Rebekah Rolon
HUP 105
Prof. Trusso
19th, April 2017
Rubin Museum Project
Visiting the Rubin Museum of Art was a great experience that was also extremely informative and inspirational. There were plenty of different art pieces that caught my eye, which caused me to look deeply into particular doctrines that had to do with Buddhism. Each art piece had their own characteristics and interpretations of Buddhism that had the ability to make you feel like, although it was based on the same doctrine or individual it made you feel like it was something new and that there was something else that you should take upon yourself to learn about. While viewing and reading about these art pieces it also brought to my attention how closely both Buddhism and Hinduism can both be so similar, but differ from one another.
The first piece of art that I noticed was an image called “Buddhas”. What attracted me to this piece was the texture, the darker more simple tone of it and the detail of lining in the piece. To me this art piece stood for Buddha’s early life, when he was isolated from the world. He knew no age,death or the idea of sickness. But when he finally felt that emptiness known as sunyata, he came to the realization that he had to let go of worldly desires. In this piece I feel as if the colors used and the placement of the Buddhas somehow showcase a feeling of loneliness, as well as a feeling of satisfaction. According Sunyata (Emptiness) in the Mahayana Context “The realisation of sunyata leads one to no attachment and clinging. It is the skilful means towards enlightenment and also the fruit of enlightenment.” (Rong, Ke) Which is displayed in this piece, because the Buddha is enlarged, and the expression on his face shows a feeling of content. I feel that this is closely related to the Hindu doctrine atman, because in Hindu religion in order to achieve brahman, you must first come to the realization of atman, which is the universal self. Much like sunyata you must find yourself in order to progress to your ultimate goal.
The second art piece I found to be interesting was one about Bodhisattvas, what ultimately intrigued me about this image is the fact that although the Bodhisattva is made up of the same colors as the humans in the image, the Bodhisattva is way more detailed than all else. The background and humans in this art piece are some what seem to be just a blur. Bodhisattvas are known as beings who have attained enlightenment and help other to achieve it as well. According to“The Bodhisattva Ideal” http://www.dharmanet.org “They exist as guides and providers of relief to suffering beings. We will be learning about the lives of some bodhisattvas who are well known in the Buddhist tradition. They are models who exemplify lives dedicated to eradicating suffering in the world.” I feel that this art piece as well as the quote is a representation of The Heart of Sutra, because of the fact that in buddhist ceremonies this is taught in goal of becoming a bodhisattva, which they then dedicate their time to by serving skillful means.
The third art piece is the, “The Wheel of life” by Buchung Nubgya. This had to be one of the most captivating art pieces i’ve probably ever seen. What attracted me to it so much was the amount of detail, the radiant colors bouncing of one another, the size and clarity. I believe that this art piece represents the wheel of death which is associated with karma. The reason I feel this way of course has to do with the title of the piece and if you pay attention to detail, you can see that there are different stages of life moving in a circular motion, which expands into a large circle, which is overall contained by some sort of larger entity. This can be closely related to hinduism, because in both they believe in the idea of living multiple lives and every action playing a role in a future life, but the only difference between the two, is that in Buddhism there no such thing an eternal soul. According to "Reincarnation" normally is understood to be the transmigration of a soul to another body after death. There is no such teaching in Buddhism--a fact that surprises many people, even some Buddhists One of the most fundamental doctrines of Buddhism is anatta, or anatman--no soul or no self. There is no permanent essence of an individual self that survives death, and thus Buddhism does not believe in reincarnation in the traditional sense, such as the way it is understood in Hinduism.” (O'Brien, Barbara)
The fourth art piece that stood out to me due to the fact that it wasn't like all the others. Was the Devavatara Buddha, which is also known as Shakyamuni Buddha, was created in 7th century Nepal. This piece is made up of gilded copper and stands straight with its right hand pointing upward. While the three previous art pieces were made on a flat surface. The Shakyamuni is the founder of Buddhism, but is not a God. According to kagyuoffice.org “Since he was born as the prince of the Shakyas, after his enlightenment he was known as “the Shakyamuni” or “the Sage of The Shakyas,” and from his clan name, he was later called Gautama Buddha.” This art piece can relate to both his early life while being isolated from the world and after his early life, in which he reached enlightenment.
The fifth art piece of was called the Manjushri, which art was made in Nepal in the 15th century, much like the previous art piece is was made out of the same material (gilded copper). What attracted me to this piece was the posture in which this being is in, and the colorful stones that were placed on this piece, which reminded me of the description of a bodhisattva. After reading the description of the art piece I learned that the Manjushri is the Buddhist God of learning. And the gesture the figure (art piece) is making is described as “turning the wheel of the law”, which also relates to dharma. In the buddhist teaching of dharma we about the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the three marks of existence all of these teachings were made to help one achieve liberation from the cycle of samsara. This idea of achieving liberation to be free from a cycle of rebirth is similar to how in Hinduism, the only way to end the cycle of samsara is through moksha.
As you can see there were plenty of great art pieces to chose from that can be related to many doctrines in not only Buddhism, but Hinduism as well. Something I learned from visiting the Rubin Museum is that Buddhism is definitely not a religion afterall. I believe that Buddhism is just a way of living a peaceful life, without having to distract ourselves from the rough situations life can put us through. Buddhist do not believe in an eternal soul and although Shakyamuni Buddha is the founder of Buddhism he is not a God and there is no main God to praise. Buddhism was created to detach yourself from a life of frustration into a life of peace, harmony and freedom. This has made me to understand that life isn’t about worshiping a single person and living a life where you feel you need to satisfy someone else, you need to live a fulfilling life that belongs to you.
Works Cited
O'Brien, Barbara. "What the Buddha Didn't Teach About Reincarnation." ThoughtCo. N.p., 15 Feb. 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.
Ke Rong,. " Sunyata (Emptiness) in the Mahayana Context ." Sunyata (Emptiness) in the Mahayana Context. N.p., 21 Sept. 1996. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
"Shakyamuni Buddha." Karmapa The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa. Kagyu Office, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
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