define the influence and character of the tibetan cultural aesthetics in the tangut empire

8/13/2019 Define the influence and character of the Tibetan cultural aesthetics in the Tangut Empire

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Carmen Cochior Plescanu

SOAS Ref. No. 221618

Course Code: 1559012!

Course name: Cul"ural #is"or$ of

%i&e"

Con'enor: Na"han #ill

(acul"$ of Ar"s and #umani"ies

)e*ar"men" of "he S"ud$ of

Reli+ions

Define the influence and character of the Tibetan cultural

aesthetics in the Tangut Empire

Ssu , ma of -in "he au"hor of "he Shih,chi , "he firs" of "he d$nas"ic

his"ories of China around 100 /C, as "he firs" "o em*lo$ "he "erm

%an+u" "o denomina"e "he Pro"o,/urmese 3in+dom of 4ansu. rea"

in"er*re"a"ions ere +i'en "o "he u"ilia"ion of "he %an+u" as used &$

7arco Polo in "he "hir"een cen"ur$ accordin+ "o "he Books of the Marvels

of the World. he"her descendin+ from "he %ur3ish horde as "he

"ermina"ion utmi+h" su++es" from "he nomadic *eo*le of Nor"h 4orea as

7eille" and Cohen ould im*l$ as h$*o"hesis i" is $e" no" clearl$ decided

amon+ scholars. n con"ras" i"h "he Risin+ Sun of China Ssu-ma Chien

has named 4ansu "he rea" 7oon (amil$ Ta Yueh Shihhich in Old

Chinese as *ronounced Da-Ngwat%an+u";. 1

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1. Classical ci'ilia"ions of Sou"h


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e*i"he"s cons"an"l$ a""ri&u"ed "o "he %i&e"ans are used no" onl$ in odes

and *oe"r$ &u" in o"her %an+u" indi+enous "eB"s as ell.

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2. %he rea" S"a"e of hi"e and #i+h Ru"h )unnell >ni'ersi"$ of #aaii Press1996 *.

. &id 2@.


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as "he s"a"e fai"h and "heir cul"ure as dee*l$ em&edded i"h "he

/uddhis" elemen"s and s$m&ols *ar"icularl$ i"h "hose hich ma$ &e

called %i&e"an s"$led. 9 %he ar"efac"s found in "he )unhuan+ and -ulin

ca'es of "he "elf"h cen"ur$ *ermi" us "o a**recia"e "he aes"he"ics and/uddhis" influence im*or"ed "o iBia from %i&e". 12

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8. IJKLM QMJL IKTMLU %he /lac3,headed and "he Red,faced in %an+u"n+idenuous %eB"s h""*:VV.sB,$s.com

9. &id @ *.1610. &id 911. %he S*read of /uddhism


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of influence alon+ "he Sil3 Rou"e res*ec"i'el$ )unhuan+ and much of "he

former "erri"or$ of "he Pur+$el d$nas"$. %he *oli"ical and +eo+ra*hical

si"ua"ion "ha" +a'e %i&e"ans direc" access "o iBia i"h hom "he$ shared

close e"hic and cul"ural "ies facili"a"ed "he dissemina"ion of "heir*ar"icular /uddhis" ar"is"ic elemen"s. (acin+ "he his"orical chan+es "he

%i&e"ans hile a&sor&in+ "he forei+n influences also succeeded "o lea'e

"heir on cul"ural im*rin". %he %i&e"an *rela"es and "heir re"inue of ar"is"s

ere assiduousl$ su**or"ed and in'i"ed "o iBia *ar"icularl$ durin+ "he

rei+n of ia Renon+ 119,119; for "heir "eachin+s &u" also for "he

aes"he"ic idioms em*lo$ed in "heir archi"ec"ure icono+ra*h$ and

*ain"in+s.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1. &id @ *. 1@. &id @ *. 1615. &id 1@

%he iBia monas"eries folloed icono+ra*hic and li"ur+ical *a""erns

*re'alen" in "he %i&e"an cul"ure such as re*resen"a"ions of s"u*as %he

(i'e %ranscenden"al /uddhas or medi"a"ional and *ro"ec"i'e dei"ies such

as Samvara and )'ala. %he &rillian" colours hi+hl$ decora"i'e and

me"iculousl$ refined Euali"ies of "he %an+u" ar" ere eBecu"ed accordin+

"o "he *rinci*les and "as"e of "he %i&e"an *a"rons. 16

%he mos" im*or"an" findin+s of "he "o eB*edi"ions led &$ Colonel 4olo'

durin+ 1908,1909 "o "he ruins of 4hara3ho"o as a +rea" s"u*a ori+inall$

&uil" in honour of a incarna"e "eacher1!

hich held hidden a 'arie"$ of&oo3s and manuscri*"s a lar+e num&er of *rin"in+s on clo"h sil3 *a*er

s"a"ues in me"al and ood minia"ure s"u*as and o"her ar"efac"s hich are

curren"l$ 3e*" a" S". Pe"ers&ur+s *eritage Museum. %he a&undan"

remains of /uddhis" manuscri*"s ere ri""en in &o"h %an+u" and %i&e"an

scri*" hile o"her *a*ers re'eal "o &e ri""en Chinese >i+ur and %an+u".

%he indica"ion "ha" "he %i&e"an scri*" as em*lo$ed in reli+ious li"era"ure

and official ri"in+s reflec"s "ha" "he %i&e"ans &ecame *ar" of "he %an+u"

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iden"i"$ *ar"icularl$ af"er "he 12"h cen"ur$ hen "he %i&e"an /uddhis"

influence eB*anded in iBia.

