Buddha’s Birthday Education Project€¦ · Buddha’s Birthday Education Project THROUGH THESE DOORS: Connecting Past and Present, East and West Second Meeting of Volunteers

Buddha’s Birthday

Education Project

THROUGH THESE DOORS:

Connecting Past and Present,

East and West

Second Meeting of Volunteers

Nantien Temple

2 February 2013

Before we begin…

Someone to take minutes

Turn mobile devices to silent mode

Checking In

Agenda About Nan Tien

Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

About Nan Tien Temple

Venerable Jue Ning


Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

Welc

om

e to

a u

niq

ue jo

urn

ey a

nd

ed

uc

atio

na

l exp

erie

nce…

Meet the

main

character…

International Journal on

Humanistic Ideology

Chattopadhyay, Madhumita. “Lord Buddha and

Buddhism seen through the eyes of Rabindranath.”

International Journal on Humanistic Ideology 3, no.

2 (Autumn 2010): 87–110,187.

“Lord Buddha and poet Rabindranath Tagore are

the two great personalities who may be regarded

as the cultural icons of India, presenting before

the world the true spirit of India.”

Rabindranath Tagore

(1861 – 1941)

“It was Buddha who had conquered the world,

not Alexander”

Ghare Baire

A Special Birth http://www.paradeofthebudd

has.org/?page_id=1538

Paradeofthebuddhas.org

Buddha’s birth

Literature

http://www.paradeofthebuddhas.org/?page_id=1538


An Unusual

Career

http://www.paradeofthebu

ddhas.org/?page_id=1722


Buddha’s birth




US Exhibits

The fascinating journey of Buddhism from India to China

through the voyage of the celebrations of Buddha’s birth

Spatially speaking

Chronologically speaking BIRTH OF BUDDHA, C. 566 BCE

DEATH OF BUDDHA, C. 486 BCE

BUDDHISM

FLOURISHES UNDER

KING AŚOKA, c. 272-231 BCE

THIRD COUNCIL OF

BUDDHIST MONKS AT

PATNA,

c. 250 BCE

FIRST CARVING OF

MONUMENTAL

SHRINES AT BIJAR,

c. 272-231 BCE

BUDDHIST

SETTLEMENT AT

BACTRIA,

0-100 CE

MAHĀYANA SCHOOL DEVELOPS AT

GANDHĀRA,

0 – 100 CE

WHITE HORSE TEMPLE AT

LUOYANG,

c. 68 CE

GRECO-ROMAN ART STYLE INTRODUCED AT

GANDHĀRA,

100s CE

KUṢĀṆA RULER

KANIŚKA DISSEMINATES

BUDDHISM, 144-172 CE

AN SHIH-KAO CHINESE SCRIPTURE

TRANSLATIONS, 148 CE

BUDDHIST SHRINES

AT GIAUR KALA (MERV),

200s CE

c. 300s CE - 53 METER

BUDDHA CARVED IN

BAMIYAN CLIFFS,

AFGHANISTAN

BUDDHIST ART FOUND IN

KABUL VALLEY TARIM BASIN,

300s CE

KUMĀRAJῙVA AT TEXT TRANSLATION BUREAU, CHANG'AN, 344 – 413 CE

MOGAO CAVES BEGUN BY MONKS AT

DUNHUANG, 366 CE

FAXIAN'S SILK

ROAD PILGRIMAGE TO INDIA, 399-414 CE

BUDDHISM

TRANSMITTED TO

KOREA, 400s CE

BUDDHIST CAVES

ESTABLISHED AT

KIZIL,

450-750 CE

LONGMEN CRYPTS

BEGUN AT

LUOYANG, 494 CE

BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY

IMAGE PROCESSIONS

IN LUOYANG, CHINA, 503 - 528 CE

BUDDHISM MIGRATES

FROM CHINA AND

KOREA TO JAPAN, 600s CE

BUDDHISM IN

TIBET TAKES ON

LOCAL TRADITIONS, 800 – 1300 CE

MARCO POLO INTRODUCES BUDDHISM

TO EUROPE, 1254-1324 CE

IMMIGRANTS BRING

BUDDHISM TO SAN

FRANCISCO, NORTH

AMERICA,

1899 CE

The Land-Based Silk Road

Courtesy of Dr. Nancy Cowardin

BUDDHISM’S JOURNEY ON THE SILK ROAD

Besides cloth, paper and other goods, the Silk Road carried another

important commodity which was equally significant in world history:

