• Title/Summary/Keyword: Sanskrit

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A Study on the Character and Historical Significance of Sanskrit Roof Tiles in the Hoeamsa Temple of Yangju City (양주 회암사지 출토 범자 진언명(眞言銘) 기와의 특징과 의의)

  • Eom, Gi-Pyo
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.50 no.2
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    • pp.4-25
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    • 2017
  • The Hoeamsa Temple of Yangju City was established at least during the late Korea Dynasty. This temple was rebuilt several times with the support of the royal family from the late Korea Dynasty to the early Joseon Dynasty. It was continually rebuilt in association with JiGong monk, HyeKeun monk, and MuHak monk. Hoeamsa temple was leading the Buddhist culture as a Buddhist center of the Joseon Dynasty . It was destroyed in the late Joseon Period. This site has been excavated several times since 1997. Various roofing tiles were unearthed. Of these tiles the edge of eaves are the artifacts showing the best features of this era. In this temple site has been excavated a variety of Sanskrit roof tiles. These tiles were made using superior technique. On the roof tiles are engraved Sanskrit mantras with a variety of 1 to 9 words. The jeongbeopkkye mantra(oṃ raṃ) and six-word mantra(oṃ ma ṇi pa dme hūṃ) were discovered the most. These mantras were believe to expel several evils from the Buddhist temple. It must have been that the six-word mantra culture became prevalent and provided a turning point in the history of Korean Buddhism. We can clearly know when some of the Sanskrit roof tiles were first manufactured. These roof tiles are the absolute standard of the other Sanskrit roof tiles excavated from different Buddhist temples. The master craftsmen must have been very skilled, understood the mantra very well, and had deep faith in the Sanskrit mantra. Hoeamsa Temple is a milestone in studying the Sanskrit roof tiles. More studies on various aspects are expected to be followed.

Investigation of Etymology of a Word 'Chal(刹)' from Temple and Verification of Fallacy, Circulated in the Buddhist Community (사찰 '찰(刹)'의 어원 규명과 불교계 통용 오류 검증)

  • Lee, Hee-Bong
    • Journal of architectural history
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.47-60
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    • 2023
  • Due to a mistranslation of Sanskrit to Chinese, East Asian Buddhist community misunderstands the original meaning of the fundamental word, 'sachal(寺刹)'. Sanskrit chattra, a parasol on top of a venerated Indian stupa buried with Buddha's sarira, became the symbol of majesty. The Indian stupa was transformed into a pagoda in China, and the highlighted parasol on the summit was transliterated into chaldara(刹多羅), an abbreviation for chal (刹), and finally designated the whole pagoda(塔). Sachal consists with lying low monastery and high-rise pagoda. Tapsa(塔寺), an archaic word of temple, is exactly the same as sachal, because chal means tap, pagoda. However, during the 7th century a Buddhist monk erroneously double-transliterated the Sanskrit 'kshetra,' meaning of land, into the same word as chal, even despite phonetic disaccord. Thereafter, sutra translators followed and copied the error for long centuries. It was the Japanese pioneer scholars that worsen the situation 100 years ago, to publish Sanskrit dictionaries with the errors insisting on phonetic transliteration, though pronunciation of 'kshe-' which is quite different from 'cha-.' Thereafter, upcoming scholars followed their fallacy without any verification. Fallacy of chal, meaning of land, dominates Buddhist community broadly, falling into conviction of collective fixed dogma in East Asia up to now. In the Buddhist community, it is the most important matter to recognize that the same language has become to refer completely different objects due to translation errors. As a research method, searching for corresponding Sanskrit words in translated sutras and dictionaries of Buddhism is predominant. Then, after analyzing the authenticity, the fallacy toward the truth will be corrected.

Interpretation and Meaning of Celadon Inlaid with Sanskrit Mantras in the late Goryeo Dynasty (고려 후기 범자 진언명 상감청자의 해석과 의미)

