“This book delves into the classical period of Indian history – through art, culture and sculptures – when contacts among India, Eastern Central Asia and China were at a flourishing phase. The study underscores the spread of Buddhism through many regions – the Tarim Basin, Mongolia, Dunhuang and China. These places on the Silk Road, served as a crucial passage for the transference and upsurge of Buddhism. The process of dissemination of a world religion, like Buddhism, was intricate and this book addresses the subject from the perspective of art, thus each and every chapter takes a look into Buddhist objects such as painting, sculpture and also religion and philosophy. The deities that have been discussed are carefully studied, and their nature, iconography and description from the point of view of the various Indian Buddhist religious texts and the artistic creations from India and several other countries in Asia are well covered. As one makes a careful study of the entire area which is rich in history, culture and art, one cannot help but appreciating the diversity of the depictions of Buddhist art.
This book, highly illustrated, consisting of evocative images across the region under study, should be of great interest to scholars/students who are interested in this subject and also in the history of the Silk Road. They will find this study as a useful contribution for the study of Buddhist art in Central Asia.”
Shingon Buddhism — esoteric Buddhism brought to Japan from China during the early ninth century — inspired a new spiritual energy that found expression in varied forms, especially in art and iconography. A radical change occurred with the introduction of new deities, among them the Five Great Kings, the most important of them being Fudo Myo-o, the conqueror of all disasters and evil. This book is a study of the concept, iconography and decoction of Fudo in art.
Beginning with a detailed account of the origin of Buddhism and its introduction into Japan, the book focuses on development of esoteric Buddhism in the country. It delves into the uniqueness of Shingon Buddhism rituals which try to evoke the vitality of the three mysteries in the body, speech and thought, the mysteries being transmitted orally from the master to the disciple. Describing Fudo Myo-o as discussed in Buddhist literary sources from India, it takes up his visual representation in painting and sculpture. It discusses the representation of his attendants in art and iconography, symbolic instruments associated with the god in his depiction and interpretations of the mudras (hand gestures, postures, emblems) carried by Fudo. It explains the esoteric meaning attached to various ideas and concepts represented in the visual images.
Supported by numerous illustrations, this detailed and thorough study would enthral students and scholars of Buddhist art and iconography.
Assimilation of Brahmanism into Buddhism is a research work on Buddhism and Buddhist art of early medieval period in India. Archaeological materials and literary records suggest that Buddhism had a continuous existence during the third century bce to the thirteenth century ce in India. Though early Buddhism was totally different in its doctrines and faith from the Brahmanical system, the Buddhism of today is a religio-philosophical system having assimilated and adopted new ideas and beliefs from the environment in which it was born and nurtured.
The introduction of Tantrism bought Buddhism and Brahmanism closer to each other. It opened the gate to the vast field of Buddhist iconography along with Tantric practices, deities, mudras and mandalas. Many of these were influenced by the Brahmanic idea of godhead and some were the combination of one or more ideas of Brahmanic divinities. There was assimilation of a number of factors between Brahmanism and Buddhism.
This scholarly volume addresses the different aspects of this assimilation process by getting into a historical study of Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism; outlining the political history, and socio-economic and religious changes during 300700 ce; scanning the political and economic background and the spreading of esoteric Buddhism; emergence of Vajrayana Buddhism; and providing a detailed sketch of Vajrayana images.
