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The Art of Buddhist Manuscript Illumination
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12899 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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5 / 1987 |
2,408 Words |
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Julia Meech-Pekarik
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The impressive scope and diversity of Buddhist manuscript illumination from India to Japan has remained virtually unknown in this country until very recently. Last month the first major exhibition in the world devoted exclusively to illuminated Buddhist manuscripts opened at the Asia Society in New York.
Although there is no single Buddhist book equivalent to the Bible in Christianity or the Koran in Islam, Buddhist scriptures make it clear that one of the most meritorious acts a Buddhist can perform is either commissioning or copying religious texts. Originally, these illuminated manuscripts were intended simply to aid in spreading the religion from India to the Far East. But, in time, they became sacred objects of veneration. Richly embellished with paintings and encased in highly ornamental protective covers, they were stored in exquisitely crafted lacquered and gilt cabinets.
Buddhist book illumination was at its peak from the seventh through the twelfth century A.D. The tradition of illumination, however, continues today in countries such as Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Japan, where the majority of the population is Buddhist.
Origins
The sacred texts were not put into writing until the first century B.C., over 400 years after the death of the Buddha, because Indian historical tradition was based on memorization and oral transmission. The scriptures consist of the sermons of the Buddha, numerous monastic rules and regulations, and doctrinal commentaries. After passing from India to most of the countries east of Iran, the texts were frequently translated from the original Pali or Sanskrit into local languages. Monasteries in Central Asia, China, and Tibet became veritable factories for translating books from the Indian languages.
In the early fifth century, for example, the scholar Kumarajiva (348-417), a native of Turkestan, established translation bureau of one thousand monks in China. Though he endeavored to remain faithful to the original texts, he is supposed to have said that reading scriptures in translation is like eating rice that someone else has chewed. In any event, not only did the Chinese Buddhists assiduously translate the Indian texts, but many of the latter are known today only through these Chinese translations. Korean and Japanese scholars regarded the Chinese Buddhist texts, which grew to include 1,662 separate scriptures, as canonical and read them in Chinese.
The physical appearance of an illuminated manuscript from Indian or Nepal differs surprisingly from its counterparts in China and Japan. In India and those countries touched by her cultural influence, the traditional manuscript consisted of separate folios trimmed to a narrow, horizontal shape sometimes measuring no more than two by eleven inches. The illuminations are accordingly miniature in scale, posing a challenge to the skill and ingenuity of the painters.
The individual folios were usually made from the soft and flexible leaves of the talipot palm that had been separated from the central rib, treated, and trimmed to the required proportions. A binding cord was threaded through holes in each folio and around a pair of wooden protective covers that held the folios firmly together and prevented warping. Although there are early
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