Concepts and Contexts of Buddhism:
History of Buddhist Timeline:
Religious Belief: Buddhism
Basic beliefs of Buddhism:
- the belief that all existence implies sorrow the cause of sorrow is attachment to work and self, causing rebirth (reincarnation)
- this attachment (and reincarnation) can be dissolved through the elimination of desires (desire binds the self to a countless succession of rebirths)
- this cessation of rebirth can be accomplished by the following Eightfold Path (which prescribes simple practices of right thought, right speech, right action)
Four Noble Truths achieved through meditation. These are the four main tenants of Buddhism:
1. Life brings suering.
2. The desire for pleasure, power, and immortality are the roots of suering.
3. Suering ceases when desiring ends.
4. Desire ends via the Noble Eightfold Path of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, eort, awareness, and concentration.
Vairochana Buddha - the celestial or transcendent Buddha
Shakyamuni Buddha - also called Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha who is believed to have lived sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE
Theravada Buddhism - individual project - southern region of Asia - Thailand, Cambodia
Mahayana School - Buddha was a savior and often a God - a God concerned with man’s sorrows above all else. The Mahayana form of Buddhism is a collective project in Tibet, Mongolia, Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan.
Bodhisattva - beings who are capable of enlightenment but who forego it in order to help other living beings towards salvation (often serving as attendants to the Buddha - aids to his teachings). Presented in princely dress and ornament.
- 560 BCE Birth of Siddhartha Gautama in northeastern India, the founder of the Buddhist faith
- 483 BCE Death of the Buddha, Buddhism spreads and changes along with Indian political institutions
- 273-232 BCE Maurya Dynasty: Asoka (ruler) becomes an active patron of Buddhism - the political might of Mauryans brought about full institutionalization of Buddhism
- 200 BCE-100 CE Mahayana Buddhism develops as a major Buddhist sect and spreads from India to China, Korea, Japan, and southeast Asia. It is believed to be founded by Nagarjuna
- 300-400 CE Inuential Lotus Sutra texts are written in Sanskrit and later translated to Chinese
- c. 550 CE Buddhism arrives in Japan
- c. 1222-1282 CE The Japanese monk Nicherin promotes Buddhist reform based on the Lotus Sutra
- c. 1250 CE Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, brings the Ch’an Buddhist tradition from China to Japan, where it becomes the foundation of the Samurai tradition and Zen Buddhism
Religious Belief: Buddhism
Basic beliefs of Buddhism:
- the belief that all existence implies sorrow the cause of sorrow is attachment to work and self, causing rebirth (reincarnation)
- this attachment (and reincarnation) can be dissolved through the elimination of desires (desire binds the self to a countless succession of rebirths)
- this cessation of rebirth can be accomplished by the following Eightfold Path (which prescribes simple practices of right thought, right speech, right action)
Four Noble Truths achieved through meditation. These are the four main tenants of Buddhism:
1. Life brings suering.
2. The desire for pleasure, power, and immortality are the roots of suering.
3. Suering ceases when desiring ends.
4. Desire ends via the Noble Eightfold Path of right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, eort, awareness, and concentration.
Vairochana Buddha - the celestial or transcendent Buddha
Shakyamuni Buddha - also called Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha who is believed to have lived sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE
Theravada Buddhism - individual project - southern region of Asia - Thailand, Cambodia
Mahayana School - Buddha was a savior and often a God - a God concerned with man’s sorrows above all else. The Mahayana form of Buddhism is a collective project in Tibet, Mongolia, Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan.
Bodhisattva - beings who are capable of enlightenment but who forego it in order to help other living beings towards salvation (often serving as attendants to the Buddha - aids to his teachings). Presented in princely dress and ornament.
Common Themes of Buddism
The Lion = Buddha's initial royalty
The Wheel (chakra) = Buddha's law
The Lotus = Buddha's pure nature
Columns surrounds by a wheel = Buddha's teachings
Empty throne, umbrella, footsteps, lone wheel, Bodhi tree = Buddha
The Wheel (chakra) = Buddha's law
The Lotus = Buddha's pure nature
Columns surrounds by a wheel = Buddha's teachings
Empty throne, umbrella, footsteps, lone wheel, Bodhi tree = Buddha
INDIAN CONCEPTS
Hinduism:
1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being, who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest. Reality
2. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
3. Hindu believe in Karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds.
4. Hindu believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
5. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, non-injury, in thought, word, and deed.
6. Hindus believe in the divinity of four Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
7. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments, and personal devotionals create a
communion with these devas and Gods.
8. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-injury, meditation, and surrender in God.
