* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download The Many Streams of Buddhist Art in Thailand By Heidi
Buddha-nature wikipedia , lookup
Persecution of Buddhists wikipedia , lookup
Gautama Buddha wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism in Vietnam wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism and psychology wikipedia , lookup
Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent wikipedia , lookup
Buddhist ethics wikipedia , lookup
History of Buddhism in India wikipedia , lookup
Buddhist philosophy wikipedia , lookup
History of Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Triratna Buddhist Community wikipedia , lookup
Wat Phra Kaew wikipedia , lookup
Buddhist art wikipedia , lookup
Sanghyang Adi Buddha wikipedia , lookup
Silk Road transmission of Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Dhyāna in Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism and sexual orientation wikipedia , lookup
Enlightenment in Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Greco-Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism and Hinduism wikipedia , lookup
Buddhism and Western philosophy wikipedia , lookup
Women in Buddhism wikipedia , lookup
Buddhist art in Japan wikipedia , lookup
Book Review Enlightened Ways: The Many Streams of Buddhist Art in Thailand By Heidi Tan with contributions from other scholars Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, 2012 267 pages ISBN 9789810746285 Price: US$35.26 H eidi Tan, Alan Chong and the Asian Civilisations Museum are to be commended for the publication of this handsome exhibition catalogue, Enlightened Ways: The Many Streams of Buddhist Art in Thailand. The exhibition presents Thai religious art from a perspective that reflects and furthers current scholarship in Buddhist studies (see Robert H. Scharf, ‘On the Allure of Buddhist Relics’, Representations 66 (1999): 75-99, and Ashley Thompson, ‘In the Absence of the Buddha: “Aniconism” and the Contentions of Buddhist Art History’, in The Companion to Asian Art, eds. Rebecca M. Brown and Deborah S. Hutton, Oxford, 2011, pp. 398-420). The colonial paradigm that Buddhist texts are the arbiters of ‘pure’ Buddhism, and that other beliefs and practices are corruptions of the original truth, is adjusted to provide a more equable approach to doctrine and practice. There are six essays in the volume, plus an extensive catalogue section. Tan’s article sets the stage for the exhibition and the catalogue by examining the ‘aesthetic achievement of Thai Buddhist art’ in relationship with other cultures (p. 8). The exhibition seeks to break down the traditional hierarchy of fine and decorative art – a non-existent dichotomy in Thailand – as well as to demonstrate the complex interactions between various strands of Buddhism and Brahmanism. The presence of the latter has resulted in a prominent place for deities, such as the elephant-headed Ganesha, and Brahmins in Thai religious and ceremonial practices. In addition to following a chronological and cultural approach that looks at early developments, Dvaravati, Srivijaya, Lopburi, Sukhothai, Lan Na, Ayutthaya and the Ratanakosin period, Tan includes separate sections on Brahmanical material, merit making and ritual art, and amulets and popular Buddhism. She further addresses the syncretism, hybridity and globalization that are occurring in Thai Buddhism and the impact that these can have upon contemporary religious practices. Two major aspects of Thai Buddhism – rupakaya, the Buddha’s body and his relics and representations of him, and dhammakaya, the teachings of the Buddha – are the subject of Peter Skilling’s essay. Despite this clear structure, the article is rather scattered, briefly mentioning many different aspects of Thai artistic production and touching upon scholarly debates. For instance, Skilling argues against calling the mass-produced terracotta tablets ‘votive tablets’, a picky point given that the term ‘votive’ has come to have a broad significance beyond Greco-Roman and Christian terminology. He also touches upon Dvaravati imagery, the variety, functions, materials, posture, and histories of Buddha images, the role of painting, the presence of Mahayana Buddhism, and the function of Brahmanical elements. It is under the rubric of the Buddha’s teachings as a source of blessing and power that Skilling discusses manuscripts, the practices of meditating on corpses and paying homage, and what sponsors say in their donative records. He concludes with an emphasis on the materiality of the objects used in religious activity, with that property emerging from and contributing to spiritual depth. John Listopad contextualizes representations of the walking Buddha that became popular in Thailand from around 1400 and examines the four textual sources that inspired the production of such imagery. He briefly explains the revised, later dating of Sukhothai art, where walking Buddhas were so significant, and connects the images of the walking Buddha to the cult of the Buddha’s footprint. Particularly useful is Amara Srisuchat’s article, which brings together information about the different terms for images of the Buddha, ranging from epithets that appear in the Pali canon and Sanskrit scriptures to popular terms that have endured over time and across regions. Many sources feed into the development of the name of an image, including its posture, provenance and materials, as well as the endowments of the Buddha. This facet of Buddha images has not been extensively studied, but it is important because it illuminates Thai conceptions of Buddhism, the Buddha, and images thereof, as well as providing valuable information about religious practices. Justin McDaniel’s article on amulets is a clear summary of the materials, categories and types available, as well as the roles that amulets play socially and economically. Portable protective amulets and images are part of Southeast Asian religious practice generally, and there is evidence that such objects have been employed since early times. The ranking of amulets was started by the royal family in the 19th century, but all parts of society participate in collecting these objects, and the study of amulets is a major endeavour in Thailand, resulting in numerous publications and catalogues about them. McDaniel defends 127 amulet production against charges of the commercialization of Buddhism, and demonstrates that they do not produce extensive direct profits. Indirect profits are shared with local and international communities through charitable endeavours. McDaniel argues too that amulets create communities by providing opportunities for social interaction both in person and through the internet. In the Salak Yom festival in the northern Thai province of Lamphun, monks and novices are presented with trees laden with gifts through a lottery system in order to generate merit for deceased individuals. The origins of this festival lie in ancestor worship and Brahmanical practices that have merged with Buddhist activities. In her essay, Alexandra Denes focuses on the festival as practised by the Yong minority, where it once was a rite of passage for young women. She argues that the tree itself is multivalent, referencing Buddhist, Brahmanical, and animist concepts. Although the Salak Yom declined in the mid20th century, it has now been revived as a communal meritmaking festivity without links to courtship or marriage. While this piece is of great interest, its specificity to a small group of people in northern Thailand sits a little uncomfortably with the general approach of the other essays and the catalogue. More explanation of why this example was singled out would have been useful in integrating it better. The catalogue is divided into sections, beginning with a 128 chronological and cultural approach to Thai art history, followed by an examination of Brahmanical elements. Materials, ranging from tablets and ceramics to ritual furnishings, manuscripts and paintings, and textiles that are used in merit-making activities form the third section; the fourth part includes amulets and other protective objects. As this structure makes clear, the purpose of the exhibition was not only to examine the categories of Thai art history afresh, but also to make viewers aware of other aspects of artistic production and religious practice. The division of the catalogue into historical/cultural, brahmanical, merit-making, and protective sections, however, accentuates the separation of decorative and fine arts and between traditional art history and the actual practice of Buddhism that Heidi Tan and Alan Chong intended to overcome at the outset. It would have been interesting to see whether the latter three sections could have been successfully integrated into the first, both in the exhibition and the catalogue. This is a minor quibble, however, as there have been few attempts to look at Thai art history in an integrated fashion. This is an important exhibition, with stunning and rarely seen objects, many from regional and national museums in Thailand, and the catalogue will be a valuable source of information for many years to come. Alexandra Green, Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia, The British Museum.