The Buddhist religion.Planetary chain - Essay Example

The History of Japanese Art during the Early Heian Period Esoteric would is a term used in opposition to exoteric. It also refers to those doctrines which were expounded by select disciples of the belief. This can be applied to how the religion of Buddhism has evolved through the years. Early Buddhism did not develop a system of philosophy. However, its attitude toward the world was pluralistic and realistic, and it did insist that things are constantly changing. Later, the thought that things are impermanent and changing developed into the doctrine that things are momentary and this led to atomic ideas of space and time. Religion plays a great role in the history of art and it has greatly influence its development since the ancient times. The Buddhist religion, which is perhaps the most widespread and influential in the Oriental world, began in India and spread from there into most of the other countries of East. Its artistic representations are almost without number, and in many of them have their inspiration in the “Jataka” tales from the life of the Buddha (Dudley et al p.81). According to the Esoteric doctrine that was taught to the pupils who are spiritual heirs of the planetary spirit, the personalities are akin to that of beads being strung on the unique personality or true eternal self, which passes through all the incarnation unchanged. In the case of the extinction of a personality, the bead is broken off the individuality and destroyed (Johnston 3). An “Individual” is merely a name for a number of interconnected things, which are bound together. It is continually changing its form, but still there is an apparent identity in this changing aggregate. In the planetary chain, there are seven members. This is visible on the primary passage or should we say the primary round. On this round, man is said to be an unearthly being as in comparison to his life, presently as being in earthly and not intellectual, only half spiritual; and the spirituality that we are talking about in Esoteric sense is having the capability for a knowledge that is direct and based on intuition in opposition to the “physical knowledge or logic that man has acquired (Johnston 2). At the beginning of the round, man is viewed as similar to the shape of vegetables and animals that exits around him, which are all inhabiting an organized, large part but rather loose body (Johnston 2). The next round, which is round number two, man is still enormous and unearthly, but he grows more firm and his body much more condensed, he becomes a man more physical, but still not as intelligent as he his intuitive. Round number three sees a man who has perfectly developed a body that’s compact. He now has a form rather than seen to be like that of a large giant ape, and now, comes with that form is intelligence but with intelligence which comes to be increasing as the days past. The round where man exists is the present round and called to be the fourth round. In this round, man decreases in size, with his intellect more developed and being that, man is able to achieve more progress in his life. Man of different races, learns to acquire speech in the fourth round, as studies have made us to understand. The next round is about personality, this is the fifth round which is to become one or united with the spirit or man’s sole. This union of the personality and the soul is said to ensure salvation, which happens on the fifth round. Man, is achieving a perfect development of the body and mind, and scholars believed that this type of perfection is difficult to conceive because with the mind and body, goes too the soul and the spirit, which is more of a beautiful mystery. This happens in the sixth round where the highest and most pinnacle of all enlightenment that the entire world has known since its existence forms the common type of manhood or humanity. In the seventh round, humanity as a whole is perceived to be “too god-like” in the round after the third one, wherein man forecasts his attributes to the world. The sixth and seventh rounds are important for man to have the capability of being able to have a direct perception of spirituality or his spiritual being — highest sixth sense. Which means that man has to live his existence by way of taking the higher rounds, he must come out of his personality with higher principles, for these are the keys to going to a level where his spiritual planes can be found and experiences. With a union of this type, man is able to fully remember all the kinds of lives that he had, his former lives. The ability of having complete recollection of his past lives is what is called the Esoteric or resurrection. A good quality like Virtue into whichever degree man decides it to be, should bring out the spiritual attributes with finality, in which a proficient man obtains in such a short time period. The skillful man is now compared to the man existing in the fifth round; where he came out to be himself with his high standards of principles, and therefore is confident is of his final deliverance (Johnston 3). At the end of the seventh round, after an has experienced the last and most after the last and most magnificent of all personifications, man who have achieved that state of being proceeds to Nirvana, which is a magnificent condition of “conscious rest in omniscience”, man becomes spirits of the planet, the angels and guardians of the subsequently terrestrial period. An manifestation of earthly spirits occurs at the start of every race, when the broad ideas of right and wrong are impressed on the earliest members of that race, and the germ of the Esoteric wisdom is instilled into a few chosen souls, who become its custodians and transmitters to future races. This is the mystery of the Divine Incarnation; and it is the appearance of a Divine Being at the beginning of a round which impresses indelibly on humanity the idea of an anthropomorphic God, who incarnates to teach mankind the way of righteousness, the path of salvation. Of all the Buddhist religious figures commonly stylized in Oriental arts, perhaps none is more intrinsically moving without knowledge of its religious source than the Kuan Yin, a seated bodhisattva, that is, a follower of Buddha who has attained enlightenment but who postpones Nirvana in order to help others attain it. The posture of the figure is just typical in stressing qualities associated with her – repose and compassion. She