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Buddhist Art and Ritual Spaces in the Global Perspective
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Buddhist Art and Ritual Spaces in the Global Perspective

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 July 2024) | Viewed by 4281

Special Issue Editor

Dr. David Efurd

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Art and Art History, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA
Interests: Buddhist studies; rock-cut architecture; iconographic programs; South Asia; Korea; meditation; Jainism; archaeology; digital humanities; art and architectural history

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Religions will host contributions to the study of Buddhist art and architecture and the practices they foster. The Buddhist imagemaking tradition is varied in its depictions, including jataka tales; scenes from the lives of Buddhas; myriad realms, paradises and purelands; hells; mandalas; and beings who come to the aid of Buddhist practitioners and protect the Dharma. Geographically, it spans Asia and beyond, from the farthest regions of northwestern South Asia to the islands of Japan.

While contributions to the broader study of Buddhist art and architecture are welcome, this Special Issue particularly seeks papers that explore relationships between Buddhist art and ritual spaces. They would engage interactions between architecture and art in its various forms, and both enhanced and facilitated Buddhist ritual and devotional practices. These interactions may inspire Buddhist architecture and the ritual spaces engaged by practitioners to serve as the subject matter and symbolic content of artistic depictions, or they may evoke and encourage experiencing other-worldly realms through arrangements of architectural space.

Analyses of decorative and iconographic programs, or how architectural forms may evoke a macrocosm, lend themselves readily to monographic studies of sites. This Special Issue wishes to provide a wide and far-ranging series of case studies representing Buddhist tradition throughout the world and in various phases of the religious tradition’s history.

Dr. David Efurd
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Buddhism
  • art
  • architecture
  • painting
  • cave
  • mural
  • sculpture
  • devotion
  • ritual
  • India
  • Tibet
  • Asia
  • Japan
  • China
  • Mahayana
  • Theravada
  • Vajrayana

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5640 KiB  
Article
Weituo Statue in Temple Space: Worshipping Weituo as a Patron Deity of the Chinese Saṅgha
by Tianshu Zhu
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101195 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 948
Abstract
Weituo 韦驮 is one of the most frequently represented protective deities in Chinese Buddhist temples. The statue of Weituo is enshrined virtually in every standard Buddhist temple in China today, and at a unique location—in the entrance hall for the four Heavenly Kings [...] Read more.
Weituo 韦驮 is one of the most frequently represented protective deities in Chinese Buddhist temples. The statue of Weituo is enshrined virtually in every standard Buddhist temple in China today, and at a unique location—in the entrance hall for the four Heavenly Kings and facing inward. Why is the Weituo statue placed at this place and looking inward? The Chinese Weituo can be traced back to the Hindu god Skanda. However, his iconography and functions in China were completely reshaped by master Daoxuan’s 道宣 (596–667) account of this deity. Actually, Weituo is just one of the many Buddhist protective deities for general protection and prosperity. In China, as I demonstrate in this study, Weituo has been known as the most diligent Dharma-protector and is associated in particular with the saṅgha, as a patron guardian and inspector of monks and nuns. Thus, Weituo’s images are shrined in Buddhist temples. The locations of these images reflect the importance of Weituo and his special role in Chinese Buddhism. In the past, there have been a few studies, but they mainly focus on his origin. The functions of Weituo and the worship of Weituo in the Chinese saṅgha have not been well examined. Going beyond his identities, iconography, and style, this study aims to contextualize Weituo images in temple space and religious practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art and Ritual Spaces in the Global Perspective)
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22 pages, 15833 KiB  
Article
Maṇḍala or Sign? Re-Examining the Significance of the “Viśvavajra” in the Caisson Ceilings of Dunhuang Mogao Caves
by Li Shen
Religions 2024, 15(7), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070803 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1602
Abstract
This article delves into the exploration of a significant sign, the “viśvavajra”, found in the caisson ceilings of Buddhist esoteric art in Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves. These caissons, featuring the viśvavajra sign in the center, were prevalent from the mid-Tang period to the Western [...] Read more.
This article delves into the exploration of a significant sign, the “viśvavajra”, found in the caisson ceilings of Buddhist esoteric art in Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves. These caissons, featuring the viśvavajra sign in the center, were prevalent from the mid-Tang period to the Western Xia dynasty (ninth to thirteenth centuries) and are recorded by The Overall Record of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes under description as “Jiaochu Jingxin”. Similar caissons are also found in Western Buddhist Caves near Dunhuang, and Yulin Caves in Guazhou County, indicating a distinct regional character. Focusing on a well-preserved and intricately detailed example from Cave 361, this article aims to elucidate the specific tantric significance of the viśvavajra at the center of the caissons within the broader context of Buddhist art. Drawing from related tantras, the discussion explores how the sign and its surrounding compositions align with a particular homa (fire offering) maṇḍala, specifically the śāntika maṇḍala crucial to numerous Tantric Buddhist rituals. Furthermore, the article examines the evolution of caisson of this type of maṇḍala over time. By comparing the mid-Tang example from Cave 361 with the late Tang period’s Cave 14, a noticeable shift in format becomes apparent. The viśvavajra sign takes on new significance, embodying “the samaya of all Tathāgatas”. Ultimately, the article explores how the significance of the viśvavajra sign transforms into an allusion to Vairocana or Rocana under the Sino-Tibetan Esoteric Buddhist context in the Hexi Corridor during the early Northern Song and Western Xia dynasty. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art and Ritual Spaces in the Global Perspective)
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20 pages, 16008 KiB  
Article
“Buddhist-Christian Style”: The Collaboration of Prip-Møller and Reichelt—From Longchang Si to Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre
by Weiqiao Wang and Yan Liu
Religions 2024, 15(7), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070801 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 920
Abstract
Buddhist architecture plays a crucial role in traditional Chinese architecture, representing the localized adaptation of Buddhism, a foreign religion, in China. Historically, abundant materials, including paintings, photographs, and texts, demonstrate the longstanding interest of visiting Christian missionaries in Chinese Buddhist architecture. As their [...] Read more.
Buddhist architecture plays a crucial role in traditional Chinese architecture, representing the localized adaptation of Buddhism, a foreign religion, in China. Historically, abundant materials, including paintings, photographs, and texts, demonstrate the longstanding interest of visiting Christian missionaries in Chinese Buddhist architecture. As their understanding deepens, Buddhist architecture becomes a valuable reference for the Sinicization of Christian venues in China. Unlike the “Chinese Roof with Western walls style” or “mixed Easten and Western façade style”, Tao Fong Shan represents a “Buddhist-Christian style”, with its success rooted in the similarity of life and spatial modes between Buddhist and Christian monasteries. Using Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre as a case study, this article examines the localization construction of Christian architecture. It explores how Norwegian missionary Karl Ludvig Reichelt (1877–1952) and Danish Christian architect Johannes Prip-Møller (1889–1943) collaborated to establish a Christian center targeting Buddhists. Through an in-depth study of Prip-Møller’s field research in the 1930s, especially his analysis of Longchang Si, the article investigates how Tao Fong Shan learned from it and transformed its spatial characteristics to achieve a localized sense of space perception through site selection, layout, and spatial design. It ultimately aims to influence the beliefs of Buddhists within the local context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art and Ritual Spaces in the Global Perspective)
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