain. The result is that “Thai Buddhism” is extraordinarily alive and inventive, with no sign of dying away like some well-regulated faiths. McDaniel scoffs at scholars who see the proliferation of cults and especially of commercialism as a reaction to capitalism, globalisation, and modern angst. He suggests instead that the variety and inventiveness is a product of unregulated popular ownership, and that things have probably always been much the same. He twits the reformers who wring their hands over crass commercialism, and would like Thai Buddhism to be all meditation and good works; their chances of quelling the cacophony of everyday practice are nil.
McDaniel also tries to define the messages and meanings of the real-world “Thai Buddhism” that includes Somdet To’s martial chant, Mae Nak’s shrine, hell theme parks, and all the rest. He suggest that besides the well-known Buddhist qualities of non-attachment, compassion, and enlightenment, everyday practice involves “a celebration of abundance, a promotion of heritage, a desire for security, and a rhetoric of graciousness.” In short, people value protection from dangers, worldly success, fellow feeling, national identity, and more beauty in life.
Finally, McDaniel suggests that Thai Buddhism is changing. It no longer looks to India or Sri Lanka as its source, but sees itself as leader of the Theravada world. Meanwhile the position of the historical Buddha is shifting. In a typical wat today, crowds throng shrines to old monks, legendary ghosts, past kings, and local spirits while the hall housing the main image is often closed and locked. There is a trend of building massive statues of famous monks, including Somdet To. There are even wats where Somdet To’s image has the central site and the Buddha is to one side.
This book informs, entertains, and provokes. I think this is the first volume on Buddhism which made me laugh, often. The author intends it to be controversial and hopefully it will provoke some fierce responses. Currently the publication is an expensive, academic-targeted hardback. Its appeal should be wider. Anyone interested in Thailand today, in Buddhism, in ghosts, or in why CentralWorld was burned down (it was the only building in the area with no protective shrine), should read this brilliant book.
Ancient pillar with Buddha image found in Nalasopara
MUMBAI: An ancient pillar carved with an image of Gautam Buddha was discovered near a Buddhist stupa in Nalasopara (W) on Friday. The stupa comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
“The pillar was discovered when workers were digging the ground to lay a garden,” said founder of Buddha Vihar and Buddhist monk Bikhoni Sangamitra. “The pillar is a proof of Gautam Buddha’s visit to Sopara village.”
Following the discovery of the pillar, the digging work was discontinued. The pillar will now be inspected by ASI officials and historians before being moved to safety. The state government, along with the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), is working on converting the stupa into an international tourist spot. The stupa complex will house meditation centres, a museum and a mini theatre where films on the Buddhist stupa will be shown.
Ashokan inscriptions have been recovered from Sopara on earlier occasions. During an earlier excavation, ruins of a Buddhist stupa and a large stone coffer containing eight bronze images of Buddha dating back to the 8th-9th century AD were found.
SRI LANKA: Pinkama to mark gold plating of Buddha statue mosaics + New museum to mark Deyata Kirula
A pinkama to mark the gold plating (repainting) of the mosaics of the Buddha statue at the Wewurukannala Raja Maha Viharaya, Dickwella will be held on January 8 under the patronage of Viharadhipati Ven Dickwella Tissa Nayake Thera and Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahpperuma.
The Wewurukannala Raja Maha Viharaya’s Buddha statue is 150 feet (100 cubit) in height and 14,850 square feet in size and considered the largest Buddha statue built under the temple construction industry since the Polonnaruwa period.
It was built in 1966 according to a concept of Ven Panditha Dickwelle Sri Wimalatissa Nayake Thera.
The statue has been built according to the Dhyana Mudra posture. The entire repainting exercise is estimated to cost nearly Rs 20 million.
Following the commencing of the repainting exercise, a series of pinkama will follow at the Viharaya for 119 consecutive days.
The repainted (gold plated) statue will be re-opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Vesak Poya day this year, said Nimal Weeratunga, Media Secretary, to Minister Alahapperuma in a press release yesterday.
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The National Heritage Ministry will establish a new museum at the Thanthirimale ancient temple site to mark the Deyata Kirula National Development Programme, National Heritage Ministry Additional Secretary Vijitha Nanda Kumara said.
It will be built at a cost of Rs 8 million. Thanthirimale is a very important place in the country’s Buddhist history. There is a reclining stone Buddhist statue and sitting Buddhist statue.
These Buddha statues back date to the 11 BC. The reclining Buddha statue is very similar to the Buddha statue in Polonnaruwa Galviharaya, he said.
Eventhough there is an old museum in Thanthirimale which is situated further from the archaeological site. Therefore, the ministry has decided to establish a new museum in an appropriate location, he said.
The museum site is around 1,000 acres in extent, he said.
A clearer eye on Sukhothai
The communities around the old capital’s historical park have a past to share as well
The future will be better if we understand our past, so the wisdom has it. Call Sukhothai very wise. It continues to learn and prosper in the lingering glow of its glory as Siam’s capital 700 years ago.
