Buddhist and Hindu Temples Essay

The distance required to convert to Buddhism was greatly decreased and this allowed for more people to join. This greatly appealed to the diverse peoples outside of India. One way that Buddhism spread throughout the world was along the Silk Roads. “In addition to silk traders, monks traveled along Afro-Eurasian trade arteries to spread the word of new religions.2 Buddhism traveled from India to China and central Asia, following the Silk Roads. The transmission of the ideas of Buddhism to China and other eastward areas was aided by translated Buddhist texts and converts. A Buddhist Manuscript of the Great Dagoba (Doc A) exemplifies the way that these ideas were transmitted in the early days of Buddhism. This document suggests that monasteries and stupas, a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics3, played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in the east Asia because of the creation of texts such as these. Art found from the central area of India is called Mathuran art. This Mathuran art evolved from the carved idols of South Asian folk gods and goddesses. Another example of the importance of temples to Buddhism is shown on an Indian Temple relief. The relief describes the propitious alignment of the heavenly bodies on the day that the temple was founded. This is important because it means that the native peoples

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 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.

Located at the Horyu-ji temple, the Shaka Triad, also known as the Shaka Trinity, stands 3.82 meters high from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the mandorla. The stature was created out of gilded bronze in several pieces before being put together, and consists of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, bordered by two bodhisattvas. Each bodhisattva is 0.91 m high, while the central figure, measures out to be 0.86 m. The three figures are situated on a wooden pedestal, backed by a bronze mandorla, decorated with smaller seated Buddha’s cast in relief. The sculpture has been beautifully preserved, although the gilding on the bodhisattvas has become slightly blackened.

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 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.

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

With no particular reason I shall start my exploratory journey of the Gohonzon from its four corners. Indeed, the structural soundness of any edifice rests on its corner stone(s) does it not? The Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王) occupy the four corners of the Gohonzon. Hindu tradition has portayed that they lived in the mid-slopes of Mount Sumeru in four different directions guarding the Buddha whilst the latter meditated against possible interference from evil forces. They are revered as powerful protectors of Buddha and the Dharma.

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 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

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.

Behind the main temple was another small courtyard was two smaller buildings for worship to the left and the right of the courtyard. Another large building was to the back which looked fairly newly built. It seemed to be a place of serving food that contained no meat but some sort of meat substitute that was not artificially made from what the servers were telling me. Then to the right of that building was a small warehouse that looked to house desks and whiteboards for the weekly Vietnamese classes that are being held there. Outside of the warehouse was a basketball goal for the students that would come for Sunday school, and a small parking lot for more visitors.

I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.