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Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide
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Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2024) | Viewed by 4578

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Karil J. Kucera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departments of Art & Asian Studies, St Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057, USA
Interests: theoretical approaches to sacred sites both in whole and in part; the interplay of religious texts with visual representation and ritual practice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Current scholarly research is more often than not looking at Buddhism through the lens of various disciplines such as religious studies, art history, archaeology, and philosophy, with some works considering Buddhism through interdisciplinary methodologies that bring together elements from each. This Special Issue weaves yet another thread through this wonderfully complex pattern within Buddhist studies by looking at Buddhist visual culture globally as it manifests in various parts of the world both past and present. The goal of this Special Issue is to raise awareness of the breadth of Buddhism’s reach worldwide as well as the depth of what has been achieved in the form of related art, artifacts, and constructed spaces. Ideally, the topic will connect to bigger Buddhist paradigms in the textual or visual realms and demonstrate their interrelatedness across time and space, but manuscripts focusing on Buddhist works unique to a given area, specific time, or particular ritual context will also be considered, especially if they are dealing with areas of the world where Buddhism is less often given scholarly attention. 

Prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors are encouraged to initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–400 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editor ([email protected]) or to the Religions editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

Prof. Dr. Karil J. Kucera
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
  • global
  • worldwide
  • local
  • Buddhist art
  • Buddhist material culture
  • Buddhist artifacts
  • Buddhist sacred site
  • Buddhist constructed space
  • Buddhist architecture
  • pagoda
  • cave
  • temple
  • relic
  • sculpture
  • painting
  • print
  • image
  • icon
  • transnational exchange

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 14702 KiB  
Article
Environment as Palimpsest: Layers of Buddhist Imagery on Kyŏngju Namsan during the Unified Silla (668–935 CE) Period
by Elizabeth Lee
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101173 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 738
Abstract
This study unpacks the Buddhist assimilation of Namsan (South Mountain) in Kyŏngju through the creation and aggregation of Buddhist sculptures and structures on its slopes during the seventh to tenth centuries. Though steeped in native lore regarding nature deities and efficacious rocks, auspicious [...] Read more.
This study unpacks the Buddhist assimilation of Namsan (South Mountain) in Kyŏngju through the creation and aggregation of Buddhist sculptures and structures on its slopes during the seventh to tenth centuries. Though steeped in native lore regarding nature deities and efficacious rocks, auspicious geological features such as Namsan were recast as part of a Buddhist landscape filled with manifestations of the Buddha and his attendants. These images served to demarcate claims of Buddhism’s place in the peninsula and were situated within sites that were previously marked and claimed by indigenous systems of belief. Employing an approach that draws parallels with David Harvey’s concept of urban environments as palimpsests, this paper reveals that Namsan was a multifaceted site, with military fortifications, temples, and rock-carved sculptures augmenting its spiritual and political significance. The repeated installation of Buddhist imagery ‘recovered’ the mountain, subsuming indigenous beliefs under Buddhist practices. This research finds that Namsan’s landscape was purposefully layered, reflecting the dialectical relationship between various communities and their religious and social practices over time. Analyzing Namsan as a palimpsest underscores the strategic appropriation of the mountain’s materiality and sacrality to establish a Buddhist territory deeply intertwined with the Silla elite’s politics and ideologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide)
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26 pages, 11845 KiB  
Article
Bidirectional Transmission Mapping of Architectural Styles of Tibetan Buddhist Temples in China from the 7th to the 18th Century
by Tianyi Min and Tong Zhang
Religions 2024, 15(9), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091120 - 16 Sep 2024
Viewed by 991
Abstract
Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on [...] Read more.
Architecture is the stone book of history, and the evolution of architectural styles showcases a non-verbal history constructed through images. As an important part of China’s historical and cultural heritage, the architectural forms and styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples were initially modeled on Tang dynasty temple architecture and gradually evolved into the most significant architectural types in regions such as Tibet and Qinghai in China. Religious architecture has also played a significant role in shaping regional cultural landscapes. Existing research on Tibetan Buddhist temples is primarily focused on qualitative studies of individual temple buildings. This research takes the spatiotemporal evolution of architectural styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples as an entry point and, for the first time, employs ArcGIS technology to visualize the spatial and geographical distribution of Tibetan Buddhist temples from the 7th to the 18th century, establishing a comprehensive academic vision that encompasses both historical stratification and cross-regional spatial correlations. By analyzing the cultural symbolic features embodied in the construction styles of Tibetan Buddhist temples and the visual characteristics reflected in their decorative arts, we propose two spatiotemporal dimensions for the formation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles: “Westward Transmission” and “Eastward Diffusion”. Firstly, from the 7th to the 9th centuries, the architectural style and construction techniques of Tang dynasty Buddhist temples were transmitted westward along the Tang–Tibet ancient road, integrating with local Tibetan elements to form the Tubo architectural style, which was further refined into the “Sino–Tibetan Combined Style” with strong visual characteristics around the 13th century. Subsequently, along with the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, this temple architectural style underwent an eastward diffusion from the 13th to the 18th century, reaching regions, such as Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Beijing, presenting a spatial gradient from west to east in the geographical dimension. On this basis, in this research, we construct a historical evolution mapping of Tibetan Buddhist temple architectural styles based on bidirectional transmission, attempting to elucidate that the intrinsic driving forces are religious and the cultural identity that guided the bidirectional transmission mechanism of these architectural styles under the historical context of the formation and dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism from the 7th to the 18th century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide)
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21 pages, 5792 KiB  
Article
Narrative Integration: An In-Depth Exploration of the “Buddha Story Stele” in the Maiji Mountain Grottoes
by Zejie Lin, Zhijun Li and Meizi Xie
Religions 2024, 15(3), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030254 - 20 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1684
Abstract
This research delves into the intricacies of the “Buddha Story Stele” in Cave 133 of the Maiji Mountain Grottoes, China, examining the sculptural combinations and conceptual nuances rooted in Buddhist culture from the 5th to the 6th centuries CE. The research focuses on [...] Read more.
This research delves into the intricacies of the “Buddha Story Stele” in Cave 133 of the Maiji Mountain Grottoes, China, examining the sculptural combinations and conceptual nuances rooted in Buddhist culture from the 5th to the 6th centuries CE. The research focuses on discerning the identities of the “Two Adjacent-Seated Buddhas” and the Cross-Legged Bodhisattva carved on the stele, concurrently delving into the embedded symbolic significance within its structural composition. Our investigation posits that the upper, middle, and lower segments of the “Buddha Story Stele” respectively symbolize the post-Nirvana Dharmakāya Shakyamuni, the Bodhisattva Shakyamuni, and the Buddha Shakyamuni of Sumedha. Advancing scholarly discourse, it reevaluates the Cross-Legged Bodhisattva’s identity and the configuration of the “Two Adjacent-Seated Buddhas”, elucidating the interplay of imagery and conceptual themes. This study provides pivotal insights into the sculptural arrangement and religious thought transmission in the Maiji Mountain Grottoes, contributing significant academic and cultural value to preserve this unique heritage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Art, Artifact and Culture Worldwide)
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