In a project backed by the Thailand Research Fund, Jirawat Phirasant - director of Naresuan University’s Institute of Mekong-Salween Civilisation Studies - mined the venerable knowledge of 12 Sukhothai communities that will be useful in modern education and tourism.
“The idea is to promote tourism that’s based on the local lifestyle and wisdom, and using their traditional skills to create community products,” Jirawat explains.
The dozen communities of Tambon Mueang Kao surround the Sukhothai Historical Park. Jirawat visited them all to gather oral histories and record local expressions, social practices, rituals and festivals. He studied their performing arts and traditional craftsmanship, and even noted how nature and the universe are perceived.
The result: 4,000 pages of cultural documents and 1,800 pieces of information in various other formats, collectively representing the largest-ever compilation of data about Sukhothai.
The province’s educational authorities then distributed this trove to the schools so that teachers and students could do further research.
The Sukhothai Tourism Association used the findings to enhance its culture-based attractions, such as with a pilot project involving the worship of Buddha statues. The province has hundreds of them, so they’ve revived an old merit-making tradition at Wat Trapang Ngern.
The Sukhothai Cultural Office updated its database on performance arts and funded further studies, and the tambon set aside money for tram tours.
Motorcycle and bicycle tours have been organised around the old city that let visitors experience the classic lifestyle. Hotels and restaurants are incorporating the province’s unique characteristics into their planning.
Jirawat’s research is spinning out ideas for new tourist attractions, refurbished landscaping and tour-guide training, all linking the historical park and its adjacent communities for mutual benefit.
Crucially, he says, the citizens are more aware of the importance of their neighbourhoods and cultural heritage - and thus more interested in conserving the past. The items they produce for sale provide not only personal income but also funding for that preservation.
Visitors need only look for signs bearing a lower-case “i” for information. They can now find ready help in a much wider area than just the designated historical park.
“This is why we want the park tourism linked to the surrounding communities,” Jirawat says, “because many generations of people have lived around here and the visitors should know about the communities as well as the park’s history.”
Following are profiles of the 12 communities of Tambon Mueang Kao.
BAN MAI TRAPANG THONG
Many generations here have applied their hands to creating finely textured clay pottery and porcelain, and particularly pieces with distinctive “cracked” green glaze. The items remain popular and a solid source of income.
Also made here are Buddha images with intricate detailing that accord with the 10 rules of traditional Thai craftsmanship.
RAM LEK
Carved wooden statues of the Buddha have been made here for more than 50 years, earning international admiration for their outstanding beauty.
Craftsman Rungreung Srikrajan learned the trade not from school but by “absorbing” it, starting with carved animals before developing the skills to create a Buddha from a photograph. But his talents are harder to come by these days - as are the attention to detail and the love of sculpting - so Rungreung is setting up a learning centre for children.
The community also has Bang-ern Tuichan’s Reun Noppamas museum, which displays pottery pieces from the Sukhothai Kingdom’s glory days.
RAM YAI
If you’re interested in lovely wood furniture, picture frames, signs and partition screens, head to Ram Yai. The furniture is handmade in European forms from 20-year-old teak, and engraved with classical Sukhothai patterns.
PA MAMOUNG
The Wang Kao Noodle Shop here serves truly amazing boat noodles, and at Narong Reungsri’s house you can get a great traditional massage.
BAN NEU
Ban Neu citizens produce both beautiful home-decor items and assorted Thai sweets like khao daek nga, made with glutinous rice, toasted sesame seeds and coconut.
TRAPANG THONG LUANG
Famed for its wonderfully ornate birdcages, this community also makes Otop-standard ornaments, especially those decorated with the indigenous metallic mineral khaotok phra ruong and Sukhothai Period enamel patterns.
LI THAI
The miniature traditional wooden houses of Li Thai have long been popular souvenirs among foreign tourists because they perfectly capture our cherished culture - in a size easy enough to carry home and put on show. Many Li Thai residents also build wooden oxcarts.
BAN TAI
Ban Tai is a real find for decorative statues and Thai-pattern paintings on canvas. Sculptor Prasart Jairak learned his craft from his grandfather, whose work still adorns temples.
SUKHOTHAI NAKHON 1
A community with more delightful miniatures, this one with tiny ships of various designs, assembled from cabinet-makers’ leftover scraps.
SUKHOTHAI NAKHON 3 AND MAE RAMPAN
These two neighbourhoods sell home-d’cor items like animals carved in teak and jackfruit wood.
SRI CHUM
Stretched out in front of Wat Sri Chum, the community offers beautiful crocheted products.
Guided tours
- Make arrangements for a volunteer tour guide at Sukhothai Historical Park by calling (084) 989 0246 or (082) 397 7578.
- The latter number is also good for renting bicycles. It’s a pleasurable ride that provides a glimpse of the past and a fresh perspective on history as it shapes the future.