BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery -- Exhibit: Body of Devotion: The Cosmic Buddha in 3D

DC -- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery -- Exhibit: Body of Devotion: The Cosmic Buddha in 3D:

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Description of Pictures: Body of Devotion: The Cosmic Buddha in 3D
January 30, 2016 – December 2016
Like all Buddhas (fully enlightened beings), the Cosmic Buddha, a life-size limestone figure of Vairochana, is wrapped in the simple robe of a monk. What makes this sixth-century Chinese object exceptional are the detailed narrative scenes that cover its surface, representing moments in the life of the Historical Buddha as well as the Realms of Existence, a symbolic map of the Buddhist world. With help from the Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office, the Cosmic Buddha also exists as a 3D model, enabling scholars to study the work as never before and providing worldwide access to this masterpiece of Buddhist sculpture. Body of Devotion is an interactive installation that explores not only the work itself, but also the evolving means and methods of studying sculpture, from rubbings and photographs to the technological possibilities of today.

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[1] BUDDAH_160222_001.JPG	[2] BUDDAH_160222_006.JPG	[3] BUDDAH_160222_014.JPG
[4] BUDDAH_160222_018.JPG	[5] BUDDAH_160222_030.JPG	[6] BUDDAH_160222_033.JPG
[7] BUDDAH_160222_037.JPG	[8] BUDDAH_160222_042.JPG	[9] BUDDAH_160222_046.JPG
[10] BUDDAH_160222_049.JPG	[11] BUDDAH_160222_053.JPG	[12] BUDDAH_160222_058.JPG
[13] BUDDAH_160222_062.JPG	[14] BUDDAH_160222_065.JPG	[15] BUDDAH_160222_068.JPG
[16] BUDDAH_160222_071.JPG	[17] BUDDAH_160222_074.JPG	[18] BUDDAH_160222_078.JPG
[19] BUDDAH_160222_082.JPG	[20] BUDDAH_160222_086.JPG	[21] BUDDAH_160222_090.JPG
[22] BUDDAH_160222_093.JPG	[23] BUDDAH_160222_097.JPG	[24] BUDDAH_160222_100.JPG
[25] BUDDAH_160222_103.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. BUDDAH_160222_014.JPG: The Buddhist Universe The front of this headless sculpture shows a conceptual map of the Buddhist universe, with the Six Realms of Existence divided into bands. Start at the top of the Buddha's chest and look down to the bottom hem of his garment. Scenes are filled with divinities, jealous gods (ashuras), humans, animals, spirits, and denizens of hell. Just above hell sits Yama, judge of the dead. He gestures to send some upward while others descend to hell below. The theme of the Six Realms is associated with Vairochana, the Cosmic Buddha, the generative force behind all phenomena.
2. BUDDAH_160222_018.JPG: Body of Devotion: The Cosmic Buddha in 3D This rare standing Buddha is covered with complicated narrative scenes that suffuse the surface like a magical emanation rising from its core. Hundreds of figures, animals, buildings, and trees -- and at least seven different depictions of the Buddha -- enliven the limestone sculpture. Carved in low relief in China during the Northern Qi dynasty 1,500 years ago, no other sculpture in the world bears this accumulation of illustrations. It provides unequaled insight into the subjects that interested Buddhists in the late sixth century, a dynamic period of theological debate and artistic transformation. A clue to the meaning of this monumental headless figure is on the front, which shows the Six Buddhist Realms of Existence in a series of bands. Devas (divinities) fill Trayastrimsha Heaven, the highest of the heavens still linked to the world. They reside above Mount Meru. These two realms spread up and over the sculpture's shoulders. Far below, approximately near the Buddha's feet, are those who suffer in Buddhist hells. In between are the spheres of humans, animals, and spirits. This conceptual map of the universe is associated with Vairochana, the Cosmic Buddha. Originally the sculpture was probably painted in gold and vibrant mineral colors of red, blue, green, and black to make these scenes and their boundaries easier to understand. Although that paint is now gone -- and the Buddha's head and hands were lost with the passing of time -- careful study of the remaining illustrations show they are based on sutras, historical tales, and other Buddhist texts.
3. BUDDAH_160222_033.JPG: Stone to Paper Almost two thousand years ago, long before photography and digital scanning. Chinese scholars identified a way to share information with society at large through stone carvings set up in public locations. All that was needed to create portable reproductions in the form of rubbings was strong pliable paper, a natural glue, liquid ink, and soft, absorbent silk-covered pads. As in centuries past, Chinese rubbings made by temporarily attaching paper to a stone surface with a diluted water-based adhesive. Tampers -- cotton wadding wrapped in soft silk -- are used to press the paper into the carved depressions and to extract moisture. After the paper drives, ink is carefully applied with inked tampers. The paper pressed into the carved-out areas remains white while the raised surface becomes black. If done properly, the ink will not soak through the paper and stain the surface. When the paper is peeled off, the stone surface is washed to remove any remaining adhesive. This method of ink rubbing translates complicated surfaces into high contrast black-and-white images that copy the scale of the original. Such reproductions are particularly helpful when documenting Buddhist stone sculpture with mottled gray surfaces, such as those of the Cosmic Buddha.
4. BUDDAH_160222_046.JPG: Digital "Unwrap" This "flat map" of the Cosmic Buddha was made by converting the data acquired through the 3D scan into a two-dimensional rendering. Through this process, the different narrative units can also be separated for easier investigation. When the sculpture was made 1,500 years ago, each scene likely started as an outline drawing on paper that was transferred to the limestone figure for carving. To learn more about each of these scenes, go to the Smithsonian website 3d.si.edu on your own computer or use a station in this gallery.
5. BUDDAH_160222_049.JPG: Heaven and Earth A different vision of the Buddhist world appears in three large registers on the back of the sculpture. At the top, the bodhisattva (englightened being) Maitreya sits in his Tushita Heaven, awaiting rebirth on earth as the Buddha of the Future. Below him are scenes from the Vimalakirti sutra, which tells of an encounter between Vimalakirti, a wise laymen, and Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, while Shakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) was visiting the northern Indian city of Vaishali. The bottom band features riders on horses traveling through a mountain valley. Five smaller vignettes occupy irregular spaces on the sleeves of the figure. They seem to illustrate Jatakas and avadanas, stories about the past lives of the Buddha and the correlation between merit and rebirth, a central tenet of Buddhism.
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