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Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture
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Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 19198

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Soonil Hwang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Buddhism, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Korea
Interests: Pali; Sanskrit; Indian Buddhism; Southeast Asian Buddhist Culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Youn-mi Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
History of Art Department, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
Interests: Buddhism and material culture; Buddhist art and architecture; ritual; material agency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Just as different flowers bloom from a tree, Buddhist doctrine and material culture have sprung from a single root called Buddhism. Buddhism spread to different corners of Asia, leading to various cultural innovations, interfusions, and reinterpretations. Once Buddhism had its root firmly planted throughout Asia, it became localized and wore the cloth of those individual cultures. Such localized Buddhism, encompassing doctrines and material cultures that are far from separate entities, in turn triggers further doctrinal development. Although Buddhist doctrine and Buddhist culture have mutually influenced each other, they have often been studied in separate fields as if they were mutually exclusive. Consequently, the relationship between Buddhist doctrines and material culture that grew from the same root still awaits cooperative examination by Buddhologists and art historians. This Special Issue explores possible links between the two neighboring fields, crossing disciplinary boundaries to understand Buddhist doctrine and material culture comprehensively.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors ([email protected], [email protected]) or to Religions editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

Prof. Dr. Soonil Hwang
Prof. Dr. Youn-mi Kim
Guest Editors

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

  • Buddhist doctrine
  • localization
  • material culture
  • cultural exchange
  • Buddhist art
  • relic
  • cult
  • pagoda
  • Buddhapada
  • icon
  • canon
  • tripiṭaka
  • treatises and commentaries

