The Shape and Style of Ming and Qing Dynasty Chinese Buddhist Stupas
| Autor: | 曹麗文(釋妙昱) |
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| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 96 Buddhist stupas originated in India. Thus, as Buddhism was transmitted to China, it was more than sutras and teachings that were brought to the country, since objects of a foreign culture were also imported – the Buddhist stupa being a distinctive example. The issue of whether the first stupa that attracted much attention in China originated at Baima Temple or at an ancient stupa that a recent archaeological dig has discovered at Pudan Temple is a much-debated topic. Next, we shall discuss how’s the ‘stupa’ has grown to become a special Buddhist term, who first translated this word, whether it is a transliteration or translation, and whether it was a historic definition, using the shape of the structure to define it as either a ‘stupa’ or a ‘pagoda.’ Also, whether viewed from a religious or a realistic perspective, how do Buddhist stupas manifest local customs? These are the main origins of how Buddhist stupas developed in China. Further, from a religious perspective, although one relies on religion in creating the stupa, the religion itself has been transformed. If the stupa does not then represent devotion to the Buddha, how should one demonstrate the motivation for building a stupa? And, would devotees later transfer their religious spirituality back to the teachings of the Buddha? The concept of building a stupa arose from the storing of relics of the holy and the sacred. Later on in China, monastic translators wanted a repository for Sanskrit scriptures and their translations. As a result, they built a stupa for storing them, which later developed into a sutra repository or sutra pagoda. Some may also store the sutras together with valuable objects of offering inside underground chambers. These gradual transformations could be witnessed in the changes of Buddhist pagodas through succeeding dynasties. The most distinctive were pagodas in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where most of the constructions may still maintain the shape and style of Buddhist stupas. However, in reality they departed from the standards of Buddhist temples. They enjoyed a style of their own, standing amidst mountains and forests or by the waterside, and developed to become the so-called “feng shui” pagodas. The planning and setup of Buddhist temples in China was influenced by traditional Chinese architecture. Buddhist stupas originally occupied central positions in temples, but they were gradually replaced by Buddhist statues. It is not difficult to detect the fact that the positions of pagodas in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were isolated. Thus, “feng-shui” pagodas flourished, the occurrences of which were related to the policies of various emperors in their propagation of the teachings. Through understanding relevant information from many perspectives, the major reasons for a large number of Buddhist pagodas from the Ming and Qing Dynasties being well-preserved are because they were built closer to contemporary times, and most of them are still in perfect condition. In the hopes of attracting more people to explore this subject, and to serve as a reference for future generations, many Ming and Qing Dynasty statistics are provided here as proof of the value and role of the Buddhist pagodas of those times. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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