Behold The Buddha

Author : James C. Dobbins
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824879996
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.90/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Behold the Buddha written by James C. Dobbins and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Images of the Buddha are everywhere—not just in temples but also in museums and homes and online—but what these images mean largely depends on the background and circumstance of those viewing them. In Behold the Buddha, James Dobbins invites readers to imagine how premodern Japanese Buddhists understood and experienced icons in temple settings long before the advent of museums and the internet. Although widely portrayed in the last century as visual emblems of great religious truths or as exquisite works of Asian art, Buddhist images were traditionally treated as the very embodiment of the Buddha, his palpable presence among people. Hence, Buddhists approached them as living entities in their own right—that is, as awakened icons with whom they could interact religiously. Dobbins begins by reflecting on art museums, where many non-Buddhists first encounter images of the Buddha, before outlining the complex Western response to them in previous centuries. He next elucidates images as visual representations of the story of the Buddha’s life followed by an overview of the physical attributes and symbolic gestures found in Buddhist iconography. A variety of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other divinities commonly depicted in Japanese Buddhism is introduced, and their “living” quality discussed in the context of traditional temples and Buddhist rituals. Finally, other religious objects in Japanese Buddhism—relics, scriptures, inscriptions, portraits of masters, and sacred sites—are explained using the Buddhist icon as a model. Dobbins concludes by contemplating art museums further as potential sites for discerning the religious character of Buddhist images. Those interested in Buddhism generally who would like to learn more about its rich iconography—whether encountered in temples or museums—will find much in this concise, well-illustrated volume to help them “behold the Buddha.”

Author : Yoshihiro Suzuki
Publisher : Pie International
ISBN 13 : 9784756252388
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.89/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Understanding Japanese Buddhist Sculpture Through Visual Comparison written by Yoshihiro Suzuki and published by Pie International. This book was released on 2020-06-02 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beginner's guide to appreciating Buddha statues from a whole new perspective. This is a ground-breaking guide book focusing on how you can receive a stronger impression when appreciating Buddha statues. People tend to look at the sculptures absentmindedly, experiencing the statues as a confirmation of the information they read or heard before. This way of viewing tends to quickly diminish the impression of the art work. But how can we deepen our impression and excitement towards each Buddha statue? This book presents different perspectives and steps to help reader go one step further when appreciating Buddha statues. For example, readers are invited to compare two Buddha statues (the same icon from a different eras), and observing them from all 360 degrees. Comparing the statues like this reveals the subtle differences of style, such as proportion, mass, atmosphere, movement, drapery, posture, modeling, and contour, gradually making readers understand the characteristics and trend of eras and the manner of the carvers. Also, while other guide books tend to focus on academic facts and trivia, this book leans more towards the works' style and beauty. This book is for those who are interested in appreciating Buddha statues but don't know how to, and for those who can feel the magnificence of the wonderful piece of art but don't know how to delve deeper. No special background information is necessary to appreciate Buddha statues. With this new point of view presented by Yoshihiro Suzuki, an honorary member of the Nara National Museum, who now gives lectures in Japan on how to appreciate Buddha statues, readers will be able to see Buddha statues from a whole new perspective and spend a more fulfilling time in museums. Readers will surely be intrigued by the deep world of Buddha statues. This book collects many national treasures and important cultural properties such as the Standing Kongo Riksihi statues in the Nandaimon gate at Todaiji, the Seated Chogen Shonin (Todaiji Temple, Nara), the Standing Mujaku Bosatsu (Asanga Bodhisattva) and Senshin Bosatsu (Vasubandhu Bodhisattva), and the Standing Demons Tentoki and Ryutoki.

Author : Alan Watts
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307784339
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Behold the Spirit written by Alan Watts and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-04-06 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The perfect guide for a course correction in life" (Deepak Chopra) that teaches us how to enjoy a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the spiritual in our present troubled times. Drawing on his experiences as a former priest, Watts skillfully explains how the intuition of Eastern religion—Zen Buddhism, in particular—can be incorporated into the doctrines of Western Christianity, offering a timeless argument for the place of mystical religion in today’s world.

Author : Kelsang Gyatso
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
ISBN 13 : 9788120817272
Total Pages : 428 pages
Book Rating : 4.73/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Meaningful to Behold written by Kelsang Gyatso and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. This book was released on 2000 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Bodhisattva is someone who has resolved to liberate all living beings from suffering by fulfilling his or her full spiritual potential. Many people have the compassionate wish to benefit others, but few understand how to make this wish effective in their daily life. In this highly acclaimed explanation of the great Buddhist classic, Guide to the Bodhisattva`a Way of Life, Geshe Kelsang shows how we can develop and maintain the supremely compassionate motivation of a Bodhisattva, and how we can then engage in the actual practices that provide the greatest benefit to others and lead to the attainment of full enlightenment.