  • Lee Jun-kwang
    • MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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    • v.104
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    • pp.70-100
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    • 2023
  • The celadon made in the Goryeo era, a time when Buddhism was flourishing in Korea, naturally contains many elements of Buddhist culture. Among them, inlaid celadon with Sanskrit inscriptions bears a close relationship with esoteric Buddhism. However, the research on deciphering the Sanskrit inscriptions has made little progress due to the small number of extant examples. However, the four recent excavations at the No. 23 kiln site in Sadang-ri, Gangjin have yielded new materials that allow the existing materials to be categorized into several types. The results obtained through the reading and interpretation of the inscriptions are as follows: First, the Sanskrit characters inlaid on the celadon were parts of mantras. Inscriptions where only one character is apparent cannot be deciphered, but scholars have revealed that others are written in the manner of a wheel mantra represent the "Mantra for Purifying the Dharma-Realm," "Six-Syllable Mantra of the Vidyaraja," "Sweet Dew Mantra," "Jewel Pavilion Mantra," "Mantra of the Savior Bodhisattva," "Dharani of the Mind of the Budha of Infinite Life," and "Mantra for Extinguishing Evil Rebirth." Each mantra was written in Siddham script. Second, they are believed to have been produced during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries based on the arrangement of the inscriptions and the way the "Sweet Dew Mantra" is included in the "40 Hands Mantra." In particular, the celadon pieces with a mantra inlaid in a concentric manner are dated to the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries based on their production characteristics. Third, the interpretation of the inlaid mantras suggests that they all refer to the "Shattering Hell" and "Rebirth in the Pure Land." Based on this, it can be concluded that some of these inlaid celadon wares with mantras may have been used in Buddhist rituals for the dead, such as the ritual for feeding hungry ghosts (施餓鬼會). Also, because the Sadang-ri No. 23 kiln site and the "ga" area of the site are believed to have produced royal celadon, it is likely that these rituals were performed at the royal court or a temple under its influence. Fourth, this inlaid Goryeo celadon with Sanskrit mantras was not a direct influence of the ceramics of Yuan China. It emerged by adopting Yuan Chinese Buddhist culture, which was influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, into Goryeo Korea's existing esoteric practices. Fifth, the celadon wares inlaid with a Sanskrit mantra reveal a facet of the personal esoteric rituals that prevailed in late Goryeo society. Changes in esotericism triggered by the desire for relief from anxieties can be exemplified in epitaph tablets and coffins that express a shared desire for escaping hell and being born again in paradise. Sixth, the inlaid celadon with Sanskrit mantras shares some common features with other crafts. The similarities include the use of Siddham Sanskrit, the focus on Six-Syllable Mantra of the Vidyaraja, the correspondence with the contents of the mantras found on Buddhist bells, wooden coffins, and memorial tablets, and their arraignment in a similar manner with rooftiles. The major difference between them is that the Mantra for Extinguishing Evil Rebirth and the Sweet Dew Manta have not yet been found on other craftworks. I believe that the inscriptions of Sanskrit mantras are found mainly on inlaid celadon vessels due to their relatively low production cost and efficiency.

Sanskrit Inscriptions in Northeastern Indian Scripts in Premodern Java and the Maritime Asian Networks of Mahāyāna Buddhist Tantra

  • Andrea ACRI
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.91-138
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    • 2024
  • This survey explores artifacts like steles, metal or stone statues, metal foils, and coins, bearing inscriptions in the Sanskrit language and Siddhamātṛkā (or "Siddham"), Nāgarī, and Proto-Bengali/Gauḍī scripts produced in Java between the 8th and 13th century CE, contextualizing them against the background of the pan-Asian networks of Tantric Buddhism or Mahāyāna Buddhist Tantra and especially its circulation along the maritime "Silk Routes." Discussing the interrelationship between languages, scripts, religions, and politics in Java and relevant regions of the wider Buddhist world, it tries to answer questions concerning foreign or local agency and audience as well as transregional connectivity. In particular, it argues that the quick spread of varieties of Mahāyāna/Mantrayāna Buddhism from the Subcontinent to Java and East Asia during a "first wave" from the 8th to the 9th century appears to have occurred in parallel with the diffusion of Siddhamātṛkā script in those locales, whereas a "second wave" of Tantric Buddhism linking the Indo-Tibetan and East Asian Buddhist world is associated with Nāgarī and Proto-Bengali/Gauḍī script in East Java.

Upavasa (fasting) for health & longevity: an overview

  • Gangele, Pragya;Paliwal, Murlidhar
    • CELLMED
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.10.1-10.5
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    • 2020
  • Ayurveda is the science of life. It guides about the protection of health of the healthy and alleviation of ailments of diseased person. In Ayurveda Upavasa (fasting) is one among all Daivavyapashraya (spiritual) therapies and one among ten Langhana (that which produces lightness of the body) therapies. It is also stated in Ayurveda that fasting increases digestive fire and causes digestion of Ama-dosha (metabolic toxins). On religious grounds, Upavasa is a way to get closer to the almighty. Scientists have found fasting activates autophagy. Yoshinori Ohsumi, a Japanese cell biologist won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his research on how cell recycle and renew their content, a process called autophagy. Many published studies indicate positive effects of fasting on neuroprotection and longevity.

The Characteristics of Mathematics in Ancient India (고대 인도수학의 특징)

  • Kim, Jong-Myung
    • Journal for History of Mathematics
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.41-52
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    • 2010
  • Ancient Indian mathematical works, all composed in Sanskrit, usually consisted of a section of sturas in which a set of rules or problems were stated with great economy in verse in order to aid memorization by a student. And rules or problems of the mathematics were transmitted both orally and in manuscript form.Indian mathematicians made early contributions to the study of the decimal number system, arithmetic, equations, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. And many Indian mathematicians were appearing one after another in Ancient. This paper is a comparative study of mathematics developments in ancient India and the other ancient civilizations. We have found that the Indian mathematics is quantitative, computational and algorithmic by the principles, but the ancient Greece is axiomatic and deductive mathematics in character. Ancient India and the other ancient civilizations mathematics should be unified to give impetus to further development of mathematics education in future times.

