What is the beginning of Buddhist art? The most ubiquitous figure in Buddhist art is, of course, the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. But this was not always the case. Before the first century BCE, four hundred years after the supposed death of the Buddha, he was never depicted in human form, only in symbolic representations or absences. In this module, students will learn about the origins of the Buddha image as explained by narratives from within the tradition of Indian Buddhism, and as debated by scholars of early Indian art. A pair of sculptures depicting Buddha Shakyamuni from Gandhara and Mathura will serve as our “iconic” examples. Any discussion about the beginning of figural or iconic representations of the Buddha is nonetheless incomplete without an exploration of his an-iconic depictions, particularly in the form of a stupa and at the major stupa sites of northern India. Students will learn about the origins of the stupa as a reliquary, the power of the structure to make and mark a sacred site, and the art that encircles such monuments. Sanchi Stupa, dating to the third century BCE, will provide our point of entry to the architectural form and ritual function of this most essential Buddhist structure.

When is a book more than a book? Buddhist sūtras contain the teachings believed to have been spoken by the Buddha. Containing the words of the Teacher does not only grant authority to a text’s contents, but it can also transform the book itself into a sacred object or even a relic. The advent of Mahāyāna Buddhism altered the history of Buddhist doctrine and practice, as well as Buddhist book culture. In this module, we will look to Mahāyāna sūtras—their contents and their physical forms—to discuss the ways Buddhist texts operate as objects of worship, ritual function, and artistic innovation. A twelfth-century Japanese scroll presenting a section of the Lotus Sutra will serve to center our discussion on the power of Buddhist scriptures beyond their contents. Buddhist texts traveled on the backs of monk-missionaries and pilgrims as they traversed the trade routes and pilgrimage trails across Asia. Many were copied or deposited at major scholastic institutions, but the Mogao caves at the central Asian site of Dunhuang was a significant place of exchange on the Silk Roads, and the site of the so-called Library Cave. With Dunhuang as our starting point, we will explore several important Buddhist cave sites, which served as nexuses of artistic innovation, literary translation, and cultural exchange.

What does enlightenment look like? Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the masters of the many traditions and lineages of Buddhism embody the awakened qualities they possess, and their depictions offer outward expression of these inner virtues. In this module, we will investigate the different bodies—as defined by doctrine and as depicted in art—that have become the iconographic standard for portraying enlightened beings and ideal practitioners. Special attention will be paid to the female body in Buddhist art and as such, a pair of images depicting the bodhisattva Tārā / Guanyin will anchor our discussion. Historical teachers that comprise the lineages associated with certain temples or traditions are frequent subjects of Buddhist art, their portraits not only representing enlightenment but also the authority of a sect’s teachings. Such images can be worshipped individually, the figures considered advanced bodhisattvas, emanations of buddhas, or fully enlightened; but when hung as a lineage, the power is in the numbers. With Chan and Zen portrait halls as our central sites, we will explore the ritual and political function of Buddhist portraiture within sacred, architectural spaces.

Why is there sexual and violent imagery in Buddhist art? Non-violence and proper sexual conduct—including celibacy for monastics—are central to Buddhist ethics, but the art associated with Vajrayāna or Tantric Buddhism is filled with deities in sexual union and wrathful buddhas donning flayed skins and severed heads. In this final module, students will learn how this imagery reflects and supports the doctrines, rituals, and meditative practices of Vajrayāna, specifically the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. A Tibetan painting of the semi-wrathful deity Cakrasaṃvara will serve as our centerpiece. Maṇḍalas, most frequently understood as the palatial structures inhabited by Cakrasaṃvara and other tantric deities, are perhaps the most recognizable images associated with Vajrayāna. Students will learn about the many forms and functions associated with maṇḍalas, including in three-dimensional architectural spaces. The western Himalaya’s Tabo Monastery, founded in 996 CE, is one of many temples built as a maṇḍala, and will help to demonstrate how maṇḍalas are visualized in meditation, utilized in ritual, and constructed in reality.