Spirit Myth and Sacredness in Architecture - Essay Example

Topic: Spirit Myth and Sacredness in Architecture "THE BUDDHIST STUPA" The Buddhist Stupa is a ical example of architecture designed to project religious ideals, symbolically as well as directly, to denote sacredness. It has existed in many forms, and has evolved continuously - from its early origins in Northern India to much more elegant patterns of pagodas seen in China and Japan. This essay examines the Buddhist stupa from an architectural angle to elucidate the sacredness and religious spirit. We would focus in this essay on one well known stupa, the stupa at Bharut, Sanchi in Central India after elucidating the general history, iconography and symbolism of Stupas. The Origin of Stupas Shortly after the Buddha's death, history records a scramble for his remains amongst monks from across the Indian subcontinent. His remains were finally divided into eight portions, each being placed in one of the twelve original Stupas that were built. Few of the original stupas still survive, but stupas continued to be built long after the Buddha's death with progressive modification of subsequent design as its meaning became more and more symbolic. However, the building of Stupas began long before the Buddha himself, as relic holding monuments of rulers. The symbolism was acquired at a much later date. To quote authors Thurman and Leidy (1997) : "Stupas began in pre-Buddhist India as hemispherical burial grounds that marked the remains of temporal rulers. At an early stage in the development of Buddhist art, they became symbols of the Buddha's continuing immanance as well as representations of his mind........the fourteen rings around the spire (that are seen in all "modern" stupas) are all that remainn of the royal umbrellas often found in earlier stupas. They symbolise the fourteen stages traversed in the attainment of buddhahood; the four tantric stages added to the ten bodhisattva stages." In its basic essence, a stupa represented the sitting posture of saints and the Buddha as shown in Figure 1, as it was customary for saints to be buried in a sitting posture. However, the Buddha wished to be cremated and his ashes to be distributed to eight kingdoms after his death to be housed in Stupas. Therefore the stupas were built according to a basic plan of the Buddha seated for meditation, to encourage generations afterwards to seek salvation through spiritual practice. Figure 1. The sitting Buddha However, after his remains were distributed to the eight kingdoms, the differences in Stupa architecture represented the eight different stages of his life as shown below in Figures 2. This was the original basis of symbolism based on the Buddha's life, but with time, the interpretations and further embellishments changed the architectural pattern of the Stupas. Figure 2. The eight original Stupa plans Deconstructing the Symbolism of the later Stupa All stupas are built basically according to the principles that govern the process of Enlightenment that takes place during the acquisition of the Buddha-mind. Figure 3 shows the basic philosophical interpretations of the elements that made up a Stupa in its Figure 3. Basic Stupa elements. entirety - (a) the ornamental pole of parasol or canopy, representing wind , (b) the cone or harmika , representing fire, (c) the hemispherical round dome representing water, (d) the square base, reprenting the earth, and (e) the parasol itself, representing space. At a higher order of understanding, these basic elements can be interpreted as Higher States of the Buddha mind as explained by the Buddhist master Dilgo Rinpoche : " These are the essential attributes of a fully realised human being: the base of the stupa signifies earth and equanimity; the dome, water and indestructibility; the spire, fire and compassion; above the spire, wind and all-accomplishing action; and at the very top, the jewel represents space and all-pervading awareness. The stupa is a mandala, or sacred arrangement, containing all of these enlightened qualities." However, the symbolism of Buddhist stupas are much more complicated and ornate as we delve into the art that was created on top of the basic structure. The purpose, purely religious symbolism was at the vary heart of stupa construction : to create an eternal monument that symbolizes the Buddha's life and teachings. The utilitarian philosophical value of Stupa art blends with its architectural form - it was not created for the sake of expressing 'artistic beauty', but more fundamentally as the essence of Buddhism. In the words of Coomaraswamy (1956) : " There can be no doubt about the purpose of art in a traditional society : when it has been decided that such and such a thing should be made, it is by art that it can be properly made." Stupa art and architecture was just that - a symbolic expression of a great religious tradition. Architectural Symbolism In the component parts of any Stupa, there are numerous intricacies which have -profound meaning amongst Buddhist scholars. The basic floor plan of