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201 - 225 of 259 Records
Zhihua Gate (Zhihuamen, Tianwangdian, or Hall of the Heavenly Kings), exterior
- Title Translation: ęŗåé , å¤éØ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The entrance hall, named Zhihua Gate, is a small structure with three bays across the front and two bays across the depth (13 x 7.8 meters). It originally contained four now-lost statues of the Four Heavenly Kings installed to guard and protect the temple. Taken together with the Drum Tower on the west and Bell Tower on the east immediately inside the entrance gate (shanmen), the first quadrangle serves as a preparatory space before one makes entry into the main part of the complex to venerate the Buddhas.
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior digital reconstruction
- Title Translation: å¦ä¾ę®æ , å¤éØę°åéå»ŗ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of ÅÄkyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the secondāenclosed by walls on its east and west.
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), ceiling model digital reconstruction
- Title Translation: äøä½é天č±äøč»äŗ , 天č±ęæęØ”åę°åéå»ŗ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), full frontal
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ天č±äøč»äŗ , å Øę£é¢
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā1722).
Buddha Triad from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), throne of the Vairocana Buddha
- Title Translation: äøä½éäøå£ , ęÆå¢é®é£ä½å®åŗ§
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The three figures on the ground level of the Rulai Hall are located directly below three other large Buddha sculptural images in the upper level, called the Wanfoge (Ten-thousand Buddha Pavilion). Of these sculptures, the central figure is artistically similar to the Shakyamuni in the lower level. It too is a very large golden figure displaying finely modeled features and wearing the same kind of robe and earrings. In addition, this Buddha wears a five-petaled jeweled crown, large necklace and additional jewelry on his arms and ankles. He sits on a larger multilevel, thousand-petaled lotus throne set on an elaborately carved base that indicate his superior status or importance. His hands are held up in front of his chest, with the index finger of the left hand raised and the right hand closed over it. This is the mudra called the āwisdom fistā and is the gesture of the Buddha Vairocana who is the dharmakaya Buddha. A large coffered ceiling with central dragon was formerly situated directly above him. The two other large Buddha sculptures in the Wanfoge are labeled as Sakyamuni Buddha and Rochana Buddha, and together with the central Vairochana they are identified as the Three Bodies of the Buddha. Rochana represents the Buddha body as sambhogakaya or baoshen, body of reward, an idealized vision worshipped by believers emerged.
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), central five-clawed dragon
- Title Translation: äøä½é天č±äøč»äŗ , äø央äŗēŖé¾
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æ , å¤éØ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of ÅÄkyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the secondāenclosed by walls on its east and west.
Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), architecture detail sheet
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ , å»ŗēē»čč”Ø
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua Hall is a 3-bay-by-3-bay structure (18 x 14.5 meters) with a hip-and-gable roof. It initially housed a Buddha triad with the ÅÄkyamuni Buddha at the center along with eighteen Arhats. The only four interior columns form a spacious central bay before the altar for visitors to see and worship the Buddhas. Above this central area is where the grand coffered ceiling (approx. 5 x 5 meters), now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was initially installed.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Philadelphia Museum of Art Hollis Baldeck Gallery
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ天č±äøč»äŗ , č“¹åčŗęÆåē©é¦Hollis Baldeckē»å»
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā1722).
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ天č±äøč»äŗ , 3Déå»ŗéęå¾å
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā1722).
Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: äøä½é , 3D éå»ŗéęå¾å
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the āThree Bodies of the Buddhaā (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by ÅÄkyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ天č±äøč»äŗ , 3Déå»ŗéęå¾å
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā1722).
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), temple name plate
- Title Translation: 大ęŗę®æ , åÆŗåŗéē
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, AvolokiteÅvara attended by MaƱjuÅrÄ« and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), three seated bodhisattvas
- Title Translation: 大ęŗę®æ , äøåč©čØ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, AvolokiteÅvara attended by MaƱjuÅrÄ« and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), seated bodhisattva
- Title Translation: 大ęŗę®æ , åč©čØ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, AvolokiteÅvara attended by MaƱjuÅrÄ« and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), research team conducting scanning
- Title Translation: ęŗåę®æ天č±äøč»äŗ , ē ē©¶å°ē»čæč”ę«ę
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axisāthe Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā1722).
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), research team conducting scanning
- Title Translation: äøä½é天č±äøč»äŗ , ē ē©¶å°ē»čæč”ę«ę
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. It is carved cypress wood with gold leaf; dragon design carved in relief.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Indra Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æ , å¤éØ
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of ÅÄkyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the secondāenclosed by walls on its east and west.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: å¦ę„ę®æäøå£ , éčæ¦ēå°¼, åøé天, å¤§ę¢µå¤©
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddhaās right or west side is Indra åøé天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddhaās left, is the Hindu god Brahma å¤§ę¢µå¤©. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddhaās life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuniās life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Maraās demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddhaās enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.