The Buddhist Worlds of
Southeast Asia &
the High Himalayas
Background
Buddhist tradition flourished in various parts of Southeast Asia during roughly the same historical
periods that Buddhist teachings and practices were first taking hold and evolving in the neighboring
regions of Tibet & Nepal: from the 7th to the 14th centuries CE, precisely the time when Buddhist
influence was severely declining in most parts of India. Clear parallels exist between what
Buddhists taught and practiced in these two parts of Asia during this time; yet the forms of tradition
that eventually prevailed in the two regions are as different as their starkly contrasting landscapes.
Most of mainland Southeast Asia, with its fertile river valleys blessed by abundant rains falling on
numerous mountain ranges, came to be dominated by the conservative forms referred to as
Theravada (“Doctrine of the Elders”), which traced its lineage back to the teachings of the Buddha
recorded in the early, pre-Mahayana sutra collections, and whose leaders repeatedly revised their
practice to exclude teachings and devotional forms of worship that were becoming the primary
focus of most Mahayana traditions. The Buddhists who came to influence those who inhabited the
cold and rugged high-altitude terrain of Tibet, on the other hand, as well as the less remote
mountain regions of Nepal, promoted Tantric Vajrayana forms of Buddhist thought & practice (a
later evolution of the Mahayana movements described in IAR, chapter 11). Vajrayana Buddhist
practice, with its colorful icons depicting a wide range of celestial bodhisattvas and nature spirits,
provides one the most vivid contrasts to the austerity of form and thought found in Theravada.
Yet this contrast between Southeast Asia & the high Himalayan regions of Nepal & Tibet did not
emerge overnight. While Tibet seems to have been dominated by Vajrayana quite early, Theravada
was initially only a minor force in Southeast Asia, existing alongside of a variety of Mahayana
forms. The following images document some of this historical complexity, pointing out key
contrasts between Tibetan, early Southeast Asian, & later Theravada iconography & architecture.
1. Early Buddhist Icons &
Monuments of Southeast Asia
(8th-12th CE)
The earliest monuments built in mainland Southeast Asia indicate the
early influence of Hindu (primarily Shaivite) traditions, beginning in
the mid-4th century CE. Other clues, however--including the presence
of Buddhist icons imported from India--suggest a significant Buddhist
presence as early as the 3rd century CE. By the turn of the 9th century
this influence leads to the first major Buddhist monument at
Borobudur on the island of Java, in present-day Indonesia. During this
and the following centuries, important Buddhist monuments were
constructed also on the mainland in the Khmer region (current day
Cambodia) and Vietnam (influenced primarily by Chinese traditions).
Several of these monuments make clear that different forms of
Mahayana traditions were widely popular during this period.
Borobudur (800 CE Java)
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side views (six square terraces)
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side carvings / stupas & images on top
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stairs to upper level,
with crowning
Buddha status
Avalokiteshvara Icon (left) at nearby Chandi Mendut temple (right)
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Hindu temple complex at Prambanam
(9th-10th CE Indonesia)
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carving of Lord Rama hunting dear in the wild
(remember Shakuntala!)
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Buddhist Temples at Banteai Srei (10th CE Khmer)
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central shrine
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temple guardians (remember Sañci)
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Hindu temples at Ankgor Wat
(Khmer region, 12th CE)
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section plan
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outer façade (w/ moat) & inner courtyards
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2. Theravada in Shri Lanka, Burma,
& Thailand (?-15th CE)
Theravada came to the island Shri Lanka (at the southern tip of India) very early
in Buddhist history: by the 2nd-5th centuries CE its monasteries had gained a
reputation as centers of study, attracting scholars from India and other parts of the
Buddhist world. In the 9th century, the Pagan dynasty of Burma the Shri Lankan
Theravada version of Pali Buddhist scriptures as the standard for their own
Buddhist institutions. A political alliance between Shri Lanka and Burma,
furthermore, was forged in the 11th century when the Burmese king lent his aid to
the Shri Lankan king to drive out invaders from Tamil Nadu (in mainland India);
Burmese monks also subsequently assisted in reestablishing the Shri Lankan
monastic lineages, which had been suppressed by the Tamil Hindus. A century
later, the reforms of king Parakrama Bahu created a new alliance between the
Shri Lankan state and Buddhist monastic communities, with the former rewarding
the latter for their loyalty and praise of the monarch as Dharmaraja (Dharmaking). This new model gradually spread first to Burma and then to Thailand and
Cambodia, where kings quickly recognized its benefits; thus Theravada came to
dominate mainland Southeast Asia other than Vietnam
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standing
Buddha
at
Aukana
(7th-8th
CE
Shri
Lanka)
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Buddhas at
Anuradhapura
Monastery
(8th-9th CE)
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Phra Pathom Buddha
(14th CE Nakhon
Pathom, Thailand)
“victorious” Buddha (15th CE Wat Traimit, Bangkok)
Wat Mahathat
Buddha Temple
(1374--Ayudhya,
Thailand)
3. Vajrayana Buddhists in Tibet
(7th-15th CE)
Buddhist traditions took root in Tibet around the same time that
Javanese kings were building Borobudur, by which time Buddhist
communities were firmly established in both mainland Southeast Asia
and its various islands. Yet the early period of Tibetan history, from
7th - 9th CE, remains somewhat obscure: in addition to the fact that
few records have been preserved, later revival of the tradition in the
10th - 14th centuries (after a period of disintegration) describes the
key figures of the early period primarily as manifestations of celestial
bodhisattvas and spirits. Most of Tibetan iconography & architecture
dates from this period of revival; and the even later period of
patronage by Mongol rulers that led to the current lineage of Dalai
Lamas. There is little doubt, however, that the many paintings,
sculptures, and monasteries built during this time were revisions and
renovations of earlier forms.
Avalokiteshvara Painting (15th CE Tibet)
Angry Manjushri (Pango Choten, Gyantse)
Goddess Tara (Pango Choten)
Prajñaa Paramitaa
(”Insight Perfection”)
Goddess
(Pango Choten)
painting of monk with Goddess (at Jhokang)
painting of
spirit guardian
(Sera
Monastery)
Time
Mandala
(Sera
Monastery)
Samye Monastery (depicted as a mandala)
Tsong Kha Pa icon & banner(Drepung Monastery, near Lhasa)
Tsong Kha Pa Tanka
(Sera Monastery)
Tsong Kha Pa w/Buddhas (Tashi Lumpo, Shigatse)
“Red Sect Lamas” of Sakya Monastery (13th-16th C, near Lhasa)
Ivory Book Cover (15th CE)
(close up)
Porch to Sera Assembly Hall (near Lhasa)
Sera Assembly
Hall (restored)
Jokhang Monastery, Lhasa (front view)
Jokhang Roof (dharma wheel)
Jokhang Roof (wide view)
Jokhang Roof (dragon)
Jokhang Courtyard
Pilgrims at Jhokang
Shamanic Dancer
Tashi Lumpo Monks in Procession (Shigatse)