Buddhism. Along with trade and migration, the world's oldest

international highway was the vehicle which spread the religion

throughout Central Asia. Transmission was launched from northwestern

India, spreading to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Xinjiang

(Chinese Turkistan), China, Korea, and Japan. Buddhism not only

affected the lives and cultures of those regions, but also left us with a

world of wonders in arts and literature.

GANDHĀRA

Once the center of the Kuṣāṇa empire (60 – 226 CE) which

spread across northwestern India and Pakistan, the Buddhist

settlement of Gandhāra was known for producing early

manuscripts in Gandhāri, a language derived from Sanskrit.

These works included the first full-length biography of

Śākyamuni Buddha (the Buddhacarita). Thanks to European

forays into India from the time of Alexander the Great, artisans

in the ancient kingdom developed a blend of classic Greco-

Roman and local styles. The resulting art movement furthered

the transmission of Buddhism along the Silk Routes.

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 trade goods, but philosophy and religion were exchanged. Circa

399 C.E., the Chinese pilgrim, Faxian traversed the entire region on

foot in order to collect and translate Buddhist vinayas and sūtras.

After returning to China in 414 C.E., he wrote vivid accounts of his

journey, including the image processions in celebration of the

Buddha's birthday which he witnessed in Khotan.

KUCHA

As a Central Asian metropolitan center on the northern Silk Road, Kucha

played a major role in trade economy. By the end of the third century, the

kingdom had fully embraced Buddhism, establishing nearly 1,000

temples and stūpas in the immediate vicinity. At this time, Kuchean

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

furthering the dissemination of the religion. Exotic Kuchean music and

dance forms that blended Indian, middle, and far eastern flavors were

introduced to China via the Silk Road and memorialized in the cave art at

nearby Kizil.

DUNHUANG

The Silk Road forked at Dunhuang, an oasis situated amid the Gobi

and Taklimakan Deserts, forcing merchant caravans to choose

between the northern and southern routes. Over time, these and

other pilgrims began constructing cave shrines to insure divine

protection or in thanks for completing the desert journey. This

tradition inspired Buddhist monks to begin work in the nearby

Mogao Caves, circa 366 C.E. The exquisite murals and statuary that

developed are still preserved in these Buddhist grottoes, along with

a walled-up library that housed a comprehensive collection of

ancient manuscripts.

CHANG'AN (XI'AN)

Revived to its cultural peak in the 4th and 5th centuries, Chang'an

became a flourishing center of Buddhist learning. Many important

Buddhist pilgrims and scholars translated sūtras there, among

them, Faxian (c. 340 – 422) and the scholar Kumārajīva (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 caravans

tethered outside the city walls in traders' camps of colorful tents.

Here, in preparation for the western journey, camels were loaded

with bundles of exotic spices and seeds, metal and ceramic

utensils, painted scrolls, and cascading piles of silk fabric in all

colors and textures.

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 image processions commemorating the Buddha's

Birthday. These joyous annual celebrations are the subject of our

triptych painting.

