Category: Buddhism

Introduction

Commonly celebrated in America, Tibetan Buddhism took place in the subjects of Hollywood films, Media consumers of American society are accustomed to receiving information both in contexts of fictional entertainment and nonfictional news. Things such as (Quick quotable and the rapid montages of pictures and images and also the crafting of simple stories) took place as important media manners.

LITTLE BUDDHA is a well-represented film by Hollywood that tells the story of Jesse Conrad and has a major parallels story of a prince Siddhartha in which the story talks about the birth of Buddhism. Jesse Conrad is a young boy living in Seattle identified by a Buddhist monk as being the reincarnation of Buddha and is taken to Bhutan along with his father to see if he really is a “Little Buddha”.

Bertolucci, the director of Little Buddha, is well known for his religious film’s appeal. His interest in Buddhism began very much earlier than the release of Little Buddha in 1963. Such interests raised questions of Bertolucci being a Buddhist, particularly after his show in an interview wearing a Tibetan Buddhist coral around his neck. According to The Cinema of Ambiguity Bertolucci was deeply involved in studying Buddhism and the Little Buddha had been made from his Buddhist perspective. Little Buddha found great interest among children as it’s a story of a little boy whose Jesse.

It recounts Jesse’s journey to Bhutan with monks who train him in the Buddhist culture and tradition, illuminating the origins of Buddhism. Little Buddha emphasis’ the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. It shows the difference between western religions and Buddhism that its beliefs do not rest in divine or supernatural power in history. It is a religion purely of human experience, there is no message to be believed in order to be saved, it is a series of steps the follower must reason out for himself.

There are simpler concepts such as generosity, moral conduct, mental concentration, heavenly rebirth, and the law of cause and effect (karma), that are normally taught to novices. All the above are essential characteristics of a Buddhist, So the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path are usually reserved for members of the Sangha and advanced laypeople.

The four noble truths

Dukkha, meaning: impermanence and imperfection, is the state of the imperfect, impermanent human condition.

It suggests that the only happiness we feel is transitory and that we can not escape human suffering. So no one is exempt from these.

Samudaya the cause of Dukkha

The cravings we have for physical or mental pleasures are fleeting and not permanent. It can be described as the greed, desire, thirst, or craving that exist in humans to find pleasure. It always exists, when one desire is not satisfied, the craving begins aroused.

Samudaya and Dukkha summed up are the cycle of craving and lack of fulfillment that is human.

Nirodha the cessation of Dukkha

Craving must be transcended and removed, If Dukkha follows craving and Dukkha must be eliminated, The cycle of constant want and disappointment must be broken in order to gain enlightenment. The state of cessation of Dukkha is Nirvana, and Nirvana is the end of greed and craving, but all of Buddhism’s teachings lead towards the realization of the state of Nirvana in the human lifetime.

Maggie the path leading to the cessation of Dukkha, the Noble Eightfold Path

There is a middle path between a life of luxury and greed and one of austerity and self-mortification is the path to enlightenment. Both extremes must be avoided, and this truth is the one that changes Buddhism from philosophy into an active religion. But a follower must be as diligent in his/her practice as in his/her study, also provides a solid example of how to lead a life in the Buddhist religion.

Works Cited

Pico. Iyer,, Buddhism and Popular Culture, (1997) New York City.

Veigroeg Limoeg “Diet Secrets Of Hollywood Stars. 2008.

This work is aimed at comparing two ancient works of art, belonging to Christian and Buddhist religious tradition, in terms of peculiarities of their execution and the message they communicate to a viewer. Christian tradition is represented by the sculpture Justinian as World Conqueror, dated 550; it is compared to the statue of Buddha found in Afghanistan, dated 2nd-3rd century.

Justinian I was an ambitious politician who pursued an aggressive policy of conquering new territories for the Empire. During his reign, the territory of the Byzantine Empire expanded significantly, having become the largest during the whole history of the Byzantine Empire; it is possible to say that the cult of Justinian existed in the Byzantine society for centuries.

