An Exploration of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism and its Art: a Potential Resource for Contemporary Spiritual and Art Practice

Tibetan Tantric Buddhism is today considered one of the most important and controversial forms of Asian culture, using a rich and somewhat complicated range of methods and materials. The perception of the ‘mystical’ nature of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art in the world beyond Tibet has changed and evolved significantly and profoundly over the last three decades. However, contemporary Tibetan artists feel confused about how to develop a Tibetan art tradition within the context of a globalised world. 　　Against this background I am interested in exploring the mysterious nature of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism and its art through grasping its religious values, historical context, and artistic qualities. In so doing I try to investigate questions concerning the cross-cultural analysis and utility of images in Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art, as opposed to political conflicts that often arise in the media now. 　　As an exploration of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art and its contemporary significance, this research seeks to fulfill three important goals: first, to introduce Tibet’s mystical and magnificent art within its historical and religious contexts to those unfamiliar with either Tibet Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhist art and its cultural background; second, to examine the influences of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art tradition on some contemporary Tibetan and non-Tibetan artists’ art practice; and third, to embark on combining theoretical research, methods of meditation and my own art practice as a way of exploring the trans-cultural translation of Tibetan Buddhist art in Chinese and Western contexts. The aim is to explore the potential of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist art as elucidating common ground between the meditative mind and the creative mind for engaging in an open conversation of faith, spirituality, religion, and aesthetic experiences in the contemporary period

Photography, painting, and prints in Ladakh and Zangskar. Intermediality and transmediality

The central thesis of this essay is that one of the most important aspects of the pioneering use of photographic portraits of teachers in the late 19th and early 20th century in Western Himalayan Buddhist contexts is its ongoing visual relationship to and with pre-photographic media, including sculpture, printing, and especially painting. Evidence shows that the most common compositions for early portrait photographs drew closely on earlier templates already well-established by painting and sculpture.Le propos central de cet article est que l’un des aspects les plus importants des utilisations avant-gardistes de la photographie de portraits de maîtres à la fin du xixe et au début du xxe siècles dans l’Himalaya occidental bouddhique est sa relation visuelle – toujours d’actualité – avec les médias pré-photographiques, notamment la sculpture, l’impression, et surtout la peinture. L’examen des données montre que les compositions les plus communes pour ces portraits photographiques s’inspiraient grandement des modèles établis plus tôt dans la peinture et la sculpture

The Onpo Lhakhang of Sumur. Notes on the neglected Nyingmapa tradition of Nubra

For more than two hundred years, the Nubra valley of Ladakh has been pervaded by a socio-religious network that is related to the Nyingmapa tradition and existed beside the large-scale monastic system of the dominant Gelugpa. This system manifested itself in a two-fold manner. First, through a selected group of families whose members were “astrologers” (Tib. onpos) and sometimes also “traditional medical practitioners” (Tib. amchis). Second, the system took shape through a number of stupas which shared a specific iconographic topic: the “zhitro” mandala. In the center of the system was – and still is – the Onpo Lhakhang of Sumur.Depuis plus de deux cents ans, la vallée de la Nubra au Ladakh est traversée par un réseau socioreligieux affilié à la tradition Nyingmapa, existant aux côtés du vaste système monastique Gelugpa dominant. Ce réseau se manifeste de deux manières. Premièrement, à travers un groupe de familles dont les membres étaient des « astrologues » (tib. onpos) et parfois aussi des « médecins traditionnels » (tib. amchis). Deuxièmement, le réseau a pris forme à travers un certain nombre de stupas qui partagent un programme iconographique particulier : le mandala zhi khro. Au centre de ce système se trouvait – et se trouve toujours – le temple Onpo Lhakhang de Sumur

Buddhism in Central Asia I

Buddhism in Central Asia (Part I): Patronage, Legitimation, Sacred Space, and Pilgrimage, 6-14th Centuries deals with the various strategies of legitimation and the establishment of sacred space and pilgrimage among both trans-regional (Chinese, Indian, Tibetan) and local (Khotanese, Uyghur, Tangut, Kitan) Buddhist traditions. Readership: All interested in dynamics of inter-cultural encounter and Buddhist transfer in pre-modern Eastern Central Asia

Negotiating the Sacred II

Blasphemy and other forms of blatant disrespect to religious beliefs have the capacity to create significant civil and even international unrest. Consequently, the sacrosanctity of religious dogmas and beliefs, stringent laws of repression and codes of moral and ethical propriety have compelled artists to live and create with occupational hazards like uncertain audience response, self-censorship and accusations of deliberate misinterpretation of cultural production looming over their heads. Yet, in recent years, issues surrounding the rights of minority cultures to recognition and respect have raised new questions about the contemporariness of the construct of blasphemy and sacrilege. Controversies over the aesthetic representation of the sacred, the exhibition of the sacred as art, and the public display of sacrilegious or blasphemous works have given rise to heated debates and have invited us to reflect on binaries like artistic and religious sensibilities, tolerance and philistinism, the sacred and the profane, deification and vilification. Endeavouring to move beyond ‘simplistic’ points about the rights to freedom of expression and sacrosanctity, this collection explores how differences between conceptions of the sacred can be negotiated. It recognises that blasphemy may be justified as a form of political criticism, as well as a sincere expression of spirituality. But it also recognises that within a pluralistic society, blasphemy in the arts can do an enormous amount of harm, as it may also impair relations within and between societies. This collection evolved out a two-day conference called ‘Negotiating the Sacred: Blasphemy and Sacrilege in the Arts’ held at the Centre for Cross Cultural Research at The Australian National University in November 2005. This is the second volume in a series of five conferences and edited collections on the theme ‘Negotiating the Sacred’. The first conference, ‘Negotiating the Sacred: Blasphemy and Sacrilege in a Multicultural Society’ was held at The Australian National University’s Centre for Cross-Cultural Research in 2004, and published as an edited collection by ANU E Press in 2006. Other conferences in the series have included Religion, Medicine and the Body (ANU, 2006), Tolerance, Education and the Curriculum (ANU, 2007), and Governing the Family (Monash University, 2008). Together, the series represents a major contribution to ongoing debates on the political demands arising from religious pluralism in multicultural societies

The murals of the Lotsawa Lhakhang in Henasku and of a few related monuments. A glimpse into the politico-religious situation of Ladakh in the 14th and 15th centuries

The Lotsawa Lhakhang in Henasku, in the west of Ladakh, is a humble temple that has received little attention until now. Its murals, dated to the first decades of the 15th century, have suffered significant damage and therefore their analysis is greatly limited. The extant murals show an overall primary Drigung Kagyu affiliation, in a period of great turmoil for this school in Western Tibet. They were painted in a local style that departed from the reference to the Eastern Indian tradition and embraced the motifs of the Nepalese tradition. The indepth study of these murals further enables their attribution to a particular master-painter and their correlation with a limited ensemble of murals in Alchi, Saspol, and Phiyang, whence the political and religious situation of Ladakh during the 14th and 15th centuries is questioned.Le Lotsawa Lhakhang de Henasku, dans la partie ouest du Ladakh, est un temple modeste qui a reçu peu d’attention jusqu’à présent. Ses peintures murales, qui datent des premières décennies du xve siècle, ont subi d’importants dégâts, ce qui limite dans une grande mesure leur étude. Les peintures murales qui ont été préservées montrent une affiliation principale à l’ordre Drigung Kagyu, au cours d’une période très mouvementée pour cet ordre au Tibet occidental. Elles ont été réalisées dans un style local se départissant de ses références à la tradition de l’Inde orientale pour embrasser les motifs de la tradition népalaise. L’étude de la manière de ces peintures murales permet d’une part leur attribution à un maître précis, d’autre part leur mise en relation avec un ensemble restreint d’autres peintures murales situées à Alchi, Saspol et Phiyang. Enfin, la comparaison de ces peintures nourrit un questionnement sur la situation politique et religieuse du Ladakh au cours des xive et xve siècles

In and out of the mist: an artistic investigation of borderland and community.

The main concern of this research is to initiate a new artistic approach, with photography as a medium and an artistic form of investigation, into the borderland and community that exists from Western China to the Himalayan Region, in order to distinguish it from traditional documentary photography. The borderland exists as an ambiguous territory between governance structures, and the movements of the borderland community often seek to surpass the command of the states. The ideas of inclusion and exclusion, identity within one's community, and the relationship on the borderlands are hard to clearly define. This research develops the hypothesis that borderless borderland is possible with the intervention of fog and mist. This thesis encompasses creative ways to photograph borderlands under fog and mist conditions, creating a surrealistic, magical and meaningful representation of human and natural connections on borderlands, whilst contributing to the finding of new knowledge. It greatly differs from current approaches of documentary photographers and photojournalists, which mostly capture the real, sensational and horrifying moments at the borderlands. The process of discovering new methods of visual representation is important. Therefore, various practical and artistic investigations through different ways of seeing the borderlands are explored. This critical and artistic study is to achieve a hybrid photography style between traditional documentary and contemporary conceptual photography. The final outcome of this thesis showcases a series of practical photographic works at the continuously disputed territories, and to acknowledge the beauty of the borderlands and its peoples’ peaceful way of life

Monuments as a Lens to Understand Climate Change: A Survey of Altered Indian Architecture

My project is asking in what ways climate change is impacting monuments in the developing world using case studies in India? The project will be a survey of sites occupying different positions in environment, religion, and history in order to assess the multitude of threats on cultural heritage created and/or exacerbated by climate change. The Taj Mahal (17th century) will be assessed in order to discuss the impacts of air pollution associated with an urban environ ment and drought along the Yamuna river, using a widely known icon of India to serve as a visualization of slow violence taking place throughout India. The next monument discussed will be the Alchi Chos Khor Monastery (11th century) which is currently threatened by historically unprecedented rainfall. The Monastery will also open the discussion into approaches to conservation and restoration in the Himalaya as well as the ‘unimagining of cultures’ within an agenda of national development. Finally, the paper will be concluded by the Old Goa complex (16th century) which is threatened by sea level rise and the intensification of annual monsoons. The Basilica will serve as an entry point into contemplating rising tides and urbanization as well as the role of the government of India in conservation and the ways in which the institutions that created the problems driving climate change may not be the ones to solve them. Each monument has been chosen because it maintains a heritage essential- and entirely unique- for preservation within their given contexts and history. Each site provides the opportunity to discuss wider ranging themes and ask questions about preservation, conservation, and heritage globally

Tibetan Printing: Comparison, Continuities, and Change

Tibetan Printing: Comparisons, Continuities and Change is the first publication that brings together leading experts from different disciplines to discuss the introduction of printing in Tibetan societies in the context of Asian book culture. Readership: All interested in Tibetan Studies, in Asian Book Cultures and the history of printing as well as in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of books as artefacts

Impermanence: Exploring continuous change across cultures

Nothing lasts forever. This common experience is the source of much anxiety but also hope. The concept of impermanence or continuous change opens up a range of timely questions and discussions that speak to globally shared experiences of transformation and concerns for the future. Impermanence engages with an emergent body of social theory emphasizing flux and transformation, and brings this into a dialogue with other traditions of thought and practice, notably Buddhism that has sustained a long-lasting and sophisticated meditation on impermanence. In cases drawn from all over the world, this volume investigates the significance of impermanence in such diverse contexts as social death, atheism, alcoholism, migration, ritual, fashion, oncology, museums, cultural heritage and art. The authors draw on a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, art history, Buddhist studies, cultural geography and museology. This volume also includes numerous photographs, artworks and poems that evocatively communicate notions and experiences of impermanence