Buddhist and Hindu Temples Essay

The central Buddha figure, Shakyamuni is the original Buddha who can not be spoken or thought of in terms of birth or death, self or other and is the source of all other manifestation of Buddha hood. He appears cross-legged on a pedestal representing the “cosmic mountain.” The Shaka displays several of the important iconographic, symbolic traits of the Buddha, including the usis, a cranial protrubence; the snail-shell curls of hair the urna, a mark on the brow between the eyes; the elongated ears; and the gilt which indicates the golden color of the Buddha’s skin. He holds his right hand in a gesture of protection or reassurances known as abhaya mudra, the left in the vara mudra. These features appear

In the article “Ritual and Presentation in Early Buddhist Religious Architecture” by Lars Fogelin, the readers are introduced to Buddhism and ritual which include the stupas. Stupas were build according to Buddha’s dying wish, his reason for doing so was “indented for the laity who, with their poorer grasp of Buddhism principles, required the aid of direct worship to ease them toward the path to enlightenment” (Forgelin, pg. 3). The argument that Forgelin brings up is that the designers had to accommodate the needs of Buddhist worshipers “while attempting to provide mechanisms to foster group cohesion”(Forgelin, pg.1), which is shown in the open-air and rock-cut stupas. Forgelin’s thesis stated he will address the main topic by first presenting Buddhist’s goal and how to attain this goal referred to as nirvana, then who are the three principal groups who practice their rituals at a stupid, and how the designers had to incorporate the different styles of practice into the design of the stupas.

The temple contains the images of many bodhisattvas,Buddha's, and disciples. The images of the Buddha's and bodhisattvas are the focus of the rooms and outside. For example, in the main shrine and Bodhisattva hall, the focus are the images. Another example is the garden of the eighteen arhats in which the Buddha is surrounded by his first disciples. The other garden that is in the temple is the Vessel of Compassion for Universal Liberation. The main image in this garden is that of Avalofitesvara Bodhisattva. The other images depicted are of heaven kings. The bodhisattva is important because the vows of this Bodhisattva are of a compassionate mind and the power of wisdom. This bodhisattva answers the prayers of sentient beings no matter where they are and manifests in different forms. These eighteen arhats extinguished all defilements and afflictions. They had reached nirvana and their righteousness is exemplary to all Buddhists. Comparatively, symbols play an important role in buddhism and we can see this through the offers made to the Buddha's and bodhisattvas. For example, incense symbolizes inner peace, a lamp offering symbolizes the brightening of our vision and the enhancement of our wisdom. In addition, in the images, mudras or certain objects are a symbol of important rules to follow. Such as in image of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the elephant symbolizes practice. The sounds that are used are that of instruments during the service in the main shrine and the sound of bells which usually mark the initiation of a service or other announcements. Furthermore, the smells that are used throughout the temple are incense. Incense is used as an offering and it is meant to help the Buddhist concentrate and focus on meditating. Lastly, taste is used in the ritual of eating vegetarian meals

The Great Stupa at Sanchi was originally built with large bricks, but underwent an expansion, which brought it to its current state. It is a hemispherical mound of rubble and earth covered with sandstones. The Great Stupa stands at about fifty-four feet high and has a diameter of 120 feet. On top of the stupa is a flat area that holds a chatra, similar to a three-tiered umbrella, surrounded by a harmica, or square railing. One third of the way up the hemispherical mound there is a terrace enclosed with a fence that was used for rituals. Underneath the upper terrace there is a path on the ground enclosed by a verdica, or a fence. There are two paths because the upper terrace is used by high priests during rituals, while the lower path is used by pilgrims.

Upon his death the Buddha requested that he be cremated and a memorial be built at a place where people can gather. These memorials, which are known as Stupas, are the first example of Buddhist art. At first these stupas were simple structures shaped like rounded mounds meant to represent the curving form of the universe.

In this essay, I will compare and contrast two sacred spaces; Ise Jingu of Japan and the Great Stupa in India. First I will describe the sacred spaces and their artistic features, values and importance. Afterwards, will come the analysis comparing the two in architectural design and decisions, rather than the difference of religious belief or purpose.

