AHI 001D Exam ! Review (terms)

Gandharan Style

style of Buddhist art (as the subject) with Greco-Roman influence (realistic depiction of features), Gandhara Buddha has calm expression where Mathura is a pleased expression, Gandhara sculptures Maitreya also given a turban and a twirling mustache

Mathuran Style

style of Buddhist art, mostly Indian, Buddha has a delighted/pleased expression, tightly curled hair, wide-legged stance, red sandstone?

Iconography

symbolic imagery

Amitabha

the Buddha of Eternal Life

Parinirvana

the death of Buddha and the body left behind, shown by artwork of Buddha's body and smaller people crying/suffering that represent his followers

Urna

third eye (on forehead); curl of hair on the forehead that is a characteristic mark of the Buddha, symbol of spiritual insight

Chaitya Hall

type of Buddhist temple in the form of a hall with a round end, housing a sacred shrine or stupa

Mudra

when one hand is facing upward (forearm parallel to upper arm), it represents no fear; symbolic hand gesture in Buddhist art that denotes certain behaviors, actions, or feelings (position of Buddha's hands in certain gestures called mudras to convey different messages)

Karma

when one's actions in their current life intersect, it is an endless circle and the only way to get out is to reach enlightenment/nirvana (this was how Buddha was able to escape); the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, and which determines one's destiny in the next life (in Buddhism and Hinduism)

Sutra

a type of document that is recited, sacred scriptures of Buddhism,

Four Encounters

influenced Siddhartha's view of life, that the pursuit of material wealth and pleasures are meaningless, because of witnessing these four encounters, decided to live the life of a monkmalu

Nirvana

liberation from samsara, indicates a positive state of freedom, unconditional love, and peace, among other things; the state achieved once one has attained full enlightenment and extinguished all ignorance and desire

Four Noble Truths

life is suffering, reason for this suffering is desire, freedom from suffering is the end of desire, there is a path to this freedom (foundational tenets of Buddhism), Buddha's basic teachings

Yaksha

male figures that symbolize fertility and abundance, guards of the natural world, male gate keepers of wealth, present in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions

Queen Maya

mother of Gautama Buddha, dreams of a six-tusked elephant that comes down from heaven to enter her womb through her right side (marks Buddha Shakyamuni's physical entrance into this world)

Krishna

one of Vishnu's principal avatars, a popular and prominent figure in Hindu belief

Dharma

one of the Three Jewels

Mahayana

one of the three branches of Buddhism, Buddhists may choose to stay in cycle of samsara, had help from others to achieve nirvana (vs Theravada), enlightenment of all beings than just of the individul

Buddha

"the Enlightened one" talk about Siddhartha

Aniconic

"without image" - refers to the absence of a direct graphic representation of a deity as in early Buddhist art

Avatara

10 different forms of Vishnu are called avatars - an incarnation or manifestation of a deity on the earth in bodily form

Maitreya

Buddha of the future who will help humans achieve enlightenment, represented with a full head of hair and decorated with rich clothes and jewelry

Relic

Buddha's ashes, a body part or object associated with a religious figure

Stupa

Buddhist architecture, a dome shaped structure containing sacred relics (ashes), funerary monument to the Buddha

Jataka

in Buddhism stories associated with the previous lives of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha

Torana

Indian gateway, marks entrance to a Buddhist shrine or stupa, two pillars carrying two/three transverse beams that go beyond the two pillars on each side, believed to bring good fortune, located at each of the cardinal locations, have carvings

Prana

Sanskrit term that means "life force" or "vital energy," refers to the energy that flows in and around our bodies (life-giving force)

Reliquary

a container for relics

Shiva

a deity of Hinduism, the creator of live and destroyer of all evil forces that threaten man and the gods, artwork has a third eye and long locks of hair, holding a trident and small drum

Kanishka

a great king of the Kushan Empire, greatly honored Buddhism by building Buddhist temples, helped spread Buddhism

Mithuna

an amorous male and female couple in Indian sculpture, usually found at the entrance to a sacred building, symbolizes harmony and fertility of life

Avalokiteshvara

bodhisattva, embodiment of compassion, vowed to defer enlightenment until all beings had attained it (Buddha iconography - long ears, downcast eyes, gentle smile)

Bodhisattva

in Buddhism, a person on the path towards becoming a buddha, also defined as a potential Buddha, beings who have held themselves back from Buddhahood to help bring all beings to enlightenment

Siddartha Gautama

depiction of the prince before he became a Buddha, renounced comfort to search for the solution to human suffering, attained enlightenment and became known as the Buddha, different from Shakyamuni depicting an enlightened being

Eight Fold Path

early formulation of the path to enlightenment, eight principles that suggest way to end suffering and achieve enlightenment

Ashoka

emperor that ruled the entire Indian continent, large promoter of Buddhism as he spread Buddha's teachings

Jahangir

emperor, son Shah Jahan commissioned Taj Mahal for his wife (also has his tomb)

Samsara

endless circle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth until release of the cycle is attained by one's own actions and beliefs (karma); goal of Buddhist practice is to become free from samsara, Hinduism is different (worship and personal connection to a deity can bring rewards and subsequent lives, will ultimately lead to release from samsara)

Yakshi

female counterparts for Yaksha, female gate keepers of wealth (found in pairs), guards of the natural world in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions

Vihara

for Buddhism, is the residence of religious practitioners, where monks sleep, meditate, eat (essentially live), monk sleeps on bed of carved rock

Terracotta

form of pottery, unglazed pottery

Mara

has Greek and Hellenistic influence, a demon that represents inner temptations that may obstruct the path to enlightenment

Buddhism

has three branches that are Theravada, Mahayana Buddhism, and Vajrayana, philosophy of Buddhism is Sunyata

Iconoclast

image breaking, a recurring historical impulse to break or destroy images for religious or political reasons

Ushnisha

rounded shape on top of Buddha's head, symbol of wisdom

Theravada

school of Buddhism where Buddhists strive to gain freedom from samsara, enlightenment should be achieved individually with no help from others (vs. Mahayana)

Nagaraja

serpent king of the nagas in Indian mythology

Shakyamuni

statue depicts moment of his enlightenment, born from his mother's hip, eye looking downward