9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Indian Hindu Art: Context - History:
Pre-history:
c. 2500 BCE civilization in the Indus Valley
c. 1800 BCE Aryan (Indo-European) invasion from the north
Vedic Period:
550 BCE Buddhism established (Sakyamuni Buddha born c. 563 BCE
327 BCE Alexander the Great in northern India - Greek culture introduced into India
Hinduism:
2nd Cent BCE Hinduism emerges with the Bhagavad Gita - the fundamental doctrine of Hinduism
Maurya Dynasty:
273-232 BCE Asoka makes Buddhism the dominant religion
By 185 BCE Hinduism becomes favored religion
Gupta Empire:
320-c. 600 CE Indian culture reaches new heights - sustained peace - Hindu temples
Hinduism adopts aspects of Buddhism - increases popularity
Chola Bronzes:
10th Cent South Indian bronzes originally created solely as icons of worship to be carried through the temple and adjoining areas of a town
Hindu History:
Hinduism has no founder or date of origin - it is the oldest faith structure in the world.
Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the Persian word hindu, meaning “river,” used by outsiders to
describe the people of the Indus River Valley.
The first sacred texts of Hinduism, dating from around 1200 BCE, were concerned with the ritual sacrifices
associated with numerous gods representing forces of nature.
Basic Beliefs and Ideas:
Hindus regard their religion as eternal but not a homogeneous organized system
Hindus refer to their religion as sanatana dharma (”eternal religion”)
The three main gods of Hinduism, based on the idea that evil will be eradicated
1. Brahma (The Creator) generally worshipped
2. Shiva (The Destroyer) worshipped by Brahmins and lyers
3. Vishnu (The Protector) worshipped by Brahmins and lyengars
1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being, who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest. Reality
2. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
3. Hindu believe in Karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds.
4. Hindu believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
5. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, non-injury, in thought, word, and deed.
6. Hindus believe in the divinity of four Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God’s word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
7. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments, and personal devotionals create a
communion with these devas and Gods.
8. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-injury, meditation, and surrender in God.
9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Indian Hindu Art: Context - History:
Pre-history:
c. 2500 BCE civilization in the Indus Valley
c. 1800 BCE Aryan (Indo-European) invasion from the north
Vedic Period:
550 BCE Buddhism established (Sakyamuni Buddha born c. 563 BCE
327 BCE Alexander the Great in northern India - Greek culture introduced into India
Hinduism:
2nd Cent BCE Hinduism emerges with the Bhagavad Gita - the fundamental doctrine of Hinduism
Maurya Dynasty:
273-232 BCE Asoka makes Buddhism the dominant religion
By 185 BCE Hinduism becomes favored religion
Gupta Empire:
320-c. 600 CE Indian culture reaches new heights - sustained peace - Hindu temples
Hinduism adopts aspects of Buddhism - increases popularity
Chola Bronzes:
10th Cent South Indian bronzes originally created solely as icons of worship to be carried through the temple and adjoining areas of a town
Hindu History:
Hinduism has no founder or date of origin - it is the oldest faith structure in the world.
Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the Persian word hindu, meaning “river,” used by outsiders to
describe the people of the Indus River Valley.
The first sacred texts of Hinduism, dating from around 1200 BCE, were concerned with the ritual sacrifices
associated with numerous gods representing forces of nature.
Basic Beliefs and Ideas:
Hindus regard their religion as eternal but not a homogeneous organized system
Hindus refer to their religion as sanatana dharma (”eternal religion”)
The three main gods of Hinduism, based on the idea that evil will be eradicated
1. Brahma (The Creator) generally worshipped
2. Shiva (The Destroyer) worshipped by Brahmins and lyers
3. Vishnu (The Protector) worshipped by Brahmins and lyengars
BUDDHISM + INDIAN HINDU ART
Religions developed:
Hinduism: Many different sects of Hinduism. Belief in the infinite variety of the divine: nature,
gods, humans. Orthodox Hindus accept the Vedic (ancient Sanskrit) texts as divine. Vedic
texts assign Brahmins (a caste of ritual specialists). Enlightenment, or reaching Nirvana, ends
the cycle, through good deeds and living a devotional life to charities, religious fervor, and
love of all.
Buddism: Teaches individuals how to cope in the world full or misery. Buddha, Siddhartha,
when he was a prince first, rejected worldly concerns and courtly life and decided to live in
the country. Believes in reincarnation, a cycle of birth and rebirth. Enlightenment, or reaching Nirvana, ends the cycle, through good deeds and living a devotional life to charities,
religious fervor, and love of all.
Jainism: Teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and
renunciation. The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul.
