MORO Shigeki is a professor at Hanazono University, Kyoto, Japan. He specializes in Yogācāra Buddhism and Buddhist logic in Japan and East Asia.
關鍵詞
Buddhist Practice of Visualization; Practical Past; Historical Past; Un-representability of the Past; 3DCG Reconstruction
摘要
Now the distribution of cultural and religious information depends on the digital environment. Three-dimensional computer graphics (3DCG) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have been applied in the field of the Digital Humanities (DH), as well as in cultural preservation, cultural heritage education, regional revitalization, tourism promotion, and so forth. This paper examines the problems of 3DCG visualization of lost Buddhist temples, focusing on historical representation and religious meaning. A 3DCG reconstruction of lost cultural heritage by an academic expert depends on their historical interpretation and imagination. Non-experts may feel that the scholarly reconstruction does not match their image. The reconstruction by the academic expert and what is desired by non-academic users, as well as academic Buddhist studies and the practical and religious studies of each Buddhist sect (shūgaku), respectively correspond to the historical past and practical past introduced by Hayden White. The former should be open to future revisions and criticisms based on different interpretations of the past, while it could encourage people to stay away from an arbitrary understanding of the past, such as historical revisionism. The digital environment has altered the relationship between people and religion. There are many religious practices, including Buddhist meditation, in VR environment. In the context of Mahāyāna Buddhism, visualization is a meditation practice and a way of communicating with the holy things, the dead, and the past. 3DCG visualization of lost Buddhist temples could be regarded as such kind of Buddhist practice, and it might contribute to supporting the activities of some Buddhists in the digital age.
目次
Abstract Introduction 89 Methodological Problems of 3DCG Reconstruction 94 Religious Aspects of 3DCG Visualization 101 Conclusion 103 References 108
