The Amida Buddha in Context
The Buddha was and is an important figure in several different cultures, and his influence has spread over large areas. Across these different cultures, many forms of art portrayed him in different ways. In Japan, one of the Buddha’s titles stood out as the “Amida Buddha.” The statue that this paper will be detailing portrays “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light” (“Amida”). The statue is located in the Dayton Art Institute’s Japanese Art Gallery 105 with the acquisition number 1935.1. Created in the thirteenth century during the Kamakura period, this statue stands out in the Dayton Art Institute as a prominent Buddha figure. It is made of wood with lacquer and gilt, and it was built to be approximately the size of a normal person.
The statue that will be the focus of this paper portrays the figure “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light.” Like many other statues of the Buddha, this Amida Buddha was portrayed to be deep in meditation, sitting cross-legged. A viewer could observe that the Amida Buddha is making a hand gesture while in deep meditation. These gestures, also known as “mudras,” are symbolic in the Buddhist religion, and they are used to convey certain ideas (O’Riley 70). In this case, the Amida Buddha is making the mudra of appeasement (“Amida”). More physical observations could be made by pointing out the “balanced form, divine features, and flowing drapery” (“Amida”) of the Amida Buddha. Those qualities represent the nature of the Buddha, revealing him as “transcendent, graceful, and compassionate” (“Amida”). Features common to other Buddha sculptures show up on this Amida Buddha, like the elongated earlobes, the mole on his forehead, and patterned hair. At first glance, the Am...
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...e Amida Buddha’s name is recited over and over again in a chant, whether silently or aloud, so that the individual may focus on the Amida Buddha and nothing else (Cleary). This sculpture is meant to portray the Amida Buddha that presides over the Pure Land, and it is a reaction to the Pure Land Buddhism’s popularity (“Amida”).
The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was a groundbreaking process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object for creating a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to construct and put together. After the parts were all joined together, the statue was covered in a lacquer finish and gilt was added to the face to give it the golden look.
The Guanyin sculpture depicts a male, interpretable by his male chest, seating in a royal-ease pose. He has a crown, which has a person in the meditative position carved on it. That person could be Buddha. Underneath the crown, the hair looks as though it is nicely braided along the edges of the crown. The eyes are partially closed. There are two pieces of objects, perhaps used to depict jewelry, attached to
The subject of this piece is also the Tara but in this one she is represented in eight different circumstances. The centre of the piece however is a larger representation of her while the others are a lot smaller and scattered. The various representations of the Tara show her in various circumstances which portray the Eight Fears. She is siting on a lotus and is wearing a similar type of head piece and jewellery as on the sculpture. The painting is colourful but is predominately deep green and blue with a little bit of red and orange on the figures. The expression on the bodhisattvas face is peaceful just like the sculpture but the painting overall is fairly crowded and filled with movement. It allows the eye to wander around in all directions. It has a mystical effect due to the clouds and rainbows on the upper half of the
Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
This carved schist shows Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. The divine statue is standing in front of a nimbus while clutching some sort of garment in his left hand. Most of his right arm seem to have fallen off. Only his lower body is is cover in clothes. He is also wearing several neck less that are attached to his ears as well. On the base of the statue four other Bodhisattva’s are carved surrounding someone who appears to be Buddha.
The Terracotta Warriors where very unique in the way that they were constructed. They were built from the bottom up, using ‘Clay Coiling’, adding layers upon layers of clay to the individual masterpieces. ‘Clay Coiling’ consists of: Taking a flat slab of clay, cutting it into long narrow strips, than rolling the strips until they where “soft and smooth”. Finally, after the cutting and rolling is complete one (or more) of the artisans would take the coiled strips of clay and add them to the statue, then other artisans would smooth out the roundness of the layer and then begin to shape designs into the clay. Then they would bake the clay men in a type of kiln. After the men were fired in the kiln, they where fully painted in bright colors and sealed the paint with lacquer. The construction, painting, and lacquering processes are interesting but the uniqueness of this garrison is also very interesting.