Both buildings have big statues that represent the importance of the ones they worship. Ananda Temple has four impressive gilded teak (30 ft., 9.5 m.) standing Buddhas, facing the four cardinal directions. Hatshepsut’s Temple has statues of the queen Hatshepsut herself, depicted as a strong male pharaoh and gods such as Amon-Ra.

The six harmonies, Buddhist guidelines of life relating to the name of the Liuhe Pagoda, all play a role in the religious and spiritual beliefs of the Buddhist faith. An interesting fact that many people do not know about is that the six harmonies originally came from the six points of the world. “Six Points is originated dependably from Taoism, comprising Heaven, Earth, East, North, South and West…” The idea behind the six points is to be able to harness the energy’s from the six points. People believed that if you were able to harness the energy from the six points then you would be limitless. When you are born you have energy, but by growing older, you loose all the natural energy. By being religious, people thought that they would be able

The stupa, an engineering structure ordinarily lodging the cremated remains or belonging of essential righteous figures, is thought to be the auxiliary image and the most imperative sort of landmark of Buddhism. Most stupas have an extremely unmistakable semi-round shape, regularly encompassed by a wall. As Buddhism was presented in diverse districts, the fundamental building elements of stupas were changed into an assortment of shapes mirroring the masterful articulations of those societies.

The beliefs and symbols illustrated in my mandala are positioned in a way that they connect to each other. The first Hindu belief is Brahman. I put the symbol of Brahman on the bottom of the mandala to show that it “controls” and “connects” to the other four beliefs. Next, the belief of multiple gods will be placed on the right side of Brahman because he is one of the many gods that the Hindus believe in. On the other side of Brahman will be Dharma because they both have to do with balancing society and the universe. On top of Dharma will be Karma. I will put it in this position because Dharma affects your Karma. If you follow rules then your Karma will be good, and if you don't follow the rules then your Karma won't be as good. Lastly, Samsara will be placed next to Karma and Dharma. Samsara would be placed next to these beliefs because your Karma is what you will receive or be like in your next life. Dharma connects to Samsara because the release called Moksha will be achieved if you follow certain spiritual and ritual practices to have a good relation and personal experience with Gods. There are many other ways that all these beliefs connect to each other, but the ways I just talked about relate to the illustrations I have drawn on the mandala.

These modern creations are more accessible for daily devotions compared to such sites as the Hanging Monastery which is located in China. This site is is home to a group of temples connect by narrow stairways and walkways on the site of a sheer cliff. The whole infrastructure is supported by slender stilts. The infrastructure is safer than it might sound as the stilts are more of a decoration. The pavilions sit farther back into the the cliff. The site is ecumenical with Taoists, Buddhists, and Confucianists sharing a tiny temple with each group being represent within 40 pavilions and

The Buddhist stupa can be the size of a grand building but also take the form of small reliquaries. They were built like towers and usually shaped like a hemispherical mound to symbolize sacred mountains. Stupas commemorated sacred sites and often enshrined artifacts like ashes of Buddhist monks or other holy relics. The average person was not allowed inside a stupa. If someone wanted to worship, he or she would do so outside of the stupa and would usually perform circumambulation in a clockwise motion. Often, stupas had massive gateways around them with stylized relief sculptures that are meant to separate the everyday world from the holy world. Deities were

Buddhist temple composites originated in India, where the main structures were quarters known as vihara, where monks engaged in religious training. There were also chaitya halls for worshiping Buddhist images, and rounded stupas said to enshrine bits of bone (sarira, or shari in Japanese) from the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhist temples in Japan developed a unique individuality after incorporating influences from China and Korea.

Religion is defined by one’s belief and experience. One’s experience is something that cannot be seen nor touched. Religious art and symbols trigger the mind and allow the invisible experience to be remembered, seen, or honored. While exploring Buddhism and Taoism, there are different symbols that trigger a different experience and practice. Although both religions share the same goal, Buddhism and Taoism use different practices and symbols to get there. By the same token, the two religions also share similarities in symbolism through their religious practices embracing sacred gods, symbols, and places of worship.

It is four boats tied together. It divides the earth's surface into four regions. The same four regions are represented by the Four Heavenly Kings in the corners of the Gohonzon. Nichiren Daishonin had alluded to them in no fewer than seventy of his gosho’s though not exclusively or directly. They were always depicted together with other heavenly and/or earthly beings, especially resemble that of the situation in the ‘ceremony in the air’ chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra.