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Humanities 2270Harry A Wilson

February 17, 2011Cultural Encounter 3

The StupaThe stupa plays a very important role in Buddhism, much like the church does inChristianity. The original purpose of the stupa was to house the cremated remains of the

Buddha. It served more as a monument to him, holding his relics in an earthen mound,than as a tomb. Christianity has similar reliquaries holding fragments of the True Cross,

nails from the crucifixion and the Turin shroud. According to theMahaparinibbanaSutta,Buddha himself had authorized the building of cairns for three classes of people:

Buddhas, Pratyeka-Buddhas and Cakravartin. Buddha instructed that these monuments bebuilt at the junction of four roads. In practice they were built to honor events, places, and

miraculous appearances in the life of Buddha and the remains of Buddhas disciples. Thedocument went on to state that whoever makes pilgrimage to these sites shall gain merit

and joy.(Myer,25) In the mid-third century BCE the Mauyarn emperor Asoka opened theoriginal eight mounds, and spread the relics into thousands of stupas across the land. This

led to the flourishing of the practice of Buddhism. One source estimated that as many as84,000 stupas may have been built by Asoka. Obviously, not all stupas could contain true

relics, so the Word of Buddha etched on metal or written on palm leaves served asspiritual relics.(Myer,25) The stupa became a place to visit a relic, gain merit and

spiritual power, and symbolized the growth of the individual from earthly to spiritual,with the promise of passage to nirvana.

Symbolism: Whether one agrees with Durans problematic use of the word orPerretts hypoiconic term for the stupas symbolism, the construction from top to

bottom is psycho-cosmic. Duran believes that because the stupa is so steeped in Buddhistculture, its symbolism is taken for granted, and might be lost on a Western observer

(Duran,69). Perrett has no problem with the stupa as a symbol, and states that it has evenreached an almost iconic level. He cites the circumambulation as a means to provide the

follower the experience of retracing Gautamas steps to Buddahood (Perret, 445).Stratton states that the use of the mound represents the mountain. The mountain has

through history been considered divine and godlike. He goes on to relate the stupa tothe sacred mountain, the world mountain and the mother mountain(Stratton, 7) He

further uses primordial symbolism, with Buddha as essence and method, and Dharma assubstance and wisdom. Together, they produce society, cosmos and the world. The dome

of the stupa represents the womb, the egg and the sacred mountain. The tree of life isrepresented by a mast at the center of the stupa. The harmika(high altar) is where heaven

and earth meet, and represents the point of passage to nirvana. The yupa (spire) is theparasol of heaven covering the earth. The kalasa(vase) contains the drink of immortality,

and being empty represents the empty mind of enlightenment. Snodgrass outlines the useof the five elements(earth, water, fire, air and space) and the colors associated with them

in the design of the stupa. The stupa came to represent the power of the Buddha. The relic(or object symbolizing it) emanated his power not only through the stupa, the temple

complex and into the town, but through concentric discs(the parasol) into space(Byrne &Barnes,266).

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Structure and Use: Early stupas took two forms, open-air and rock-cut.Although, they shared common architectural elements, their arrangements were based

more on presentation and the audience they served(Fogelin,137). Open-air stupas arerecognized as pilgrimage sites. The Buddha stated that pilgrimage confers merit upon the

pilgrim, and that those pilgrims who died traveling to or from a stupa would receive

nirvana. Open-air complexes were very large, with much more space than needed for itsresidents. The lack of doors at the entrances denote they were designed for freemovement in and out of both the complex and the sturpa. Inscriptions on the railings

indicate donations, and from whom they were made. They indicate a lower class ofdevotee and some that traveled from great distances. In addition, the inscriptions show

that clergy accumulated wealth contrary to Buddhist teachings.(Fogelin, 137). Rock-cutstupa complexes consist of a hall, with the stupa at the far end, and columns separating

the hall from the circumambulatory path. Most of this type of stupa did not contain relics.This marked a change from the worship of the Buddhas remains to a more abstract

worship of the comcept of Buddha(Fogelin,142). The donations to this type of stupaindicate a more regal, merchant class donor along with the clergy. Doors indicated that

access was restricted to resident monks. The hall layout indicates a more formalized,communal, directed worship. The open-air layout indicates a more individual, meditative

worship and the lack of a mediator.(Fogelin, 148)The sturpa underwent dramatic changes through history, starting as an earthen

mound and progressing to structures over 120 meters high. The style has changed andbecome more elaborate through time and by region. The Chinese developed it into a

pagoda, with the Japanese following their lead. Other than the statue of the Buddhahimself, it is the most recognized symbol of Buddhism. It is steeped with cosmic and

religious symbolism and meaning.

Byrne & Barnes, (1995). Buddhist stupa and thai social practice. World Archaeology,27(2), 266.

Duran, J. (1996). The stupa in indian art: symbols and the symbolic. The British Journal

of Aesthetics, 36, 66-69.

Fogelin, L. (2003). Ritual and presentation in early buddhist religious architecture.AsianPerspectives, 42( 1), 129-154.

Myer, P. (1961). Stupas and stupa-shrines.ArtibusAsiae, 24(1), 25-34.

Perrett, R.W. (2011). Symbols, icons and stupas.The British Journal of Aesthetics, 36,

432-437.

Snodgrass, A. (1985). The symbolism of the stupa.Ithaca,NY: Cornell SE Asia Program.

Stratton, E. (2002). The evolution of indianstupa architecture in east asia. New Delhi,India: Vedams.