The Early Iconography of Avalokiteśvara

The Early Iconography of Avalokiteśvara
Author: Gérard Fussman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2012
Genre: Avalokitesvara (Buddhist deity)
ISBN:

"La première partie de ce livre, par G. Fussman, lie l'étude de deux statues de la collection Pritzker à deux évolutions majeures du bouddhisme dans les deux premiers siècles de notre ère : la création de l'image anthropomorphique du Buddha et les débuts du mahàyâna, qui entraînèrent la création d'images de nouveaux bodhisattva-s. Elle examine en particulier les tâtonnements qui ont précédé la création de l'image standard d'Avalokiteivara. L'étude de tout changement supposant l'existence d'une chronologie relative et absolue, cette première partie traite de la date de l'apparition de l'image humaine du Buddha au Gandhâra et revoit la chronologie de l'art bouddhique de Mathurâ en refusant la théorie des "centaines omises". En seconde partie sont réimprimés deux articles d'A.M. Quagliotti réfutant l'idée que les "bodhisattva-s pensifs" soient tous des Avalokitevara. Enfin un court chapitre est consacré à l'analyse d'une stèle récemment découverte à Mes-e Aynak (Afghanistan). Elle confirme les conclusions précédemment atteintes par A.M. Quagliotti et G. Schopen."--Page 4 of cover.

Eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara

Eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara
Author: Tove E. Neville
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1999
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN:

Illustrations: Numerous B/w Illustrations Description: The Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara is a study of the many origins that may have played a part in arriving at this number of heads, based on forms and powers male and female forms, origins based on name, in scriptural evidence and images, as well as Hindu deities, and finally origin seen in Rock-cut litanies in caves of India. Manifold as the sources are, they led to consideration of this Bodhisattva as the highest form of compassion in the widest sense of the word, the savior for humanity of eight to ten dreads, which assail and defeat humankind, especially for exposed travelers, be they pilgrims going to visit and pray at Buddhist shrines, or monks seeking new temples or to find new masters to teach them. This essay weaves together a panorama in South Asia, moving up to Central Asia and Chinese cultures who contributed their own examples from caves in China (Tun Huang) that also held depositories of paintings brought back to modern cultures for study in Paris and London, long scrolls such as the Yunan Tali Kingdom's treasure from the late Sung period, all told tales of Buddhist iconography and styles that most often harked back to earlier Indian models. Korea found influence from China and Japan had the Eleven Headed in Metal and also of lacquer and wood in splendid examples from seventh and eight centuries on. Still, most astounding is a theory weaving the thread back to the Indian cave litanies, showing how the Bodhisattva as savior caused in practice of art to furnish the model for how the ten scenes of dreads plus the great Avalokitesvara's own face led to an eleven-headed giants seen in Indian Gupta styles.

Kuan-yin

Kuan-yin
Author: Chün-fang Yü
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 657
Release: 2001-03-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0231502753

By far one of the most important objects of worship in the Buddhist traditions, the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is regarded as the embodiment of compassion. He has been widely revered throughout the Buddhist countries of Asia since the early centuries of the Common Era. While he was closely identified with the royalty in South and Southeast Asia, and the Tibetans continue to this day to view the Dalai Lamas as his incarnations, in China he became a she—Kuan-yin, the "Goddess of Mercy"—and has a very different history. The causes and processes of this metamorphosis have perplexed Buddhist scholars for centuries. In this groundbreaking, comprehensive study, Chün-fang Yü discusses this dramatic transformation of the (male) Indian bodhisattva Avalokitesvara into the (female) Chinese Kuan-yin—from a relatively minor figure in the Buddha's retinue to a universal savior and one of the most popular deities in Chinese religion. Focusing on the various media through which the feminine Kuan-yin became constructed and domesticated in China, Yü thoroughly examines Buddhist scriptures, miracle stories, pilgrimages, popular literature, and monastic and local gazetteers—as well as the changing iconography reflected in Kuan-yin's images and artistic representations—to determine the role this material played in this amazing transformation. The book eloquently depicts the domestication of Kuan-yin as a case study of the indigenization of Buddhism in China and illuminates the ways this beloved deity has affected the lives of all Chinese people down the ages.