sits in a relaxed position known as “royal ease”, suggesting the informal affability of royalty; part of her weight rests on one arm, while the other is extended across a raised knee. The relaxation of the hand, the downcast eyes, the soft warm coloring, the perfect distribution of weight communicate a sense of complete peacefulness and quiet. The posture of the bodhisattvas “royal ease and six arms”, which is usually termed as such, facilitate identification of it as a figure of the “Nyoirin Kannon (Sanskrit Chintamanichakra Avalokiteshvara)” (Asia Society 1). The Nyoirin Kannon is one of Japan’s six principal forms of Kannon and worshiped in Japanese Esoteric (Vajrayana) Buddhism (Asia Society 1). In this figure, the bodhisattva originally would have on its hand a jewel which is on fire, exactly located, as studies show, on the middle part of the figure’s right hand; and there is also a wheel which is perfectly balancing on his index finger at the upper left of his hand; the form of the bodhisattva was named after the two important attributes, which can be found in Japanese and Sanskrit teachings (Asia Society 1). As it was said, the wheel is the symbol of the doctrines of the Buddhists and the jewel embodies the figure’s capacity endow whatever wish that you would desire. During the turn of the 10th century, Nyoirin Kannon had achieved an extraordinary position among Esoteric descriptions, most of the time as it became more of the temples primary image of reverence. The pose of the Nyoirins was perceived to have been attractive to its believers: his comfortable pose is appealing and “the hand raised against his leaning head”, a gesture of a state of meditation, attaches a sense of humanness in it. The bodhisattvas position, actually is an indication of being at rest in his own private heaven or paradise on Mt. Potalaka, a mountain known to be located traditionally in a sea at the southern part of India. The Nyoirin-kannon, a bodhisattva who grants the desires and wishes of all who lives, is the destroyer of delusions and gives wealth, was respected by Japanese aristocrats most especially during the Heian period (794—1185) (Zen Friends 1). Symbols of this bodhisattva is visble in the Chinese cave temples, during ancient times, at Dunhuang (Zen Friends 1). Figures of the Nyoirin were first manufactured in Japan during around eighth century and it has two kinds: the ones with human forms having one face and two arms, which is the earliest version of the Nyoirin, and are positioned to be sitting down with its right leg folded or bent and its left is hanging towards the earth; the later versions now have six arms but with only one head, adopting a very distinct pose as one of its knee is raised (Zen Friends 1). Today, most statutes are of the second kind; and these second kind statues hold a position called the Rinno-Za position, wherein the right knee is raised and the sole of the right foot rests on the upturned sole of the left foot. Out of the three right hands that the Nyoirin has, one of which is holding the “Fabulous Jewel” (nyoihoju), the another is holding the prayer beads, and the last, which is the third one is touching the right cheek (Zen Friends 1). The prayer beads have 108 beads in total; in which among these 108 beads, on if the largest and the rest are small. The beads are a symbol of the delustors which totals 108, same number as that with the beads. These delustors are what man is subjected to experience. In one of the left hands of the statue, is where the Wheel of the Law (rinpo) is held with the lotus flower. This flower, the Lotus flower, is a symbol of purity which can’t be defined by delusion (Zen Friends 1). The third is in the hand position (mudra) that Shakyamuni is said to have adopted when he attained enlightenment and destroyed the demons of the Earth: the open hand is pressed, palm down, on the ground. The Palm-to-Earth hand position symbolizes Buddha’s enlightenment and destruction of the demons. Whatever is the position, all Nyoirin-kannon statues, “always hold the Fabulous Jewel and the Wheel of the Law”, this is a constant (Zen Friends 1). In one of the many theories, the jewel is said to be an altered form of the fixtures or figures which is used to hold Buddha relics (Zen Friends 1). Through the years, people’s faith in the figures strengthened and with it came the spread of these figures themselves was then recognized with their what they bring and were indeed thought to give the wishes as well as bestow good tidings and wealth to all those who believe. The form of the Wheel of the Law is believed to be copied from the Vishnu’s weapon, a Vedic and Hindu god who throws his sliced enemies into two pieces. This was of combat is a symbol of how the truth in Buddhism belief defeats delusion and eradicates all types of suffering. Both the Jewel and the Wheel are symbols of what man can receive as advantages given by Kannon (Zen Friends 1). The many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas hold distinct, yet overlapping fields of energy, that are Dainichis love, compassion, wisdom, and other activities (Pope 3). Kannon Bodhisattva embodies compassion and is one of the most widely worshipped divinities is Japan and Mainland Asia. Nyoirin Kannon is one of the many forms of Kannon worshipped in Japan. The six-armed Shingon version is the most prevalent. In many of the researched version of this deity, Nyoirin Kannon is typically known to hold the wish-fulfilling jewel and the Dharma wheel, in which the jewel symbolized the teachings of Buddhism (Pope 3). Bibliography Cynthea J. Bogel. “Cannonizing Kannon: The ninth century Esoteric Buddhist altar at Kanshinji.” The Art Bulletin. March 1, 2002. 16 February 2008 Charles Johnston, F.T.S. “Esoteric Buddhism.” The Dublin University Review. July 1885. Reprinted from “Theosophical Siftings” Volume 1. 16 February 2008 Louise Dudley, Austin Faricy and James G. Rice. “The Humanities.” McGraw Hill Inc., 1978 “Buddhism.” Encyclopedia Americana. Volume 4. Americana Corporation 1959 pp. 673-676 F. Max Muller. “Esoteric Buddhism.” 16 February 2008 Rev. Junnen Asunam Pope. “Introduction to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.” Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Studies. Japan: 1995 Asia Society. “Nyoirin Kannon. Ask Asia Organization. 2005. 16 February 2008. Zen Friends. “Kanon of the Gem and the Wheel.” A Guide to the Buddhist Way of Life, vol 14 No.3. 2003. 16 February 2008 Read More