Depicting

Buddhism’s Journey

on the Silk Road

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Lumbini to Luoyang

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The Time Line 23 episodes = 21 feet

Spans about 1,000 years

Project Overview:

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Timeline #1 BUDDHA'S BIRTH -

circa 560 BCE

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What is known of the Buddha's life is based mainly on the evidence of the canonical texts, the most extensive and comprehensive of which are those written in Pali, an ancient Indian language. According to the canon, Buddha's birth took place at Lumbini, between 500 and 600 BCE, near the small city of Kapilavastu on the borders of Nepal and India.

Buddha’s Birth

bzzzz…

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Timeline #2 BUDDHA'S DEATH – c. 484 BCE

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By the time of Buddha's death at the age of 80 he had become a famous and respected figure and had allies and supporters among rich and poor. In 484 BC, seven days after the Buddha's death at Kushinagara, his body was cremated and the relics were divided equally among eight clans, each of which built a sacred stupa over the relics. For the next two centuries, there was a steady growth of Buddhism in India.

Buddha’s Death / Growth of Buddhism

Not long after the Buddha's death, followers gathered at

Rajagriha for the first general council. The second was held in Vaishali one hundred years

after the death of Buddha; while the third council is said to have been held in Patna in

the time of King Ashoka.

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Three Councils of monks held

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#3 THIRD COUNCIL OF

BUDDHIST MONKS AT PATNA - 250 BCE

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King AŚOKA (273-232 BCE) demonstrated his conversion to Buddhism by vigorously promulgating the religion across India. His edicts were carved on pillars of stone and wood, from Bengal to Afghanistan and into the south. He celebrated the distribution of the ashes of the Buddha, according to legend, placed inside 84,000 stupas. Buddhist monks were free to move throughout the whole area of his reign. As a result, the Buddhist community reached the Kushan/Bactrian kingdom by the time of AŚOKA's death.

King AŚOKA promotes Buddhism in region

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#4 BUDDHISM FLOURISHED UNDER KING

AŚOKA, 272-231 BCE

#5 FIRST CARVING OF MONUMENTAL SHRINES BIHAR, 272-231 BCE

#6 BUDDHISM IN THE KUSHAN EMPIRE

100 BCE-200 CE

#7 BUDDHIST SETTLEMENT AT

BACTRIA, 0-100 CE

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The Kushans dominated the area of north-western India into Kabul, Gandhara, and northern Pakistan, and controlled the trade between India, China, and the Greco-Roman Empire. The major trade route (The Silk Road) provided an ideal medium for the further spread of Buddhism. From the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, Mahayana Buddhism gradually developed at Gandhara and the great Kushan ruler, Kanishka (144-172), was converted. Under his influence, the Gandharan Buddhist settlement flourished and created a distinctive Greco-Buddhist art form. This blend of cultures influenced the arts in Central Asia and eastward to China via the Silk Road.

Cultural Blending and spread of Buddhism

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With the Silk Road now opened, Chinese missionaries and pilgrims began travel to Central Asia and India. Records described that Chang Ch'ien, on his return from Ta-hsia in the 2nd century BCE, heard of a country named Tien-chu (India) and their Buddhist teaching. This is probably the first time the Chinese heard about Buddhism. A century later, a Buddhist community was recorded at the court of a Han prince. By the first century CE, a Buddhist community was established in Luoyang and the White Horse Temple was constructed. From then on, the religion grew continuously, introducing sacred books, texts, and examples of Buddhist art that was never before

seen in China.

Buddhism Reaches China

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#8 MAHAYANA SCHOOL DEVELOPS AT GANDHĀRA, 0-100 CE

#9 WHITE HORSE TEMPLE at

LUOYANG, 68 CE FIRST IN CHINA

#10 GRECO-ROMAN ART STYLE INTRODUCED AT

GANDHĀRA, 100s CE

#11 KUSHAN RULER KANIŚKA

DISSEMINATES BUDDHISM, 144-172 CE

#12 AN SHIH-KAO

CHINESE SCRIPTURE TRANSLATIONS,

148 CE

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Bactria was introduced to Buddhism by the 1st century CE. For the next few centuries Kushan/Bactrian Buddhist centers were expanded throughout the region. Among them, the most important one is Bamiyan, 240 kilometers northwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. By the 4th century, Bamiyan became one of the greatest Buddhist monastic communities in all Central Asia.