Universal Gateway of Enlightenment

Universal Gateway of Enlightenment
Author: Jean Prieur Du Plessis
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2015-10-20
Genre:
ISBN: 9781511547956

THE TRUE STORY OF UNIVERSAL SALVATION-ENLIGHTENMENT FOR EVERY SOUL Universal Gateway of Enlightenment: The 2nd coming of Jesus as Lord of the World in c.78AD is not an academic wander in the wilderness. It is a very readable book. Rather than an academic work, it is presented to readers as a palatable, historical novel. It has deliciously endearing characters, such as Mari Magadhalene, Apollonius and St. Thomas, with all their quirks, as well as their graces. The book is about the purpose of life, the purpose of Iesous' incarnation as Avatar; about his travels and work among cultures, East and West. It is about the people who made the ministry possible, who funded it and opened doors for him-the "Three Wise Men from the East". And, of course, it is also about the people and his work in the West, who crucified him. Ultimately, this is the story of universal salvation, from the one named in late 1st century Sanskrit-language Scriptures, "the World Savior", the "son of our Father in Heaven" who teaches about helping any and every soul to graduate from Earth School, to stop reincarnating over and over again; to gain spiritual rebirth, enlightenment, and then to ascend to heaven. The Author I take umbrage with the assertion Christians make about Jesus being a liar. Jesus did not lie, as they say, about coming back "within this generation" (40 years), shortly after the fall of Jerusalem. These promises that Jesus made are recorded in Christian Scripture. Shortly after Paul, Peter and James had died, Jerusalem was destroyed, in 70CE. Some reports say more than a million people were slaughtered during that catastrophic time. The Temple burned down; shortly after that, Masada in 73AD; and finally, Jews were despised all over the world and banned from entering Judea for two-hundred years, and were levied a special Judaic-tax to compensate for their errors. These things were, as Iesous had said, 'the end of the world of the Jews', at the time. The Lord came back, just as he had promised: "For just as lightning comes from the East and is seen even to the West, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Mt 24:27 Buddhists and Hindus embraced the Lord's second coming in c. 75AD. Not just casually, but formally, at the 2nd 4th World Council of Buddhism. New Scriptures released at the time, speak of the Lord's teachings: of our Father in Heaven, of the son, the Holy Spirit, of being reborn a spiritual being, and of universal salvation for all sentient beings. Today, the name of Avalokitesvara, as he is known by His Sanskrit title, is honored by almost two billion easterners as the World Savior. The Lord and a host of spiritual beings working alongside, are here to help every soul-being on Earth, to accomplish spiritual rebirth: enlightenment, to break the cycle of samsara (perpetual reincarnation), and ascend to heaven, or Sukhavati, as it is described in Sanskrit. Jesus' teaching, is that of Avalokitesvara. It sits at the root of Zen, is ingrained in the fiber of Mahayana, and indispensable for unfolding the leaves Hinduism. Jesus worked in the East for most of his life. He spent less than 3 of his last years in the West, where they crucified him. This USA EDITION is produced for the reading pleasure of those who find American English, and standards of style most pleasing.

The Compassionate Bodhisattva

The Compassionate Bodhisattva
Author: Sofia Sundström
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018
Genre: Buddhist gods
ISBN: 9789088906190

Southeast Asia has a long history with Buddhism that continues to the present day. Centuries ago, Buddhism spread to various areas of Southeast Asia, where some of the greatest Buddhist images and monuments were produced over 1,000 years ago. These include the majestic Borobudur in Central Java and Angkor Thom in Cambodia. Images of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in bronze were also produced in large numbers at this time.0This book deals with images of Avalokitesvara that are unique to specific countries of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. It introduces a wider audience to the beauty and originality of Southeast Asian art. The text focuses on specific forms of Avalokitesvara images found in the different regions of Southeast Asia, illustrating the local developments of Buddhist art. This includes an exploration of both iconography and style, but will also highlight the continuous desire of the artists to portray the compassion for which Avalokitesvara is known. Even in today?s modern world, the idea of compassion becomes ever more vital and the Bodhisattva remains popular among all Buddhists. This book would be a source of knowledge, but perhaps most importantly, fantastical and beautiful images that in themselves are a comfort as they radiate the quality of Avalokitesvara: compassion.

Buddha in the Crown

Buddha in the Crown
Author: John Clifford Holt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 306
Release: 1991-01-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0195362462

Historical, anthropological, and philosophical in approach, Buddha in the Crown is a case study in religious and cultural change. It examines the various ways in which Avalokitesvara, the most well known and proliferated bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism throughout south, southeast, and east Asia, was assimilated into the transforming religious culture of Sri Lanka, one of the most pluralistic in Asia. Exploring the expressions of the bodhisattva's cult in Sanskrit and Sinhala literature, in iconography, epigraphy, ritual, symbol, and myth, the author develops a provocative thesis regarding the dynamics of religious change. Interdisciplinary in scope, addressing a wide variety of issues relating to Buddhist thought and practice, and providing new and original information on the rich cultural history of Sri Lanka, this book will interest students of Buddhism and South Asia.

The Gods of Northern Buddhism

The Gods of Northern Buddhism
Author: Alice Getty
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 350
Release: 1988-01-01
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780486255750

Invaluable reference covers names, attributes, symbolism, representations of deities in Mahayana pantheon of China, Japan, Tibet, etc. 185 illus.