Overview

The first scholarly monograph on Buddhist maṇḍalas in China, this book examines the Maṇḍala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas. This iconographic template, in which a central Buddha is flanked by eight attendants, flourished during the Tibetan (786–848) and post-Tibetan Guiyijun (848–1036) periods at Dunhuang. A rare motif that appears in only four cave shrines at the Mogao and Yulin sites, the maṇḍala bore associations with political authority and received patronage from local rulers. Attending to the historical and cultural contexts surrounding this iconography, this book demonstrates that transcultural communication over the Silk Routes during this period, and the religious dialogue between the Chinese and Tibetan communities, were defining characteristics of the visual language of Buddhist maṇḍalas at Dunhuang.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michelle C. Wang
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   139
Weight:   0.610kg
ISBN:  

9789004357655

ISBN 10:   9004357653
Pages:   318
Publication Date:   18 January 2018
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Abbreviations and Conventions Introduction Recentering Buddhism at Dunhuang The Shingon Impact Mandalas in the Making Overview of Chapters 1 From Dharani to Mandala Dharani Pillars in Medieval China Mandalas and Altars Visualizing the Mandala 2 The Crowned Buddha and Narratives of Enlightenment The Cult of Vairocana in Early Tibet The Crowned Buddha Networks of Transmission Stylistic Bilingualism in Images of Vairocana The Eight Bodhisattvas 3 Mandalas and Historical Memory Mogao Cave 156 and the Victory of Zhang Yichao The Cult of Avalokitesvara at Dunhuang The Mandala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas in the Guiyijun Period Amoghavajra and the Vajradhatu Mandala Mandalas and Ritual Space 4 Mandalas, Repentance, and Vision The Vajra Realm in Ritual Manuals from Dunhuang The Five Buddhas and Repentance Altars 5 Beyond the Mandala Bodhisattvas and Repentance The Kalyanamitras as Embodied Experience The Vows of Samantabhadra The Ascent to the Dharma Realm Epilogue Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Michelle C. Wang, Ph.D. (Harvard, 2008), is Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Georgetown University. A specialist in medieval Chinese art, her publications have addressed Buddhist maṇḍalas, Dunhuang painting, and art of the Silk Road.

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