Title
Behold the Buddha: Religious Meanings of Japanese Buddhist Icons,Used
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Images of the Buddha are everywherenot just in temples but also in museums and homes and onlinebut what these images mean largely depends on the background and circumstance of those viewing them. In Behold the Buddha, James Dobbins invites readers to imagine how premodern Japanese Buddhists understood and experienced icons in temple settings long before the advent of museums and the internet. Although widely portrayed in the last century as visual emblems of great religious truths or as exquisite works of Asian art, Buddhist images were traditionally treated as the very embodiment of the Buddha, his palpable presence among people. Hence, Buddhists approached them as living entities in their own rightthat is, as awakened icons with whom they could interact religiously.Dobbins begins by reflecting on art museums, where many nonBuddhists first encounter images of the Buddha, before outlining the complex Western response to them in previous centuries. He next elucidates images as visual representations of the story of the Buddhas life followed by an overview of the physical attributes and symbolic gestures found in Buddhist iconography. A variety of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other divinities commonly depicted in Japanese Buddhism is introduced, and their living quality discussed in the context of traditional temples and Buddhist rituals. Finally, other religious objects in Japanese Buddhismrelics, scriptures, inscriptions, portraits of masters, and sacred sitesare explained using the Buddhist icon as a model. Dobbins concludes by contemplating art museums further as potential sites for discerning the religious character of Buddhist images.Those interested in Buddhism generally who would like to learn more about its rich iconographywhether encountered in temples or museumswill find much in this concise, wellillustrated volume to help them behold the Buddha.
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