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 10931 KiB  
Article
Material Heritage of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā: Manuscripts and Inscribed Tablets
by Jaehee Han and Jens Braarvig
Religions 2023, 14(4), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14040544 - 17 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2445
Abstract
The Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā, “Questions of the Oceanic Intelligence,” is the fifth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta, “Great Collection,” and is a canonical work belonging to the tradition of Mahāyāna sūtra literature. This sūtra is highly valued in the long history of Mahāyāna Buddhism [...] Read more.
The Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā, “Questions of the Oceanic Intelligence,” is the fifth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta, “Great Collection,” and is a canonical work belonging to the tradition of Mahāyāna sūtra literature. This sūtra is highly valued in the long history of Mahāyāna Buddhism for its thematic and metaphorical richness, as it personifies the ocean (Skt. sāgara) to represent core aspects of the Mahāyāna doctrinal system. This paper presents two small Sanskrit fragments of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā recently identified in the Schøyen Collection, with transliteration and annotated translation. In order to provide a fuller picture of the textual history of the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchā, a quotation from the text on votive tablets from Kedah, Malaysia, is also discussed. These materials are employed as a case study within the context of tangible and intangible heritage. On the basis of the UNESCO declaration of 2003, it is argued that these two kinds of heritage are intrinsically interlinked, and that the categories and their pertaining definitions can be broadened so as to be relevant to more traditions and their heritage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture)
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29 pages, 14951 KiB  
Article
Through the Open Gate of Heavens: The Tōdaiji Objects and Salvation in Vairocana’s Lotus Treasury World
by Akiko Walley
Religions 2023, 14(4), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14040457 - 28 Mar 2023
Viewed by 3378
Abstract
The set of eighth-century objects known as the “Tōdaiji Golden Hall Platform Pacifying Objects” (Tōdaiji Kondō chindangu 東大寺金堂鎮壇具; “Tōdaiji objects”) is among the earliest concrete evidence of ritual practice in the Nara period. This study reveals how the Tōdaiji objects transformed the [...] Read more.
The set of eighth-century objects known as the “Tōdaiji Golden Hall Platform Pacifying Objects” (Tōdaiji Kondō chindangu 東大寺金堂鎮壇具; “Tōdaiji objects”) is among the earliest concrete evidence of ritual practice in the Nara period. This study reveals how the Tōdaiji objects transformed the space inside the temple’s colossal central statue of the Vairocana Buddha into a symbolic heavenly realm where the deceased would traverse to arrive at Vairocana’s Pure Land. Close analysis of the Tōdaiji objects within Sovereigns Shōmu’s and Kōken’s religiopolitical applications of the Kegon teaching strengthens Okumura Hideo’s argument that Kōken orchestrated the emplacement of these objects in the year 757 as part of commemorating the one-year anniversary of Shōmu’s death. I argue that the Tōdaiji objects encapsulated Kōken’s filial piety towards her father, Shōmu, by praying for his swift ascension to Vairocana’s Pure Land. The objects furthermore served as a reenactment of Buddhist repentance that not only ensured Shōmu’s salvation, but also the prosperity of Kōken’s new reign. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture)
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33 pages, 19638 KiB  
Article
Forgotten Traces of the Buddhist Incantation Spell Practice from Early Korea: Amulet Sheets of the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment (Mahāpratisarā) from Silla
by Joung Ho Han and Youn-mi Kim
Religions 2023, 14(3), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14030340 - 4 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3644
Abstract
Through an investigation of two recently discovered paper sheets of the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment from the Silla kingdom, this paper reveals that early Korea had more diverse forms of dhāraṇī practices than previously assumed. Through analyses of these incantation sheets, this paper contributes [...] Read more.
Through an investigation of two recently discovered paper sheets of the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment from the Silla kingdom, this paper reveals that early Korea had more diverse forms of dhāraṇī practices than previously assumed. Through analyses of these incantation sheets, this paper contributes toward filling the gap in our current understanding of the material practice pertaining to the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment of medieval East Asia. Previously, all known traces of material dhāraṇīs from early Korea, with just a few exceptions, were related to the Sūtra of the Pure Light Incantation enshrined in the relic crypts of pagodas—a practice that has little connection to contemporaneous Chinese dhāraṇī practice. However, the newly discovered Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment sheets, whose date this paper infers to be between the eighth and ninth century, show that Unified Silla had a dhāraṇī practice closely linked to coeval Chinese practice. The Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment sheets from Silla show the modification and continuation of Chinese dhāraṇī practice. Unlike the Chinese amulet sheets of the Incantation of Wish-Fulfillment that were buried in tombs, the Silla amulet sheets were likely enshrined in one of the pagodas erected on Mount Nam in Silla’s capital. At the same time, they were placed in the pagoda to wish for good afterlives of the soldiers who died at the battle, suggesting that they had a mortuary function similar to those buried in Chinese tombs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture)
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24 pages, 5543 KiB  
Article
Materialized Wishes: Long Banner Paintings from the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang
by Yoonah Hwang
Religions 2023, 14(1), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14010058 - 29 Dec 2022
Viewed by 3168
Abstract
This paper explores the religious function and meaning of long banner paintings from Cave 17 of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, in conjunction with material culture in Northwestern China in the ninth and tenth centuries CE. The so-called forty-nine-chi banners have peculiar [...] Read more.
This paper explores the religious function and meaning of long banner paintings from Cave 17 of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, in conjunction with material culture in Northwestern China in the ninth and tenth centuries CE. The so-called forty-nine-chi banners have peculiar traits such as extremely long lengths, an optional triangular headpiece, and a paired or single strip of textile on which a series of standing bodhisattvas are painted. The author focuses on the large number of textiles used for such banners and questions how the extraordinary length and material used contributed to fulfilling the donor’s wishes. By examining both the banners’ physical characteristics, such as the type of textiles, pigments, and configurations, and the theological background based on the Buddhist and Daoist scriptures about longevity, repentance, and healing, the author suggests that the long banners are a materialized form of longevity and prosperity by physically lengthening the banner with multiple bolts of silk. This paper further argues that depicting multiple bodhisattvas in a pictorial form on a long strip of textile was regarded equally as a powerful means for obtaining good health, prolonging life, eliminating sins, and thus being reborn in the Pure Land. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture)
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27 pages, 2480 KiB  
Article
Significance of the Śrāvastī Miracles According to Buddhist Texts and Dvāravatī Artefacts
by Natchapol Sirisawad
Religions 2022, 13(12), 1201; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121201 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4836
Abstract
The story of the Śrāvastī miracles is one episode of the Buddha’s biography that is depicted in the art forms of Dvāravatī from about the 7th to the 11th centuries CE. The fact that many artefacts were produced—in such variety, over such a [...] Read more.
The story of the Śrāvastī miracles is one episode of the Buddha’s biography that is depicted in the art forms of Dvāravatī from about the 7th to the 11th centuries CE. The fact that many artefacts were produced—in such variety, over such a long period, and at so many sites—shows the popularity of the scene of the Śrāvastī miracles in the Dvāravatī culture. The objective of this research paper is to analyze the significance of the story of the Śrāvastī miracles that affected the creation of Dvāravatī art in Thailand by examining the textual sources together with the Dvāravatī artefacts. The analysis shows that the stories of the Śrāvastī miracles were significant in various ways, being one of the Buddha’s necessary deeds, a principal miracle only performed by the Buddha, a means of converting others to Buddhism, and a key source for the idea of making Buddha images as an act of merit. These significant features may explain the popularity of the Śrāvastī miracle theme in Dvāravatī culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Doctrine and Buddhist Material Culture)
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