With the exact dimensions of a height of 14 inches, a width of 8 inches, and a depth of 5 inches, this gilded copper alloy with stones stood above a platform, and took a marital, striding pose atop an elephant-headed figure that embodies the strength of the unenlightened mind. What caught my attention is that a middle aged man, who was talking to someone, that had appeared to be his son, started telling a story about how the statue was very symbolic. This artwork was called Six-Armed Mahakala, [Catalogue Number C2006.70.0 (HAR 65729)]. Upon hearing this, I used my BlackBerry to see if this statement had in fact been true, and in doing so, started learning that almost every aspect of this figure had a meaning, such as his color, three eyes, crown, and much more.
The medium is Granodiorite and the technique used was sunken relief, which is a technique were the sculptor chisels deep outlines below the stone’s surface. The sculpture does not seem to be originally painted. The Egyptians created coloristic effects through contrasting shadows and highlights. They used natural pigments to color some sculptures, however this was not the case. There are deeply cut areas in the back of the statue that create deep shadows and the use of natural light helps to bring up the highlights. The granodiorite has natural colors that helped the sculptor show more of those shadows and highlights. The statue is mostly in a warm hue and it may be caused because of the lighting inside the museum. These warm colors make the details stand out more. At a closer look of the structure there are different colors that can be easily identified, such as white, yellow, brown, black, gray and small spots of orange. The statues seems to be carved in one piece. There are no signs indicating it
The statue is made of granite and is made in a similar style linked to someone higher up in the royal domain. It is made in the style much like that of a royal statue. Near the time this was made, Granite was really only mined in Egypt for the king himself, so Ankhwa was no ordinary man, and was most likely very close to the royal family.
The description for the statue states that is belongs to a series of diorite statues commission by Gudea himself. He is depicted in a seated pose. This statue has Sumerian inscription on the bottom of his robes stating: lists the various temples that he built or renovated in Lagash and names the statue itself, "Gudea, the man who built the temple; may his life be
...one. Even though his pose is off balance it remains very orderly. The top of his head lines up perfectly with his facial features, navel, and the ground confirming the presence of an axis mundi. This gives it a divine quality because organic forms do not achieve such perfection. It is a three dimensional freestanding sculpture and has a complex shape, especially when silhouetted. The motifs and aesthetics of this piece are heavily stylized. The posing of this sculpture has very active movement and carries a sense of fluidity and control. The warrior god appears powerful, restrained, and delicate all at the same time. This portrayal delivers appealing qualities of Buddhist enlightenment, the ultimate level of self-restraint over physical and mental prowesses.
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
Ashvaghosha’s Buddhacarita: The Life of the Buddha serves as one of the most relevant and profound texts regarding the Buddhist religion and it’s foundations. However, unlike other popular religious texts, this one does not serve as a historical document but rather a vessel for explaining the teachings of the Buddha, serving as a guide for the followers of the Enlightened One. Ashvaghosha’s descriptions of the Buddha, his life, and his actions provide an example of the Buddha’s disciplines and truths, giving his followers a detailed and structured idea of his way of life. The Buddhacarita’s descriptions in particular focus on the teaching of pervasive suffering, it’s causes, and the paths (both right and wrong) to breaking free from it.
Novels satisfy a human compulsion to peer into the lives of others and to see ourselves reflected in their narratives. Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic uses a nontraditional narrative approach to explore the experience of the Japanese “picture brides” and their lives in America. Through an unusual narrative structure and point of view, the novel emphasizes the unique experience of each Japanese woman featured (however briefly) in the narrative while suggesting an underlying universality in their lives.
One object that it is important to me and defines who I am is the jade necklace that I wear every day. It reflects my culture, religion, and me. On my necklace, there is the charm. The Jade Buddha is the charm that I have on my necklace. The Jade Buddha represents my religion as well as the representation of the jade in the Chinese culture. However, the jade has a more significant meaning as well. The myth is when given to someone close to you that you are giving a part of yourself to that person who is close to you. My mother is the one who gave
The princely bearing sculpture of the Bodhisattva is distinguished by its form and shape of its body, high class jewels, and rich garments worn. The relaxed pose represents the Bodhisattva’s connection with mankind, through compassion, and depicts that it has devoted itself to helping further the spiritual progress of others to attain Enlightenment. By postponing its own achievement of nirvana and buddhahood, it emphasis the Bodhisattva’s peaceful and compassionate state of