Buddhism Flashcards
Buddhism spreads in the
300 BCE
Buddhism arises from
Hinduism
Where was Hinduism dominant
India
What had Buddhism reject
the class structure of the existing Vedic system
The core of Buddhism is the
4 noble truths and 8 practises
How does Buddhism arise
teachings of Prince Siddhartha Gautama
What were the teachings of Prince Siddhartha Gautama?
Had a rich family.
leaves the palace and sees the suffering in the world which he had been unaware of
As a result, he takes an extreme path
comes to realize this isn’t the way either, meditates to find enlightenment, and calls for the middle way.
What are the Vedic Periodès major religions
Buddhism and Hinduism
4 Noble truths
- Life is suffering: we are imperfect, the world is imperfect; experiences are not ultimately satisfying
- This suffering has a cause – attachments to pleasure, to ourselves, because we are all just part of the universe.
- We can end suffering by detaching ourselves from desire.
- We can detach ourselves from the desire by following the Noble eightfold path
what are the 8 noble paths
- right view
- right livelihood
- right intention
- right effort
- right speech
- right mindfulness
- right action
- right concentration
Who is a key figure in the spread of Buddhism
Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire
Why do some religions not like to represent their god(s) as human or something known
seen to limit or disrespect their power and the god
Aniconic
a representation of deities that are symbolic or abstract that do not show the deity in human form
Iconoclasm
The DELIBERATE destruction of images, especially those thought to be idolatrous or incorrect
In the early phase, Buddhism is generally
Aniconic
What is an early example of state support of Buddhism
The Ashokan Pillar
The Top of the Asokan Pillar is usually a
lion capital
the column of the Ashokan Pillar is
a single stone
The ____ is a symbol of Budah
lion
on the lion capital, lions face 4 directions to show
the 4 corners of the world
what does the bottom of the capital made to look like
a lotus flower with its leaves down
what was lotus associated with
purity and cleanliness
how do wheels represent Budah
- the four wheels on a capital show his teachings around the world
what is the oldest structure in India
Great Stupa at Sanchi
stupa
a round mound of piled earth, and stone that is surrounded with more stone
The stupa is designed to have
no interior
what is believed to be inside each stupa
the ashes of Budah
how was a stupa used
walk around the stupa in meditation
Are stupa only seen in Budahism
NO
what does the domed part of the stupa represent
the world
Toranas
Gates of the stupa (four)
Chatras
found at the top of the yasti
what do the three levels of the chatras represent
different faces of Budah
1. teacher
2. teaching
3. taught
Yasti
the top of the stupa that represents the connection of Heaven and earth
Each Torana faces a different direction that represents
the four great life events of Buddah
and the four different directions
Each Torana faces a different direction that represents
the four great life events of Buddha
Four great life events of Buddah
- Buddha’s birth
- Buddha’s enlightenment
- Buddha’s teachings
- Buddha’s Nirvana or death
What is the Great Departure from the Torana gate a representation of
an aniconic depiction of Buddha’s life story
What do the footprints on the Torana represent
Buddha’s death
what do the umbrellas represent on the Torana
Some of Buddha’s attendents
Is Buddha directly represented in the Torana
NO
The Great Departure is the story of
Buddha as he leaves his royal life
Yakshi are found in which cultures
Hindu
Buddhist
Jain
the yakshi and yaksha are what
the attendees of Kubera (Hindu god of Wealth)
how are Yakshi often depicted
wide hips
narrow waist
huge breasts
visible sexuality
yonic
shape of a female sex organ which symbol female power
What are Yakshi guardians of
treasures of the hidden earth (fertility, cycle of seasons)
what is more prominent in Hindu and Buddhist
body and sexuality
Yakshi are often compared to an
vertility goddess
Votive
offering to a god
reliquary
holder of relics which are the remains of a holy person or object associated with them
votive can be used
at home, smaller centers or as reliquary
What do Buddha and Attendants show
a shift to representing Buddha physically instead of by absence
What is important about the physical representation of Buddha
it cannot represent him after he’s reached death
what is Buddha doing under a tree
meditates
what is the aura called
a halo-like form
what is the raised hand gesture in Buddha and Attendants mean
- seen as a blessing
- seen as protection
- seen as a sign of “have no fear”
Buddha is often seen as a
teacher
What do the distended earlobes mean on Buddha and Attendants
- he is hearing and carrying all the worries of the world
- from all the jewels he would have worn as a prince
Greco-Buddhist
there was a lot of traffic in Western Asia between late Greek Hellenistic and then Roman visual traditions
aspect of Greco-Buddhist
- the slight bend in the knee
visual representations starts _____ after his ____
250 years and death
is the date of Buddha’s death agreed
NO
Emperor Ashoka
unites many parts of the Indian subcontinent and spreads Buddhism officially after 250 BCE
despite spreading Buddhism in 250 BCE, _____ is still practiced
Hinduism
stupa
memorial mound for cremated remains that is a representation of the Buddha and of his teachings
Typically in early Buddhist art, it is
aniconic
when do we begin to see representations of the Buddha
about 100 CE
How was Buddha often represented in art
- empty throne
- a wheel
- footsteps
- parasol
- stupa
