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Encyclopedia of Religion, Second Edition, Volume 12: Rnying Ma Pa School - Soul

Many religious traditions cherish images surrounded by narratives that tell of the image’s origins and its long history as an object of devotion in court and ecclesia. Often these images are acheiropoetic, that is, not made by human hands. Their origins are divine. Fashioned by angels or deities, these images descend from heaven and are found by the faithful. They are enshrined and typically prove their peculiar merit by moving, speaking, bleeding, weeping, or
performing miracles. In Thai Buddhism, for instance, the Sinhala Buddha floated on a plank when the ship carrying it from Sri Lanka to Thailand was wrecked in a gale. Copies were made of the image and envious
rulers were inspired to acquire the original. The statue boasts a long history of migration through theft and conquest. There are different stories about its origin. One says that the image was created by twenty arhats (enlightened followers of the Buddha) in order to show the king of Sri Lanka what the Buddha looked like. The likeness proved so authentic that the king spent a week paying homage to the figure and then asked that a replica be made. The resulting sculpture miraculously took on the visual qualities of the Buddha and commanded veneration. Another version states that a dragon turned himself into an apparition of the Buddha to serve as a model for fashioning an authentic likeness. In both accounts the image’s production involved a supernatural intervention that served to authorize it and ensure its power to convert the unbelieving. Not surprisingly, these narratives are closely associated with the political identities and ambitions of monasteries, courts, and kings, as well as the spread of Buddhism in new lands or its renewal in Buddhist regions.

Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

-

No. Panggil

Online

Penerbit

Michigan, USA : Macmillan Reference USA., 2005

Deskripsi Fisik

704 p. : 29 cm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

0-02-865981-3

Klasifikasi

NONE

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

electronic

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

Second Edition

Subjek

Religion
Encyclopedias
Religion Encyclopedias

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Jones, Lindsay

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