Buddha’s Birthday Parades in

medieval China

Buddha’s Birthday Parade

in Later Zhao

Between 334 and 349

Shihu liked to glorify the Buddha with incalculable extravagances. He commissioned an altar-carriage. In breadth, it was more than a zhang (approximately 10 feet), in length two zhang, with a golden Buddha image on top of a flat four-wheeled cart and nine dragons above that. A wooden figure of a monk was placed before the Buddha, and all round the Buddha were more than ten monks, each a bit more than two feet in height, all wearing white kaṣāyas. When the cart moved, the nine dragons would spew water over the image of the Buddha, and the monk standing in front of the Buddha would rub the area between the Buddha's heart and his abdomen, as if washing a newborn. The other ten-odd monks would circumambulate the Buddha. As each would come just in front of the Buddha, he would do obeisance, then, taking incense in his hand, deposit it in a censer. When the cart stopped, so would the activity.

Records from the Region of Ye

Later Zhao (319 – 350)

Founding king

Shile (274 - r.319 – 333)

Zhangbin, Shile’s adviser

Fotucheng, Shile’s adviser

Telling sign: Dragons

3rd century, Lalitavistara “The two Naga kings, Nanda and Upananda, remaining in semi-developed form under the sky, bathed the Bodhisattva by pouring two streams of water, one hot and the other cold … Śakra, Brahma, the guardians of regions, and the Devaputras by hundreds of thousands, who had come there, bathed the new-born Bodhisattva with scented water and well-blown flowers, and sprinkled the same about him. Two chamaras, and a jewelled umbrella became manifest in the sky. ”

308 《普曜經》「天帝釋梵忽然來下，雜名香水洗浴菩薩，九龍在上而下香水，洗浴聖尊，洗浴竟已身心清淨」

Animation and

Architectural Designs


• Paradeofthebuddhas.org

• Art Projects

• Later Zhao Animation



Buddha’s Birthday Parade

in Northern Wei Between 503 and 528

The Ching-Ming Monastery [Bright Prospect Monastery]… At the time, the nation liked

to pray for happiness, [so] on the seventh day of the fourth month all images in the

capital were assembled in this monastery, numbering more than one thousand,

according to the records of the Office of Sacrifices, Department of State Affairs. On the

eighth day, the images [were carried] one by one into the Hsüan-yang Gate, where the

emperor would scatter flowers in front of the Ch'ang-ho Palace. At this moment, gold-

colored flowers reflected the dazzling sunlight, and the bejeweled canopies [over the

carriages] for the images floated in the clouds. Banners were [as numerous as trees] in

a forest, and incense smoke was [as thick as] a fog. Indian music and the din of

chanted Buddhist scriptures moved heaven and earth alike. Wherever variety shows

[were performed], there was congestion. Renowned monks and virtuous masters, each

carrying a staff, formed a throng. The Buddhist devotees and their "companions in the

law" holding flowers resembled a garden in bloom. Carriages and horses choked

[traffic] and jostled each other. A foreign monk from the Western Regions saw it, and

he chanted and said it was [the same as the Buddha's land as he had witnessed it].

A Record of Monasteries in Luoyang

Origin of the Tuoba Xianbei

people

Gaxian Cave in

Inner Mongolia

By 439 CE

Decision to Relocate capital in 494

Pingcheng

Luoyang

Emperor Xiaowen

(r. 471 – 499)

Ironically, the sinification program that revived Luoyang also caused the downfall

of the empire. As part of his sinification program, Emperor Xiaowen placed great

emphasis on Confucianism. His successor, Emperor Xuanwu, favored Buddhism.

The Glory of Northern Wei Luoyang

The Northern Wei Triptych

Music and Song


• Paradeofthebuddhas.org

• Art Projects

• Music



Tour Guide / Docent Resources

Generic docent skills

Specific BBEP details



About

Volunteer Training




Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

Needed from each Team

Docents Display Arts and

Crafts

Merchan

dise

IT Writers Marketin

g

Food

Meet

and

greet,

Tour

guide

Setup Producti

on,

Training,

Facilitati

on

Producti

on,

Sales

Infrastru

cture

Writing,

video

producti

on

Channel

s, public

relations

Samples

,

Producti

on,

Facilitati

on

29/3 –

5/5,

11/5 –

12/5

25/3 –

27/3

29/3 –

1/4,

11/5 –

12/5

29/3 –

1/4,

11/5 –

12/5

Before

March

Now till

31/3

29/3 –

1/4,

11/5 –

12/5

Coordination for Teams Siena: Marketing

Venerable Miao You will send out VIP invitations for

the launch of the entire program (including but not

only for BBEP exhibition)