a Stupa is based on the wheel, a central element of Buddhist iconography. The wheel represents Dhamma - the essence of Buddhist spiritual practice. In addition, wheels are carved all over the Stupa's fences, ornate structures and base. Additional elements that have appeared on numerous Stupas and seem to support the base include lotuses, serpents and elephants. The implications of such symbols is cosmological, indicating the hierachical structure of the ordered Buddhist universe. The parasol at the top is a symbol of kingship, indicative of the Buddha's royal lineage. The Sanchi Stupa at Bharut The Great Stupa at Sanchi in Central India was built by one of the greatest Indian emperors, Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C. more than a century after the Buddha passed away. As seen in Figure 4, the architecture of the stupa had already moved away considerably from the original eight plans adopted soon after the Buddha's death. Figure 4. The Sanchi stupa It had a greatly expanded hemispherical dome with ornate, richly decorated railings around it, and a magnificent gate. Although some of the Buddha's relics were relocated from older Stupas into a central chamber concealed in the dome, its architectural purpose was different from the first generation of the Stupas. It was meant to be a centre of pilgrimage for Buddhists, and this explains its rich ornamentation and carvings. Scenes from the Buddha's life and mythology were carved on the trellis, portico and gates, giving one the impression it was a monument to the Buddha rather than a simple mausoleum housing his remains which characterized the first generation of Stupas. The parasol at the top was richly ornate, symbolically protecting the Buddha's earthly remains. Successive kings expanded the Stupa afterwards establishing its role as a centre of Buddhist pilgrimage. As later Buddhist practices of worship proliferated, a stairway with platform was built around the dome for circambulation by pilgrims. At this point in Buddhist history, the Buddha had become an object of worship, far from its original roots when the Buddha forbade any such activity. Sanchi's stupa is a world heritage site, and there are several feature unique about it that explains its architectural style. The Stupa remained a centre of Buddhist pilgrimage for nearly the next 1000 years, through successive dynasties like the Guptas, the Huns, and the Sungas. Each dynasty left its indelible architectural mark over the main monument, by adding extra features in the form of gateways (toranas), railings , stone trellises or depictions on the gateways of creatures, ghosts, demons, gods, demigods, animals including serpents, horses, tigers. An interesting aspect pf this stupa is the fact that the Buddha has been depicted entirely symbolically, and no statue or carving of the Buddha himself has been ever found. He has been symbolically depicted as wheels, thrones, footprints etc, as was characteristic of early Buddhist art - the Buddha explicitly forbade building his statues in his lifetime. Even on the gateways built much later, in events from his life or previous incarnations (as detailed in the books called the Jatakas), this symbolic representation is maintained. The basic plan of the Stupa remains modeled on the symbolic wheel of Dhamma (The Law), a symmetrical round wheel, divided in eight equal segments. The artwork on the Sanchi Stupa and its religious significance There are certain important symbols on the Sanchi stupa itself, as well as other stupas which are of great religious significance (Lochtfield, 2005): (a) Lotus and the Elephant : The lotus, a pervasive symbol in Buddhist iconography, symbolizes spiritual growth and transcendence. The white elephant is an important part of the myth surrounding the birth of the Buddha, when it appears in his mother's dreams shortly before his conception, tapping her abdomen with a lotus. (b) The Bodhi Tree : This is the most important one, symbolizing the greatest event of the Buddha's life, his Enlightenment. (c ) The Wheel ( The Preaching of the First Sermon) : This symbolizes the event of his first sermon at Sarnath (modern Benares, northern India) denoting the turning of the wheel of Dhamma (The Fourfold Path for freedom from Suffering). Linked to the central tenet of Buddhism, the wheel is also the basis of the structural plan for most Stupas. Thus art and architecture are closely intermingled in symbolism and form in the Sanchi Stupa, and other Stupas of its era, as we have explained above. References Coomaraswamy, A.K. 1956, Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art, London: Dover. Pg 25. Robert Thurman, Denise Leidy (1997) : Mandala : The Architecture of Enlightenment. Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. His Holiness Dilgo, Khyentese Rinpoche : Quoted on the website : http://www.stupa.org.nz/stupa/intro.htm Lochtfield, J (2005) Sanchi Stupa - A World Heritage Site. Retrieved from the internet on 10.21.2008 at : http://personal.carthage.edu/jlochtefeld/buddhism/sanchi/intro.html *** Read More