No"icea&l$ "he #alaho" manuscri*"s *reser'ed in Russia con"ain much

charac"eris"ic of "he ancien" %i&e"an scri*" em*lo$ed in "he %an+u"


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dia+rams Xodiac animal s$m&olism mo"ifs hich are ood&loc3, *rin"ed

in "he er+e Scri*"ure Prin"er$ un"il noada$s. 20

Accordin+ "o "he iBia fra+men"s of illus"ra"ions of /uddhis" "eB"s found in

4hara3ho"o *u&lished in "he nnermos" Asia 21 one could remar3 "he

%i&e"an s"$lis"ic *h$sio+nom$ fea"ures of "he "an"ric ima+es of "he

&odhisa""'as mon3s and /uddhas. 22 %he oodcu"s in %i&e"an s"$le

*u&lished in "he lar+e collec"ion of iBia "eB"s "he %an+u" %ri*i"a3a 2

&elon+ "o &o"h "he .i/ia kan and Yuan kan. %he earlier %i&e"an ar"is"ic

illus"ra"ions consis" of fi+ures of &odhisa""'as /uddhas and mon3s i"h

slim *ro*or"ions of "he &od$ "rian+ular sha*es on "he arm &ands and

cron round earrin+s and &ear a su&"le "ransforma"ion of "he fi+ure

fea"ures from "he ndian "$*e "o "he %i&e"an one.

%he un*u&lished 4hara3ho"o oodcu"s 3e*" a" "he ns"i"u"e of Orien"al

S"udies in S". Pe"ers&ur+ a**ear "o &e s"$lis"icall$ lin3ed i"h "he.i/ia

kan*eriod and i" is im*or"an" "o no"e "ha" "he arran+emen" of "he fi+ures

and "he s"$le recall of "he ele+ance of "he Pala d$nas"$ of nor"hern ndia

hich could indica"e fur"her "he close associa"ion &e"een %i&e" and iBia

and "he *resence of a *ar"icular %i&e"an monas"ic school on %an+u"

+round. 2@

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,19. &id 18 *.20. &id 1921. &id @ *.522. &id 212. &id 212@. &id @ *.6

%he -uan en+ra'in+s illus"ra"ed in "he Tangut Tri&itaka sho an eclec"ic

aes"he"ic a**roach a min+lin+ of )aois" Chinese ornamen"al secondar$

elemen"s i"h "he %i&e"an elemen"s hich remain cen"ral: in "he

illus"ra"ion of "he Maha&ra$na&aramita sutra "he /uddha his mandorla

and "hrone are *urel$ %i&e"an hile "he floer *a""erns on "he ro&es and

"he mandorla and fur"hermore "he hos" of lis"eners "o "he /uddhas

"eachin+s are *urel$ Chinese. %he -uan *rin"s as 7aB ?oehr 25remar3s

sho a s"ron+ %i&e"an influence and re*or"s "he findin+s of O+aa

!


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4anichi ho s"a"es in his or3 Dai0ok"o Seiritsu to hensen "ha" some of

"he *rin"s ere ac"uall$ cu" from &loc3s of "he .i/ia0ang W a com*le"e

edi"ion of /uddhis" "eB" in iBia scri*" com*le"ed in 102, and ha'e &een

la"er recons"ruc"ed and added ne aes"he"ic elemen"s. #e fur"her refers"o uanhu&a Ti! %a-1g"ur-&a; of iBian ori+in &u" i"h %i&e"an

educa"ion an ar"is" in char+e i"h "he *rin"in+ and la"er com*le"ion of

.i/ia0angi"h %i&e"an eso"eric elemen"s.

%here is an as"onishin+ 'arie"$ of ar"is"ic Euali"$ desi+n of s*iri"ual &ein+s

or im*or"an" "eachers hich held "he %i&e"an clo"hin+ and *h$sio+nom$

fea"ures amon+ "he iBia en+ra'in+s he"her "rian+ular in sha*e hen

a&s"rac"ed and s"$lied in Pala re*resen"a"ions round sha*ed for "he

female di'ini"ies or sEuare for "he male &odhisa""'as and /uddhas

re*resen"a"ions. )e"ails of "he Geeller$ nec3laces and o"her ornamen"s

han+in+ o'er "he forehead of a s"one fi+ure of %ara shos clearl$ lamais"

s"$le. 26

%he %i&e"an ar"is"ic 'oca&ular$ infused and re*resen"ed a direc" source of

ins*ira"ion for "he iBian cul"ure. Al"hou+h "he %i&e"an ar"is"ic s"$le is

*resumed "o &e eB"remel$ conser'a"i'e and resumed "o "he imi"a"ion of a

s"ric" s"$lis"ic model "he %an+u" ar"efac"s of %i&e"an ori+in re'eal "ha"

%i&e"ans &e+un "o &e *ermea"ed &$ ne aes"he"ics es*eciall$ in *ain"in+.

%he ar"is"ic in"erchan+e &e"een "he iBia 4in+dom and "heir %i&e"an

com*a"rio"s resul"ed e'iden"l$ in F*roduc"s of "he "echnical in+enui"$ and

"he unerrin+ aes"he"ic ins"inc"s and rich ima+ina"ions of "he mos"l$

un3non ar"is"sH. 2!

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25. &id @ * 26. &id @ *. 2!2!. #imala$as An Aes"he"ic Ad'en"ure Prara*adi"$a Pal i"h con"ri&u"ions &$ Am$

#eller Os3ar 'on #inu&er and au"ama =. =aGrachar$a %he Ar" ns"i"u"e of Chica+o inassocia"ion i"h "he >ni'ersi"$ of California Press and 7a*in Pu&lishin+ 200@ *.166

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define the influence and character of the tibetan cultural aesthetics in the tangut empire

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