Hinduism: Many different sects of Hinduism. Belief in the infinite variety of the divine: nature,
gods, humans. Orthodox Hindus accept the Vedic (ancient Sanskrit) texts as divine. Vedic
texts assign Brahmins (a caste of ritual specialists). Enlightenment, or reaching Nirvana, ends
the cycle, through good deeds and living a devotional life to charities, religious fervor, and
love of all.
Buddism: Teaches individuals how to cope in the world full or misery. Buddha, Siddhartha,
when he was a prince first, rejected worldly concerns and courtly life and decided to live in
the country. Believes in reincarnation, a cycle of birth and rebirth. Enlightenment, or reaching Nirvana, ends the cycle, through good deeds and living a devotional life to charities,
religious fervor, and love of all.
Jainism: Teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and
renunciation. The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul.
CONTEXT
The arts of South and Southeast Asia represent some of the world’s oldest, most diverse, and most sophisticated visual
traditions. Many of the world’s great religious and philosophic traditions developed in these regions with distinctive religious art
forms to support the beliefs and practices. India’s ancient worldview that dominated South Asia:
a: differentiated earthly and cosmic realms of existence,
b: recognized certain sites or beings as sacred,
c: understood time and life as cyclic.
The religions developed - Hinduism, Buddism, Jainism, Sikhism - sought spiritual development, release, or divine union through
religious methodologies and social practices. Adding to India’s worldview were preexisting animistic and popular beliefs from
Southeast Asia from India’s attempts at colonization. Religious practices are iconic, and figural imagery of divinities and revered
teachers plays a prominant role. South and Southeast Asia also supported foreign cultures and religions including Greco-Roman, Christianity, and Islamic cultures from West and Central Asia. Islamic influence is strong in India, Malasia, and Indonesia, due to partial control of Islamic sultanates from 1000 - 2000 CE. Today, South and Southeast Asia have the world’s largest Muslim population. Architecture is frequently religious in function. Temples intended to house deities or shrines were constructed or rock cut. Rock cut caves containing Buddhist imagery, shrines, stupas, and monastic spaces span from India through Central Asia to China. Islamic architecture takes two major forms: secular (forts & palaces) and religious (mosques & tombs). Islamic mosques are decorated with non-figural imagery, including calligraphy and vegetal forms. All mosques have a Qibla wall facing Mecca, with a Mihrab, a focus for prayer. Artistic and architectural traditions are deeply rooted in Asian aesthetics and cultural practices. Painting styles in India favor contour drawing of forms over modeling, and calligraphy was an important art form in Islamic art in architecture, decorative objects, ceramic tiles, and manuscripts. Practice of Asian religions necessitated the development of novel art and architecture forms to support them. The cultures were interconnected through trade and politics and trade greatly affecting development of art and culture by way of the Silk Route and maritime networks. These routes were vital for the transmission of cultural ideas and practices.
traditions. Many of the world’s great religious and philosophic traditions developed in these regions with distinctive religious art
forms to support the beliefs and practices. India’s ancient worldview that dominated South Asia:
a: differentiated earthly and cosmic realms of existence,
b: recognized certain sites or beings as sacred,
c: understood time and life as cyclic.
The religions developed - Hinduism, Buddism, Jainism, Sikhism - sought spiritual development, release, or divine union through
religious methodologies and social practices. Adding to India’s worldview were preexisting animistic and popular beliefs from
Southeast Asia from India’s attempts at colonization. Religious practices are iconic, and figural imagery of divinities and revered
teachers plays a prominant role. South and Southeast Asia also supported foreign cultures and religions including Greco-Roman, Christianity, and Islamic cultures from West and Central Asia. Islamic influence is strong in India, Malasia, and Indonesia, due to partial control of Islamic sultanates from 1000 - 2000 CE. Today, South and Southeast Asia have the world’s largest Muslim population. Architecture is frequently religious in function. Temples intended to house deities or shrines were constructed or rock cut. Rock cut caves containing Buddhist imagery, shrines, stupas, and monastic spaces span from India through Central Asia to China. Islamic architecture takes two major forms: secular (forts & palaces) and religious (mosques & tombs). Islamic mosques are decorated with non-figural imagery, including calligraphy and vegetal forms. All mosques have a Qibla wall facing Mecca, with a Mihrab, a focus for prayer. Artistic and architectural traditions are deeply rooted in Asian aesthetics and cultural practices. Painting styles in India favor contour drawing of forms over modeling, and calligraphy was an important art form in Islamic art in architecture, decorative objects, ceramic tiles, and manuscripts. Practice of Asian religions necessitated the development of novel art and architecture forms to support them. The cultures were interconnected through trade and politics and trade greatly affecting development of art and culture by way of the Silk Route and maritime networks. These routes were vital for the transmission of cultural ideas and practices.