The Bamiyan caves boast standing Buddhas carved into solid rock walls which measure up to 63 meters in height. This style of Buddhist cave art traveled eastward and was quickly adopted at Kizil, Dunhuang, Luoyang, and other Silk Road locations.

Cave Artistry travels eastward

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As small kingdoms in the Tarim region were increasingly won over to Buddhism, they adopted so much Indian culture that Sanskrit became the predominant religious language. Buddhism advanced in the surrounding basin, entering Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan in the west, Kucha and Kizil in the north, Chang’an in the east, and Cherchen in the south. All of these became important centers of Buddhist art and thought. Buddhist texts were translated from Sanskrit into various local Indo-European dialects.

Increase in Buddhist Centers of Art, Thought, and Learning

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#13 BUDDHIST SHRINES AT GIAUR KALA

(MERV) 200s CE

#14 300s CE - BUDDHIST SETTLEMENTS AT

HADDA, AFGHANISTAN

#15 300s CE -WORLD'S LARGEST (53 METER) BUDDHAS CARVED IN CLIFFS AT

BAMIYAN, AFGHANISTAN

#16 BUDDHIST ART FOUND IN KABUL VALLEY TARIM BASIN, 300s CE

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During the 4th century, Kumarajiva, a Buddhist monk from Central Asia organized and worked in the first translation bureau at Chang’an. He and his team, which included the pilgrim Faxian, translated some 98 works from many languages into Chinese. 52 of hese survive today and are included in the Buddhist canon. By around 500 CE, there were two million Buddhists in China. Marvelous temples and monasteries were built, and the work of obtaining and translating the scriptures into Chinese was undertaken with great industry. These widespread efforts solidly integrated Buddhism into the Chinese culture where it remains today.

Text Translation influences Chinese adoption of Buddhism

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#17 KUMĀRAJῙVA AT TEXT TRANSLATION BUREAU

CHANG'AN, 344-413 CE

#18 MOGAO CAVES BEGUN BY MONKS AT DUNHUANG, 366 CE

#19 FAXIAN'S SILK ROAD PILGRIMAGE TO INDIA

395-414 CE

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#20 BUDDHIST CAVES ESTABLISHED AT

KIZIL, 450-750 CE

#21 LONGMEN CRYPTS BEGUN AT

LUOYANG, 494 CE

#22 QUEEN HU SENDS PILGRIM SUNG HUN TO INDIA, 500s CE

#23 BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY IMAGE PROCESSIONS

IN LUOYANG, 503 - 528 CE

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Have fun with

The Time Line

The Silk Road:

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Buddhism’s Highway

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LOCATION OF THE SILK ROUTES: CENTRAL ASIA LINEAR DISTANCE : About 5,000 miles

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The Scroll: Featured Cities

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1. GANDHĀRA

Once the center of the Kuṣāṇa empire (60 – 226 CE) which spread across northwestern India and Pakistan, Gandhara was a Buddhist settlement known as the birthplace of Mahayana Buddhism and for producing manuscripts in Gandhari, a language derived from Sanskrit. These included the first full-length biography of Śakyamuni Buddha (Buddhacarita). The distinctive style of early Greco-Roman sculpture that developed in the region was heavily influenced by Greek forays into India from the time of Alexander the Great. The ancient kingdom provided fertile ground for the arts and an ideal medium for the transmission of Buddhism along the Silk Routes.

From the WEST:

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2. KHOTAN

An oasis town lying in the Tarim Basin, Khotan is strategically located at the

junction of the southern Silk Road and one of the main routes to ancient India. As such, it was a convenient meeting

place where not only goods, but philosophy and religion were

transmitted. The Chinese pilgrim, Faxian (c. 340 – 422), traversed the region on foot, writing detailed accounts of image

processions in celebration of the Buddha's birthday. He left China in 399 C.E. to collect and translate Buddhist

vinayas and sutras.

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3. KUCHA

As a Central Asian metropolitan center, Kucha was in contact with northern Silk Route destinations to the east and west,

and thus played a key role in trade economy. By the end of the third century, the kingdom had fully

embraced Buddhism, establishing nearly 1,000 temples and stupas in the vicinity. At this time, Kuchanese monks

such as Fotucheng (232 – 348 CE) began travel to the east, furthering the

growth of the religion. The exotic Kuchean music and dance forms that were introduced to China via the Silk

Road were memorialized in the cave art at nearby Kizil.

