Ancient India and Indonesia: The Cosmic Mountains of Buddhism Shinto Buddhism Animistic Religion Speculative Religion explains relationship between human beings and nature explains human purpose on earth and the end for which humans beings must strive Buddhism evolves out of Hinduism Goal: to become one with the World Soul once again Hinduism: Cycles of the transmigration of the soul (reincarnation) Buddhism: Enlightenment (nirvana) allows for early liberation from the cycles of transmigration Early Buddhists were itinerant ascetics 1. The Buddha (“the Enlightened One”) 10 original brick stupas around India sheltering the Buddha’s relics Stupa at Vaishali, India Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 BC) Stupa at Sarnath, India I. Early Buddhism’s multiplication of sacred places = multiple centers of the world A. What was the rationale for erecting 40 “Pillars of Law”? Pillars erected by emperor Ashoka Ashokan pillar next to one of 10 original stupas I. B. How did the Ashokan pillars function as cosmic axes (apply Eliade’s theory)? 2. Column at Besnagar in Madhya Pradesh, India, 1st cen. B.C. cosmic axis chaos (profane) space boundary cosmicized (sacred) space II. Architectural monuments in a religion that renounced worldly and material comforts Great Stupa, Sanchi, India, 2nd – 1st century BC II. A. Contexts of politics and religion 1. Why were there not stupa-centered monasteries before the 2nd century BC? Great Stupa in the Buddhist Monastery at Sanchi II. A. 2. What purpose did stupas serve in the speculative religion of Buddhism? B. Eliade’s concepts of sacred and profane space (cosmos vs. chaos; II. B. 1. Eliade’s Whereconcepts does theof notion sacred ofand a cosmic profane mountain space used find form to linkand theexpression living essence in the ofGreat the Buddha Stupa?(his axis mundi) used to link the living essence of the Buddha (his body) body) to the cosmos to the cosmos Great Stupa II. C. Ritual and design: How is the stupa a diagram of Buddhism that is used by individual believers? Great Stupa II. C. Great Stupa II. C. Great Stupa II. C. Great Stupa II. C. Great Stupa Great Stupa - upper vedika II. C. Great Stupa Great Stupa’s cube railing (harmika), mast (yashti) and triple chattri III. Buddhist architecture as a university to attain perfected wisdom (Bodhi) in Southeast Asia The Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia, 770-850 III. A. Context of politics and religion III. B. What are the parts of the Borobudur and how do they differ from the Great Stupa at Sanchi? Great Stupa at Sanchi The Borobudur III. B. 1. The earthly realm: geometry, sculpture (formal quality and content) The Borobudur: Four terraces of the earthly realm III. B. 2. The celestial realm (ruphadhatu): geometry, stupas and sculpture (quality and content) The Borobudur: Three terraces of the earthly realm III. B. 3. The world of formlessness (arupadhatu): how does architecture convey the world of formlessness? The Borobudur: the Great Stupa III. C. Ritual and design: How is the Borobudur a diagram of Buddhism, used by individual believers to instill perfected wisdom (Bodhi)? The Borobudur III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa first square terrace second square terrace III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa first circular terrace III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa circular terraces: miniature stupas with statues of the Buddha inside III. C. The Borobudur: the Great Stupa the Great Stupa III. D. Eliade’s concepts of sacred and profane space (cosmos vs. chaos) used to link Buddhist wisdom to the cosmos 1. Where is the idea of a cosmic pillar (axis mundi) present? The Borobudur III. D. 2. Where does the notion of a cosmic mountain find form in the Borobudur, and why is it square? The Borobudur III. D. 3. Where does the profane end and the sacred begin at the Borobudur? The Borobudur