Profile of a Sacred Place: Shrine to Vairocana Buddha

Mary Caraway

Profile of a Sacred Place: Shrine to Vairocana Buddha

The Shrine to Vairocana Buddha is carved into the Longmen’s Grottoes in central China’s Henan province located south of the western cliffs. It is the largest among all the Grottoes of Longmen. The word Vairocana carries the meaning of illuminating all things in the sutra. Carved from a limestone hill in 676 AD during the Tang Dynasty, the Vairocana Buddha sits over 17 meters high and over six feet in length. Unlike the textbook that mentions the statue as being male, most articles regarding the shrine perceive the statue as a mature woman deserving respect. The Shrine to Vairocana Buddha was constructed entirely based on the Buddhist religion, and represents a large part of Chinese art during this timeframe.
The Vairocana Buddha is the central focus in the Fengxian Temple Grotto, however, she is flanked on either side with Bodhisattvas, warriors, and heaven lords which compliment the utter beauty of this massive statue. The face of the Vairocana Buddha is said to hold a resemblance to Wu Zetian, the Tang Dynasty empress who aided the completion of the construction with her own money. The Vairocana Buddha statue is often referred to as the Chinese Mona Lisa, Venus, or Mother of China. Her face is kind, and though the size of the statue itself is intimidating, her appearance embraces tourists and worshippers. Her gentle face and comely appeal often remind them of the only reigning female in the history of China, Wu Zetian, which puts them at ease.
Having the shrine constructed out in the open into the side of a mountain allows for anyone to be able to appreciate the serenity of the Vairocana Buddha. The natural surroundings of the shrine also provide a peaceful atmosphere in which to worship, or simply observe this magnificent piece of art. Over the years the statues of the Fengxian Temple Grotto have succumbed to the harsh elements of Mother Nature, but much of the shrine has been well cared for.
The majority of people who travel to the Longmen Grottoes, specifically the Fengxian Temple do so to worship Buddhism and Empress Wu Zetian. Many worship her for her leadership in 690 AD when she established the Zhou Dynasty, which resulted in a better gender equality during the Tang Dynasty. Nonetheless, these grottoes also portray the political, economical, and cultural lives in ancient China. For over 500 years, the Longmen Grottoes have been the destination sites of pilgrimages, which have been visited by foreign and domestic dignitaries who left tributes and donations to assist in the upkeep of the shrines. The Longmen Grottoes have been listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000 by UNESCO, which has also made contributions to keep this monumental work of Chinese art beautiful.

http://en.hnta.cn/Htmls/Scenic/Scenic_209.shtml
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/china/luoyang/longmen.php
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200406/15/eng20040615_146413.html

Ryan's Profile of a Sacred Space; the Acropolis and Parthenon

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Greece, describes the Acropolis as “The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, dominates the centre of the modern city from the rocky crag known as the Acropolis” A humble homage at the least, it is not only the greatest and finest of ancient Athens but arguably the greatest and most influential of the ancient World.

During the 8^th century B.C. the entire Acropolis became a sacred precinct, a forbidden city of sorts, under the control of the cult of Athena Polias. The temple of the cult was on the Northeast side of the hill, and during the mid 6^th century the Acropolis was established as the site of the cities greatest religious festival, the Panathinaia. Not long after its first monument was constructed the “Old temple”; and then the Hekatompedos the precursor to the Parthenon was erected, both in honor of Athena.

In 490 B.C. the Athenians defeated the Persians in the legendary battle of Marathon, and begun construction on the Pre-Parthenon a very large temple atop the Acropolis. This temple was unfinished when the Persians returned to Attica in 480 B.C. and was ultimately destroyed when the invaders set fire to the Acropolis.

Under the rule of Perikles, in the height of Greek power, during the Mid 5^th century B.C., the Acropolis was the seat of the Athenian League, and during this time is when the three main structures partly standing today, and the temple of Athena Nike were built. The Ministry of Culture of Greece describes its composition during this time elegantly; “the temples on the north side of the Acropolis housed primarily the earlier Athenian cults and those of the Olympian gods, while the southern part of the Acropolis was dedicated to the cult of Athena in her many qualities: as Polias (patron of the city), Parthenos, Pallas, Promachos (goddess of war), Ergane (goddess of manual labour) and Nike (Victory).”

The Acropolis and the Parthenon in particular, faced destruction and control from various nations in the centuries after the fall of the ancient Greek city states, and was also under control of the Catholic Church after the 6^th century A.D., when the temples were renamed after Christian history.

Greek classical architecture and its elements are undoubtedly the most influential characteristic of architectural development. The further examination of this site, The Acropolis, and its components, i.e. The Parthenon, presents almost all examples of the classical Greek architecture elements.

The Acropolis was originally a fortified sanctuary, but slowly over time it faced much adversity and transformation, especially after the Persian invasion, and Dark Ages, and the front view of the Acropolis, Picture 1, is most commonly misrepresented as the front of The Parthenon. But actually the Acropolis is the entire three hectares of flat rock, protruding high above, chosen to protect its structures and represent power and order. The Acropolis has three main structures remaining in ruins, one being the Parthenon, the Propylaea, and Erechtheion, all of which are fundamental components of classical architecture.

The Parthenon is compromised of closely spaced Doric columns and is a simple arrangement but is meant to symbolize power and hierarchy. It is believed to have been constructed between 447-436 B.C. See Picture 1.

The Erechtheion is an intricate temple built near the Old temple of Athena. The main structure consists of Ionic columns but a small porch which extends over the Old Athena site has 6 Caryatid columns (female figures draped in cloth), with 4 figures framing the primary elevation of the porch. See Picture 2.

The Propylaea forms the entrance to the Acropolis and has both Doric and Ionic columns, and the building is tripartite in scheme with a base, colonnade and top. The tripartite scheme is based on the human form of a bottom, mid, and top half, and is considered anthropomorphic, (expression of human attributes to non-human objects). See Picture 3.

To understand these three structures, most importantly the Parthenon and the Acropolis as a whole one must understand the structural components and ornament of Greek architecture. The building structure is comprised of the Greek Doric Order which consists of the base platform and steps, the colonnade, and the entablature with pediment. (The Tripartite scheme) The top step which forms the platform is the stylobate. The lintels (horizontal columns resting) which form a horizontal zone resting on their column capitals (tops) is the architrave. The next segment, the frieze, is a horizontal zone which usually contains ornamental figures or motifs. This is topped with the cornice which is the base of the pediment.