Educational Aesthetic Characteristics of Chinese Kangba Tibetan Opera Performing Arts (중국 캉바 가극 공연예술의 교육 심미적 특징)

  • Wang, Shuai
    • Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.211-219
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    • 2021
  • Chinese Tibetan Opera is a highly comprehensive drama type, which combines the educational aesthetic characteristics of the realism of Western drama and the freehand of Chinese opera, including mask play, square play, ritual play and religious play. Tibetan opera, as a kind of local drama, has high research value, which is determined by its educational aesthetic characteristics. The world's three major dramas include Sanskrit dramas in India, tragic-comedies in ancient Greece and Chinese dramas, which have different forms of expression and educational aesthetic characteristics. Because of the particularity of its birthplace, Tibetan Opera inherits some of the three forms of the above three dramas. Ancient Greek tragedies originate from the sacrificial ritual of the god of wine. In the early ceremonial action performances, the actors were all men and needed to wear masks to perform. In Tibetan opera, men also play a role in masks, which are originated from the folk totem dance and religious pantomime music and dance. Due to the long history of Indian Sanskrit drama, except for the relevant records in dance theory, the specific performance form can not be verified. However, according to the relevant records in dance theory, the three characters "Wenba", "Jialu" and "Lamu" in the opening play of Tibetan opera are similar to the "concept character play" in Sanskrit opera. Tibetan Opera is a very important part of traditional Chinese opera, which inherits the educational aesthetic characteristics of Chinese opera.

A Comparative Study on the Manchu Costume Terminologies (만주복식어휘의 비교 연구)

  • 김진구
    • The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.307-316
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    • 1994
  • This study is concerned with a comparative linguistic analysis of the Manchu costume terminologies. The Manchu costume terminologies revealed the elements Hebrew, Norweygian, English, Assyrian, Chinese, American Indian, Sanskrit, Tatar, Turkestan, Greek, Arabic, Indian, Kashmiri. The most influential elements of the Manchu costume terminologies were the Chinese costume terminologies. specifically, the elements of the Chinese costume terms were found in the terminologies of the fabrics, the gems and the precious stones. Also the influence of the Mongolic costume on the Manchu costume terminologies appeared in this study.

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Syllable Contact and Correspondence in Correspondence Theory

  • Shin, Seung-Hoon
    • Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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    • 1996.10a
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    • pp.176-181
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    • 1996
  • This paper investigates patterns of manner assimilation in Toba Batak, Sanskrit, Ponapean and Korean. Based on cross-linguistic patterns of manner assimilation, I develop the constraint, Syllable Contact (SyllCon), as a type of a markedness constraint in Correspondence Theory. With the establishment of high-ranking SyllCon, I argue that several patterns of manner assimilation result from the interaction of high-ranking SyllCon and correspondence constraints such as Ident[sonorant].

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A Study on the Da-bo Stupa as a Residential Space of Buddha and Change in Paintings of Duhaung Mogao Caves (돈황 막고굴 벽화내 다보탑의 주처(住處)공간적 의미와 그 변화 연구)

  • Cho, Jeong-Sik;Kim, Bue-Dyel;Cho, Jae-Hyeon;Kim, Bo-Ram
    • Journal of architectural history
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    • v.22 no.6
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    • pp.35-46
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    • 2013
  • This study aims to examine the early use of Da-bo tap and their transformation by analyzing the various meanings of the term pagoda in Chinese translations, the Sanskrit version of the Lotus Sutra, as well as Dabotap in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang. In addition, we aim to highlight changes in Dabotap usage, which started out as residential spaces, but transformed into burial spaces over time. The details can be summarized as follows. First, early Buddhist monuments were usually either pagodas serving as burial places for the dead or shrines that were not. A Dabotap is a type of pagoda enshrining the body of Prabhutaratna, and was initially used as a residential space, rather than a burial place for the dead. Second, the terms stupa and caitya are clearly distinguished from each other in the Sanskrit scriptures, and stupa is also further classified into dhatu, sarisa, and atmabhava based on the object being enshrined. In Gyeon-bo-tab-pum, the preconditions for caitya to transform into stupa is presented by explaining that worshipping the space enshrining the body of Prabhutaratna is worthy of the same status as the space enshrining sarira. Third, the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang had been depicted from the Western Wei of the Northern Dynasties until the time of the Yuan Dynasty. It was used as a residential space until the early Sui Dynasty, but was used as both residence and burial places until the Tang Dynasty when pagodas were first being constructed with wheel or circles forms on top, which then gradually changed into stupa (grave towers).