ARTWORKS
182 - Buddha, Bamiyan Afghanistan
192 - Great Stupa at Sanchi ambulatory
192 - Great Stupa at Sanchi
198 - Borobudur Temple meditating Buddha
202 - Shiva as Lord of Dance
(Nataraja)
199 - Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat
200 - Lakshmana Temple
199 - The temple of Angkor Wat
Jayavarman VII as Bud
193. Terra cotta warriors
194. Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
195. Longmen caves
- Longmen caves, detail
196. Gold and jade crown
197. Todai-ji
- Great Buddha
- Guardian figures
- gate
201. Travelers among Mountains and Streams
203. Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
204. The David Vases
205. Portrait of Sin Sukju
206. Forbidden City
- front gate
- Hall of Supreme Harmony
- Palace of Tranquility and Longevity
- unlabeled plan
207. Ryoan-ji
- dry garden
- unlabeled plan
208. Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
210. White and Red Plum Blossoms
211. Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The
Great Wave)
212. Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuanring a
Sufi Shaikh to King
192 - Great Stupa at Sanchi ambulatory
192 - Great Stupa at Sanchi
198 - Borobudur Temple meditating Buddha
202 - Shiva as Lord of Dance
(Nataraja)
199 - Angkor, the temple of Angkor Wat
200 - Lakshmana Temple
199 - The temple of Angkor Wat
Jayavarman VII as Bud
193. Terra cotta warriors
194. Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
195. Longmen caves
- Longmen caves, detail
196. Gold and jade crown
197. Todai-ji
- Great Buddha
- Guardian figures
- gate
201. Travelers among Mountains and Streams
203. Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
204. The David Vases
205. Portrait of Sin Sukju
206. Forbidden City
- front gate
- Hall of Supreme Harmony
- Palace of Tranquility and Longevity
- unlabeled plan
207. Ryoan-ji
- dry garden
- unlabeled plan
208. Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
210. White and Red Plum Blossoms
211. Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The
Great Wave)
212. Chairman Mao en Route to Anyuanring a
Sufi Shaikh to King
VOCABULARY
aniconic
samsara
circumambulation
bodhisattva
dharma
mandala
karma
ascetic
nirvana
yakshis/yakshas
torana
chaltya
stupa
yasti
Shiva
Vishnu
axis mundi
Buddhism
Hinduism
shikhara
womb chamber
Brahma
primordial human being
finial
amalaka
Jainism.
Sikhism.
Confucianism.
Taoism.
Shinto.
samsara
circumambulation
bodhisattva
dharma
mandala
karma
ascetic
nirvana
yakshis/yakshas
torana
chaltya
stupa
yasti
Shiva
Vishnu
axis mundi
Buddhism
Hinduism
shikhara
womb chamber
Brahma
primordial human being
finial
amalaka
Jainism.
Sikhism.
Confucianism.
Taoism.
Shinto.
Assignments:
Add the Artworks listed to your flash cards, and read Chapters 25, 26, and 27 in Gardener's... Finally learn the Vocabulary.
Study Guide for Central and East Asia
Religion and philosophy are reflected in the art works from Asia, cite examples from India, China and Japan.
Nature and its representation is a strong element in many artworks from Asia. Cite at least three artworks from Asia that that include this element.
Learn about Chinese Scroll Painting, Fomat, how it is viewed, and skills needed by artist.
Rulers or leaders who have impacted the art of Asia, and the role that they played.
Extra Credit Assignment
Add the Artworks listed to your flash cards, and read Chapters 25, 26, and 27 in Gardener's... Finally learn the Vocabulary.
Study Guide for Central and East Asia
Religion and philosophy are reflected in the art works from Asia, cite examples from India, China and Japan.
Nature and its representation is a strong element in many artworks from Asia. Cite at least three artworks from Asia that that include this element.
Learn about Chinese Scroll Painting, Fomat, how it is viewed, and skills needed by artist.
Rulers or leaders who have impacted the art of Asia, and the role that they played.
Extra Credit Assignment
This website is based upon work supported by:
Dr. Robert Croad for workshops, resources and time -
Marsha Russell for your generosity in sharing materials and knowledge -
and to Valerie Park for your AP Art History web site that this website is based upon.
Dr. Robert Croad for workshops, resources and time -
Marsha Russell for your generosity in sharing materials and knowledge -
and to Valerie Park for your AP Art History web site that this website is based upon.