THE EIGHTEEN ARHATS

 

The Arhat - Lohan or Aluohan in Chinese is a transliteration from Sanskrit. The word has three denominations - The first is to kill the thief, which means to eliminate all the disturbances, The second is to be venerated - meaning gaining the veneration of other living things, and The third is not be reborn - which means achieving Nirvana and not being subject to the suffering of Samsara - The Cycle of Reincarnations.

Among the Buddhist deities, images of arhats appeared relatively late and are often depicted in sculpture and paintings. Zen Buddhism flourishing in both the Northern and Southern parts of China during the period of the Five Dynasties, advocated introspection and emphasized that the mind should focus on religious practices rather than external factors. The Arhats reflected the relevant Buddhist perspectives and therefore won the admiration of the people. Artistic images of the Arhats first appeared during the Liang Dynasty and Arhats became a dominating theme in Buddhist sculptures and paintings during the Song Dynasty which emphasized realism.

The above set of 18 stamps. The oil painting Eighteen Arhats is skillfully painted by the Macao painter Sou Farong on rice paper based on his enormous knowledge of Buddhism. The Arhats are delineated as traditional Buddhist monks, each in a different realistic posture, some posing relaxingly and others siting rigidly and solemnly. In the background of the painting are  banana trees, willows, rocks and so on, added with a Lion, a Dragon, a Tiger, a Deer and an Elephant. Each Arhat is presented in his own style in relation to what precedes and succeeds him, thus revealing the extraordinary imagination and creativity of the painter.

KUSHINAGAR INDIA

 

KUSHINAGAR

About 50 km from Gorakhpur, Buddha took his last breath at Kushinagar and attained Mahaparinirvana. The Mahaparinirvana temple houses a huge statue of the reclining Buddha, excavated in 1876. It is also known from excavations in Kushinagar that a large community of monks lived here in the 11th century.

ODILON REDON

                                                                      

ODILON REDON

In 1905 French artist Odilon Redon painted The Buddha. The image is a perfect reflection of the symbolic transition from redon earlier works which vastly included plant life with human heads to his later years, which mainly represented translucent oneness.

The scene depicts The Buddha next to an illuminated tree, the two main subjects in the picture, and the only two objects that are well defined and in focus. the blue and golden hues of the sky, together with the green and yellow shades of the landscape, create a unique blend of color's at the horizon, resulting in a phantasmal setting. the entirety of the image is drawn vertically, from the long, upright limbs of the tree to the standing figure of the Buddha including  the tall , thin staff that he holds between his elongated fingers. Some believe that the image is that the path of oneness can be achieved by each and everyone of us, and the Redon encourages  the viewer to partake in the adventure with him. 

THE BOROBUDUR SHIP EXPEDITION

BOROBUDUR SHIP AND THE BUDDHA IMAGE OF BOROBUDUR

A Borobudur ship is the 8th century wooden double outrigger sailing vessel of maritime Southeast Asia depicted in some bas reliefs of the Borobudur Buddhist monument in Central Java , Indonesia. This has been designated as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The ships depicted on Borobudur were most likely the type of vessels used for trades and naval campaigns by the Shailendra and Srivijaya Thalassocracy empire that ruled the region around the 7th to the 13th century. The function of the outrigger was to stabilize the ship - a single or double outrigger canoe is the typical feature of the seafaring Austronesians vessels. It is considered by scholars to have been most likely type of vessel used for their voyages and exploration across Southeast Asia, Oceania and the Indian ocean

HAEINSA TEMPLE - SOUTH KOREA

HAEINSA  TEMPLE 

The Temple of Haeinsa, on Mount Kaya, is home to the Tripitaka Koreana, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts, engraved on 81,350 woodblocks between 1237 and 1248. The buildings of Janghyeong Pangeon, which date from the 15th century, were constructed to house the woodblocks, which are also revered as exceptional works of art. as the oldest depository of the Tripitaka. 

They reveal as astonishing mastery of the invention and implementation of the conservation techniques used to preserve these woodblocks. The Temple of Haeinsa and the depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Bulguska Temple - Seokguram Grotto

BULGUSKA TEMPLE - SEOKGURAM GROTTO

Bulguska Temple, built in the 8th century on the slope of mount Tohamasan in Kyongju, the ancient capital of the Shilla Kingdom is an outstanding example of Korean architecture, the Seokguram Grotto contains a monumental statue of the Buddha looking at the sea in the Bhumisparsha Mudra. this stone buddha was built entirely by stacking granite pieces, with the surrounding portrayals of Gods, Bodhisattvas and disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high and low relief. It is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art in the far east. The Temple of Bulguska and the Seokguram Grotto form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance in South Korea.

BHUMISPARSHA MUDRA

Bhumisparsha Mudra

This Gesture signifies Gautama Buddha's call to the earth goddess to witness his enlightenment in Bodhgaya and his victory over temptation by Mara. In this gesture, the right elbow rests on the right thigh with fingers pointing palm downwards but usually not touching the ground. The left hand rests palm up in the Dhyana mudra position on the lap.