Buddhist art of East Asia

Mahayana Buddhism is the only foreign faith to have gained a lasting foothold in China, Korea and Japan. Legend has it that around 65 CE the Han dynasty emperor Mingdi dreamt of a powerful divinity, a 'golden man' and was advised by his courtiers that this was the Buddha. An embassy was sent to India in search of this Buddha and returned some three years later with images and sutras (sacred texts). The facts are probably more pragmatic. Buddhism was brought to China by merchants and travellers on the ancient silk routes across Central Asia, where the remains of monasteries and temples are reminders of a once great Buddhist-inspired culture. Records indicate that the first Buddhist temple in China, the Baima si (White Horse Temple) situated at the then capital Loyang in Henan province, was established before 100 CE.

Under the patronage of the non-Chinese ruling dynasties in north China from the 3rd to 6th centuries, Buddhism flourished. From China Buddhism spread through the Korean peninsula in the 5th century and to Japan in the 6th, adapting to local values and attitudes and often developing distinctive schools: for example Chan or contemplative Buddhism in China, Zen in Japan.

One of the fundamental texts of Mahayana Buddhism is the Lotus Sutra, which has been called the Gospel of Half Asia, as it became the most important and influential Buddhist doctrine in East Asia. The Lotus Sutra begins with a vast gathering on Vulture Peak of bodhisattvas, disciples, arhats, gods, deities and 'non-human' creatures waiting to hear the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. The Buddha's message was that faith, not actions, lead to Enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism great emphasis is placed on the role of the earth-bound bodhisattva in helping those who believe. This embracing philosophy inspired a strong and colourful tradition of Buddhist art in East Asia.

China Northern Wei dynasty (386-534)
Votive stele c530 CE
sandstone 143.8 cm
Purchased with assistance of the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales and the Edward and Goldie Sternberg Chinese Art Purchase Fund 1995
202.1995
 
Steles such as this were usually commissioned by Buddhist monks and placed in temples as acts of devotion. The front of the stele is carved with a principal image of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, with his right hand in the abhayamudra (gesture of reassurance) and his left in varada mudra (gesture of compassion). On either side of the Buddha are the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) and Mahasthamaprapta (Dahsizhi). On the reverse side is an image of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, shown as a bodhisattva. The small Buddha images in niches bear the names of donors and the phrase 'dedicated to the Buddha'. A partly damaged dedicatory inscription on the side bears a date which could be 512, 525 or 535 CE.

China Song dynasty (960 - 1279)
12th–13th centuries
Seated Guanyin
carved and painted wood 114 cm
Bequest of Sydney Cooper 1982
138.1982
  
Traditionally known as the goddess of mercy, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, in Chinese Guanyin, became the most popular Buddhist figure in China from the Song dynasty on. Here the deity sits in the pose of 'royal ease' with her right arm resting on her raised knee. In spite of the informality, the figure retains the benign aloofness of a deity fulfilling a spiritual role. Her lifelike facial features, slightly fleshy proportions and the decorative elements such as jewellery are typical of images of Guanyin from this time. It was also usual for such images to be brightly painted and sometimes gilded.

China Sui dynasty (581-906 CE)
Standing Buddha
marble 210 cm
Art Gallery of New South Wales foundation Purchase 1997
432.1997
  
This monumental figure of the Buddha conveys, with an emphatic simplicity, great spiritual power and presence. The Buddha wears the traditional monk's robes that are gathered over the left shoulder and attached by a bow and a calyx-like device. On the reverse side the robes are defined by sweeping lines of great simplicity and sophistication. The two square perforations on the back may have originally been the fixing positions for a mandorla, or Buddhist halo. An unusual feature is the 'flaming pearl' separately carved head and hands is, with sculptures of such antiquity, not unusual.