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4. DUNHUANG

The eastern Silk Road forked near Dunhuang, an oasis situated amid the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts, forcing

caravans to choose between the northern and southern routes. Fear of

the perilous open desert inspired merchants and pilgrims to construct

cave shrines to ensure safe passage or as thanks for a successful journey.

Buddhist monks first began work in the nearby Mogao Caves circa 366 C.E. Today, their exquisite murals and

statuary is preserved in these Buddhist grottoes. A walled-up library that

housed a great collection of manuscripts was also discovered here.

To the EAST:

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5. LANZHOU Lanzhou was a major trading hub for merchants from Mongolia, Sichuan, and Tibet. Caravans from the east and west met at this historic Yellow River crossing site, which became known as The Golden City. The Great Wall of China was extended through the region to protect the city from invaders. Centuries later, the explorer Marco Polo crossed the "Hexi Corridor" which connected central and western China to the rest of Asia, and spent an entire year in Lanzhou.

The Yellow River

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6. CHANG'AN (XI'AN)

Chang'an revived to cultural florescence in the 4th and 5th centuries, thanks in part to becoming a center of Buddhist learning. Several important Buddhist pilgrims and scholars translated sūtras there, among them, Faxian (c. 340 – 422) and the scholar Kumarajiva (344 – 413). Chang'an was one of the richest cities in the world at this time due to the bustling trade of the Silk Road. Accounts told of camels clustered outside the city walls in traders' camps of colorful tents, their bags and bundles filled with exotic spices and seeds, metals and ceramics, painted scrolls, and above all silk - piles and cascades of it in all colors and textures - made cargo ready for the western journey.

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7. LUOYANG Situated east of Xi'an on the Yellow River, the Northern Wei

capital of Luoyang is considered a cradle of Chinese civilization and the peony capital of the world. It was also the eastern

beginning of the ancient Silk Road. Acceptance of Buddhism by reigning emperors circa 500 C.E. led to the establishment of

more than one thousand temples and monasteries in the region, all of which joined in creating joyous image processions

commemorating the Buddha's Birthday. These celebrations (c. 503-528 C.E.) are the subject of our triptych painting.

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The Silk Roads: Trade Goods

Western Asia: Wool rugs Metalwork Glassware Dates

India: Spices Chilies

Deserts: Jade Almonds

Samarkand: Lap dogs

China: Silk Peacock feathers Tea Ceramics Peonies Fans, etc.

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Have fun with

The Silk Road

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The Triptych:

Parade of the Buddhas

Inspired by

Hieronymus Bosch’s Gothic Triptych:

Purity of Creation / Earthly Temptations = Ultimate Result: Hell

TIMELINE: Begun in May/June 2011 and completed October 1, 2011

FINISHED DIMENSIONS: 3 x 6 feet, opened; 3 x 3 feet closed

MATERIALS USED:

Painting Door Panels Stretched canvas panels Liquid and hot glues Sketching pens/pencils Plywood panels Acrylic art paints House and spray paints Flat and round brushes Wooden knobs Metallic paints & markers Lion head door pulls "Jewels," bindi, glitter Nails

FIGURES:

68 Human Figures 10 Statues 12 Animals

Left Panel:

The Emperor

Emperor Xuanwu, his clothing, and attendants derived from the

following sources

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Original Sources:

Center Panel:

The Buddhas The Buddha statues included

examples made of marble, gold, wood, and other materials

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Cave Art Sources:

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Animals and Carriages: Sources

Sources for the

Monk Group Monks traveled from many

countries to attend this festive

and awe-inspiring event

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They included

The Persian monk,

Bodhidharma

Original Sources:

Crowds of Observers

For this yearly event, commoners joined with nobility

in joyous celebration

Original Sources:

Sources for the

Ching Ming Temple

The mural combined photos of today’s Japanese copy with monastery colors

that were prevalent in 500 C.E.

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Musicians and

Performers Street performers and musicians

arrived from a variety of

foreign countries

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Sources from Cave Art:

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The Beginning….. May/June, 2011: Preliminary Sketches

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June, 2011: Establishing a Foundation

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July, 2011: Painting Emperor Xuanwu’s Panel

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June-July: The Wall is built…

and Street Performers from foreign lands appear

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July-August: Buddhas, Carriages, and Animals emerge in the Center Panel

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And … The “temple door” panel backs are completed

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The finished triptych

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April 28, 2012: Happy Birthday Buddha!

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