Personal Portrayals and Imagery in Buddhist Culture - Report Example

Personal Portrayals and Imagery in Buddhist culture Personal Portrayals and Imagery in Buddhist culture Introduction This paper explores a subject in Asian visual culture particular the incorporation imagery in Buddhism. This paper will assume a persuasive strategy in developing arguments for the thesis. The central research problem will be to investigate the importance of imagery in the Buddhist culture. Moreover, the paper will also explore how personal portrayals of Buddha affected the practice of Buddhism. Significance of imagery in Buddhist culture In the initial centuries of Buddhism, the statues of Buddha were never used. Instead, Buddhist art comprised of images signifying the Buddha together with his teachings, like the lotus, the Bodhi tree, Wheel of the Law and the Buddhas footprints. Ultimately, the Buddha image turned to be among the most fashionable representations in Buddhism, however, these early symbols are frequently used and remain important to this dayi. They are particularly significant in Theravada Buddhist countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka. As Buddhism widen, Buddhist imagery was enhanced by the cultures it interacted with. This is particularly true of the Buddhism in Tibet that has developed a strong symbolic tradition. The central imagery of Tibetan Buddhism is the Eight Auspicious Symbols, well known in Sanskrit as the Ashtamangala, where ashta means eight while mangala means auspicious. This Eight Auspicious imagery is printed on the Tibetan prayer flags and are used in certain forms of ritual art. The picture below is a prayer flags, based on traditional Tibetan prayer flags, which is hung outside the place where their prayers, blessing and offerings are left for the windii. Other significant types of imagery in Buddhism comprise of colors, in particular the five colors of yellow, white, red, green and blue. In Buddhism, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism, every five colors represent a part of the body, a state of mind, a celestial Buddha or a natural element. Black and blue are at times interchangeable. By meditating on individual colors that contain their own essences and are linked to a particular Buddha, It`s believed the spiritual transformations might be achieved. According to Buddhist teachings, physical existence of any observable fact is dependent on its inner meaning that is as a result of the mental creation of the sentient beings. That implies the fact that imagery do exists is because of the Karmic or mental creation of those beings and so can never exist without it. In the same way a plant requires a seed so as to come into existence, so is imagery, as a plant, exists due to the Karmic seed that causes it. The authentic reality of these imageries has been directly experienced in the meditation by highly realized individuals like Sakyamuni Buddha besides others. They someway discovered the actual nature of the imagery through their own pure vision and understanding. Though ordinary beings may perceive to certain extent the actual nature of imagery, however, in order to obtain a clearer understanding, some kind of intellectual explanations are required. Introduction of personal portrayals of the Buddha and the practice of Buddhism In Buddhism practice, mind prevails over matter. A quality feature of mind is the idea to make the most use of our life as well as our kammic inheritance and so we must opt for a practical aspiration in life and create a plan to attain this aspiration. The more we discover ourselves by way of self-observation, personal portrayals and self-analysis the better our likelihood of self-improvement will improveiii. Moreover, we ought to examine ourselves to what degree are we generous, natural, even-tempered, kind, truthful, considerate, honest, sober, heedful and observant, energetic, industrious, cautious, tolerant, patient and tactful. These are a fraction of the traits of a typical Buddhist. We should struggle to have a personal portrayal of Buddha and try to better ourselves where necessary: a little by little practice each day is what is required. We should note that the more regular we execute a right action, the more easily this action will become a habit and by force of the habit it finally becomes part of our spirit. According to Buddhist practice, a well-balanced Buddhist should make up his mind, form his or her own opinions, and reach his or her own conclusions when facing lifes difficulties. They must not be moral and/or intellectual coward, but must be equipped to stand alone and follow their own decision regardless of what others may think or say. Though they will take advice, it should be no interference with their freedom to seek out advice from a highly experienced and well-informed person, but the decision must be their own. Seeing the connection between suffering and craving, Buddhists are obliged to uphold some degree of detachment from the worldly things and, moreover, regulate their lives by strictly adhering to the Five Precepts. In so doing they preserve the well-being of their whole individuality by existing in harmony with universal laws governing their moral and mental life. The development of ethical and moral character (sila) is a precondition for mind-control and for acquiring the wisdom required to attain Nibbana. According to Buddhism practice, change being natural in life, disasters and disappointments are expected to happen. When they happen, we must meet them with self-control and a balanced responseiv. This is a proof of right understanding and seeing clearly that all misfortunes happens because of some causes and that effects match to their causes; we ourselves are accountable for creating the causes. Likewise, Buddhists ought to overcome unfounded, exaggerated and irrational fears as well as worries as they obtain a certain degree of emotional control. Therefore, the obvious injustices of life, personal and social portrayal of grievances, emotional maladjustments among other misfortunes are all clarified fully and rationally by twin principles of the kamma and rebirth. The introduction of personal portrayals of Buddha did help preserves Buddhists philosophical demeanour; the strength obtained from other hidden resources, the store of natural actions, the qualities of their character and the happiness obtained from meditative practices. Portrayal of Buddha assisted in a great deal as far as learning the Buddhism practice is concerned; simplicity of life and needs is core in Buddhism teachings. Material things have become Buddhists servants and not their masterv. The portrayals indicate they are free from tyranny of external staffs. They have realized that since seen things are momentary and passing while the unseen are real. A person who sees personal portrayals of Buddha now sees an individual with a calm, controlled, and satisfied mind. Moreover, the Buddha is depicted as the greatest wealth and source of happiness: Conclusion In general, the Buddhist and other religious imagery are viewed as a cultural item with an understanding of their real meaning. Imagery are used or adored just because it is the custom of ones own society to do so or perhaps because it is considered that these imageries or objects convey good luck and success. In fact these imageries not only may bring good luck, prolonged life and prosperity but may also bring the greatest realization of the actual nature of all existences. They might help sentient beings to establish their own inner wisdom as well as achieve the level of a Buddha, regardless of what other name they wish to give to it. That is why imagery does exist as expression of the wisdom inherent in every sentient being`s mind. Moreover, a personal portrayal of Buddha is a great tool in conserving and widening the Buddhism practices The arguments is this paper, however, suffer from a shortfall of technological evidence. The research was not fruitful as far as gathering this vital and supportive evidence is concerned. Nonetheless, this paper managed to give visual, historical as well as scholarly evidence to support the main arguments. Read More