Buddhist stupa; Fo Guang Shan; Buddha Memorial Center; pagoda; relic
摘要
Due to the reappearance of the Buddha’s tooth relic, a new Buddhist stupa, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center, was erected in Taiwan. Questions about the reason, the way, the size, the form, the function and even the meaning of this new stupa have roused many discussions. Through the development of Buddhist stupas, we see multiple variations of Buddhist stupa have been created. In China, Buddhist stupas have developed a unique form of its own – the Chinese pagoda. As a lineage of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism, Venerable Master Hsing Yun not only follows the Chinese pagoda form and build the stupa but also highlights the modern Buddhist stupa with ancient Indian origin. The development of the forms of Buddhist stupa and what contemporary application can be used to a Buddhist stupa are the issues that this study would like to talk about. In this research, the origin and the meaning of the Buddhist stupa are discussed from the ancient Indian stupa origin to the Chinese Buddhist pagodas. Variations in forms and functions of Buddhist stupas and Chinese pagodas through times are briefly introduced. With the understanding of the development of Buddhist stupas, the way Fo Guang Shan built the Buddha Memorial Center can be examined and compared with former Buddhist stupas. Through some findings, the importance and uniqueness of a contemporary Buddhist stupa are presented in the discussions of the transformation and the contemporary application of the Buddha Memorial Center. The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center not only preserves and represents the essence of the Buddha’s teachings but also creates some new possibilities of architectural applications of a Buddhist stupa. From the study of the BMC, we find that a Buddhist stupa or a pagoda in modern society is no longer an isolated building with basic functions as a reliquary or a memorial as it later turned to be, the BMC has shown an example of how a stupa can be used for holding multiple Buddhist activities that meet the need of modern society with the help of modern facilities and techniques. With this new Buddhist stupa, publics are able to come to this Buddhist site and get to know more about the Buddha’s teachings through the embodiment of the Buddhist stupas and other Buddhist architectures.
目次
ABSTRACT I DEDICATION III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IV CONTENTS VI ABBREVIATIONS VIII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Motivation and Purpose 2 1.1.1. Motivation 2 1.1.2. Purpose 3 1.2. Methodology 4 1.3. Literature Review 5 1.4. Problem Statement 13 1.5. Difficulties and Limitations 14 CHAPTER 2: THE INDIAN ORIGIN OF BUDDHIST STUPAS 16 2.1. Stupas and Buddhist Stupas 16 2.1.1. The Indian Stupa Origin 17 2.1.2. The Indian Buddhist Stupa Origin 19 2.1.2.1. The First Buddhist Stupa 20 2.1.2.2. Stupas after the Buddha Entered Parinirvana 24 2.2. The Forms and Functions of the Indian Buddhist Stupas 27 2.2.1. The Original Forms 27 2.2.2. The Original Functions 30 2.2.2.1. The Purpose of a Stupa 30 2.2.2.2. The Activities Around a Stupa 32 2.3. The Variations of the Buddhist Stupas 33 2.3.1. The Spread of the Buddhist Stupa 33 2.3.2. Transformations 35 CHAPTER 3: THE CHINESE VARIATIONS OF BUDDHIST STUPAS 41 3.1. The Chinese Form of Buddhist Stupa 41 3.1.1. The Beginning of Chinese Pagodas 43 3.1.2. Variations of the Chinese Pagoda 47 3.2. The Change of Status 58 3.2.1. The Change of Positions 59 3.2.2. The Change of Functions 61 CHAPTER 4: THE MODERN INTERPRETATION OF THE BUDDIST STUPA – THE BUDDHA MEMORIAL CENTER 64 4.1. The Buddha’s Tooth Relic in the BMC 65 4.2. The Architectural Structures 66 4.2.1. The Main Hall and the Fo Guang Big Buddha 67 4.2.1.1. The Three Shrines 70 4.2.1.2. Museums and Underground Palaces 72 4.2.2. The Eight Pagodas 74 4.2.3. The Front Hall and Other Buildings 76 4.3. Functions of the BMC 80 4.3.1. To Propagate Buddhist Teachings through Cultural Activities 81 4.3.2. To Foster Talent through Education 83 4.3.3. To Benefit Society through Charitable Programs 85 4.3.4. To Purify Human Hearts and Minds through Buddhist Practice 87 4.4. A Contemporary Buddhist Stupa with Traditions 89 4.4.1. Modifications with Contemporary Applications 89 4.4.2. Following the Traditions 94 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 97 5.1. The Development of the Buddhist Stupa 97 5.2. A Model of the Contemporary Stupa 98 5.3. Recommendation for Future Research 100 BIBLIOGRAPHY 101 Primary Sources 101 Secondary Sources 102