Juewei: other teams

Venerable Miao You and Venerable Zhili will put

together a program for the launch of the Festival on 31

March 2013

Venerable Zhili will help to coordinate all art & crafts

and food booths


Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch


Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

Write-up Needed Why is the BBEP mascot an Elephant?

Complement



About

About our Logo

To be placed in our Merchandise and Arts and Crafts

areas



Meet the Sam Family

Sam Sara

Baby Karma

Our logo playfully depicts

the yellow-white, 6-tusked

elephant that appeared to

Queen Maya in a dream.

She thereafter bore Prince

Siddhārtha who matured to

become Śākyamuni Buddha,

the founder and spiritual

leader of Buddhism

"Sara," Sam's companion, is

shown as a helper elephant

in our triptych mural.

Use of Mascot

東漢‧張衡《西京賦》：「白象行孕，垂鼻轔囷。」

“A pregnant white elephant walks with her nose curled into the shape of a wheel.”

Rhapsody of the Western Capital, ZHANG Heng, Eastern Han

found in an Eastern Han

tomb in Luoyang

Artifact in Hsilai Temple,

California, USA

Write-up Needed Introduction to the BBEP Exhibition

Significance of BBEP

Contents of Exhibition

Website information

Significance

• Among the first of its kind the world (Buddha’s birthday

exhibition supported by academic research)

• Put together by a global team of volunteers

• Demonstrating how art can be created from literature

• Connecting people today with the festive and religious

spirit of a historical period

• Buddha’s birthday festival is the oldest international

and extant celebration of the birth of a historical figure

• Buddhism introduced birthday celebrations to China

…and a Fun and Educational Experience

Needed Buy or borrow a globe / world map

Mapshop.com.au

Distribute postcards

Pricing for merchandise (so that we can test the

market first)

In Dropbox (accessible by

team leaders)

The Sam Family (colored and uncolored; t-shirt

and balloon specifications)

Handouts of copyrighted materials (not suitable for

website publication)

Photos of our meetings

What else is needed?

From now till 12:10pm

Finalize team proposal (plan, budget, samples)

for me to present to NTT management on 4/2

Less is More,

Quality is more important than Quantity

Output is EDUCATION

Process is TEAMWORK


Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

Next Meetings

Today, 1:30pm Coordination meeting among team leaders (all are welcome)

9 March (Sat), 10am Training on NTI and local art pieces

Package craft and merchandise

28 March (Thu), 4:30pm or 7pm, Hai Hui Exhibition Hall Gallery walk

25 May (Sat), 10am Review meeting

Depending on demand, special seminars and workshops for BBEP volunteers

Make your mark…

Roster Duties

Docents (tour guides and meet-and-greet team)

29-3, 30-3, 31-3,

1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4

9-4, 10-4, 11-4, 12-4, 13-4, 14-4

16-4, 17-4, 18-4, 19-4, 20-4, 21-4

23-4, 24-4, 25-4, 26-4, 27-4, 28-4

30-4, 1-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-5, 5-5

11-5 am, 11-5 pm, 12-5 am, 12-5 pm

Arts and Crafts, Merchandise

29-3, 30-3, 31-3, 1-4

11-5 am, 11-5 pm, 12-5 am, 12-5 pm

Volunteer application form



Temple

US exhibits

Logistics

Team leader

presentations

Team discussions

Next steps

Lunch

Documents

Buddha’s Birthday Education Project€¦ · Buddha’s Birthday Education Project THROUGH THESE DOORS: Connecting Past and Present, East and West Second Meeting of Volunteers