Author : Paul Carus
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Gospel of Buddha written by Paul Carus and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Kurt Behrendt
Publisher : Metropolitan Museum of Art
ISBN 13 : 1588396738
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book How to Read Buddhist Art written by Kurt Behrendt and published by Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book was released on 2019-11-29 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intended to inspire the devout and provide a focus for religious practice, Buddhist artworks stand at the center of a great religious tradition that swept across Asia during the first millennia. How to Read Buddhist Art assembles fifty-four masterpieces from The Met collection to explore how images of the Buddha crossed linguistic and cultural barriers, and how they took on different (yet remarkably consistent) characteristics in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Himalayas, China, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Works highlighted in this rich, concise overview include reliquaries, images of the Buddha that attempt to capture his transcendence, diverse bodhisattvas who protect and help the devout on their personal path, and representations of important teachers. The book offers the essential iconographic frameworks needed to understand Buddhist art and practice, helping the reader to appreciate how artists gave form to subtle aspects of the teachings, especially in the sublime expression of the Buddha himself.

Author : William E. Deal
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118608313
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism written by William E. Deal and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and chronological account of the evolution of Buddhist religion in Japan from the sixth century to the present day. Traces each period of Japanese history to reveal the complex and often controversial histories of Japanese Buddhists and their unfolding narratives Examines relevant social, political, and transcultural contexts, and places an emphasis on Japanese Buddhist discourses and material culture Addresses the increasing competition between Buddhist, Shinto, and Neo-Confucian world-views through to the mid-nineteenth century Informed by the most recent research, including the latest Japanese and Western scholarship Illustrates the richness and complexity of Japanese Buddhism as a lived religion, offering readers a glimpse into the development of this complex and often misunderstood tradition

Author : Donna Quesada
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1632208385
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.85/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Inspired Teacher written by Donna Quesada and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Donna Quesada had been teaching for about a dozen years when the first signs of burnout hit her. Rather than give in to her frustration, she reached for Buddha’s teachings, the Zen wisdom that formed the basis of her own longtime spiritual practice. She survived the semester and gradually rediscovered the joy in her job that had been progressively declining. In this wise and inspirational book, she shares the lessons she learned—lessons that revealed, time and again, that no matter the situation, it’s always about getting your head in the right place first. Resolution begins in our own minds. Some days, some semesters, and even some years will be more challenging and more wearisome than others, she warns. But in The Inspired Teacher, Quesada offers a lasting source of encouragement and Zen. Although the book draws from Eastern teachings, the wisdom is for everyone, regardless of personal background, creed, or faith. With elements of The Last Lecture as well as Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul, this is the perfect gift for teachers—but also for anyone needing inspiration.

Author : B. Alan Wallace
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231519702
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.00/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mind in the Balance written by B. Alan Wallace and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-03 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By establishing a dialogue in which the meditative practices of Buddhism and Christianity speak to the theories of modern philosophy and science, B. Alan Wallace reveals the theoretical similarities underlying these disparate disciplines and their unified approach to making sense of the objective world. Wallace begins by exploring the relationship between Christian and Buddhist meditative practices. He outlines a sequence of meditations the reader can undertake, showing that, though Buddhism and Christianity differ in their belief systems, their methods of cognitive inquiry provide similar insight into the nature and origins of consciousness. From this convergence Wallace then connects the approaches of contemporary cognitive science, quantum mechanics, and the philosophy of the mind. He links Buddhist and Christian views to the provocative philosophical theories of Hilary Putnam, Charles Taylor, and Bas van Fraassen, and he seamlessly incorporates the work of such physicists as Anton Zeilinger, John Wheeler, and Stephen Hawking. Combining a concrete analysis of conceptions of consciousness with a guide to cultivating mindfulness and profound contemplative practice, Wallace takes the scientific and intellectual mapping of the mind in exciting new directions.

Author : Nyanasobhano
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0861718895
Total Pages : 152 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Landscapes of Wonder written by Nyanasobhano and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-05-30 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "To most of us there have come exceptional, unworldly moments, like unsuspected deeps in a stream, when we fell through appearances - fell through ourselves - into an intuition of majesty and wonder." - Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano in Landscapes of Wonder Landscapes of Wonder deftly transports the spirit of Buddhist contemplation off the cushion and into the natural world. With a lyricism and spiritual immediacy reminiscent of Thoreau and Emerson, in eighteen meditational essays Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano considers Buddhist themes through the prism of nature. The reflections captured in these satisfying literary explorations will appeal to all who appreciate contemplation of the natural world and our place in it.