The sculpture Justinian as World Conqueror is devoted to the emperor’s military success. It depicts Justinian riding a rearing horse; the figures of Victory and Earth accompany him; the emperor is blessed by God looking at him from above. The composition of this work seems rather audacious: the figure of the emperor is the largest element of the sculpture, its size exceeds even that of God. To explain this compositional approach, it is necessary to refer to the Roman cultural tradition.

The early Byzantine culture inherited some elements of the Roman spirit (Kleiner 323). Later the works of Byzantine art became modest and less pompous, having absorbed the resigned spirit of Christianity; but this work balances on the border of Roman past and Christian present. Roman governors admired glorifying themselves employing architecture and sculpture (it is enough to remember Nero with his huge statue in the Golden House or the inscription in honour of Marcus Agrippa on the Pantheon). The sculpture depicting Justinian is also aimed at glorifying the Byzantine emperor and his power, exalting him comparing to any other human. The relief is carved on ivory panels. This material is very noble and valuable; it highlights the loftiness and nobility of Justinian.

At the bottom of the plaque, the sculptor depicted the figures of the barbarians, whose lands were conquered by Justinian, interlaced with those of exotic African and Asian animals: a lion, an elephant, and a tiger. Interestingly, the relief does not depict Justinian’s army; however, the sculptor might omit to introduce the figures of soldiers intentionally, wishing to highlight the divine origin of Justinian’s power: the earthly strength of the army is transient, but God’s blessing is eternal.

The poses of Justinian and his horse are dynamic: it seems like the emperor does not limit himself by his former success; instead, he is ready to continue his conquest, and the protective expression of God’s face promises that the emperor will succeed. The name of the sculpture also claims Justinian’s inexhaustible military power. Thus, the combination of the work’s composition and material expresses the author’s idea; no doubt, in the 6th century, this depiction was able to impress the viewer, saturating his soul with deep respect and admiration of the emperor, as well as with belief into his divine power.

It is rather interesting to compare this sculpture to the Afghan statue of Buddha, dated 2nd-3rd century. The compositional organization of this work is somewhat similar to that of Justinian as World Conqueror: The sculpture carved of dark grey schist also consists of a huge Budda’s figure and the smaller figures at the bottom. However, the difference between the messages which these two works send to a viewer is significant. The dominance of Buddah’s figure does not seem bellicose: it embodies the all-embracing universal order, which is the pillar of everything existing in the World. Buddha’s pose is appeased; he seems to have understood the higher truth and to have concentrated on inner contemplation.

Buddha’s eyes are closed, and not accidentally: in Buddhism, the term “buddha” means “enlighted”, abstracted away from earthly insignificant vanity. Closed eyes is one of the Buddha’s statues’ traditional markings; the sculpture discussed in this work also has other markings, which are the long lobes of his ears, symbolizing Buddha’s superb perception, and the protuberance on the head, which tells about his superb mind (Pemberton 16). The carriage of the figure translates the message of Buddha’s appeasement and patronage.

The people at the bottom of the whole composition are minor, but not suppressed, like in the case of Justinian’s sculpture. They are not doomed to nothingness; instead, they are depicted while attending the smaller seated buddhas, seeking wisdom and truth, while the bigger Buddha rests above them and inspires them to grow and cognize the universal truth. Unlike Justinian as World Conqueror, the sculpture has an inspiring message, saying that every minor creature can develop his mind and become enlightened. The appearance of this work impresses the viewer very strongly, setting him to appeasement and contemplation.

Thus, these two sculptures have carried the centuries-old message of the cultures which gave birth to them. Such works of art are the gifts of history to modern society. Afghanistan is famous for its Buddha sculptures and monasteries; however, two huge statues of Buddhas of Bamyan created 1500-1800 years ago have been destroyed, which shocked the World community (Behnke 54). The numerous works of Byzantine art are also lost. The ancient works of art tell a viewer about history, culture, and society of the past epochs; moreover, they transfer their spirit. That is why these works are so interesting to a modern viewer.

Bibliography

Behnke, Alison. Afghanistan in Pictures. Minneapolis, Minn.: Lerner Publications, 2003. Print.

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History. USA: Gardners Books, 2008. Print.

Pemberton, Delia. Buddha. Chicago: Art Media Resources, 2002. Print.