Secular Dimensions of the Aśoka Stūpa from the Changgan Monastery of the Song Dynasty
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3466773 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yue Dai (0000-0001-6734-907X, Washington University in St. Louis, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 909 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel12110909 |
| OpenAlex | W3206617123 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
In 2008, in the course of excavating the site of the pagoda foundations of the former Nanjing Da Bao'en Monastery 南京大報恩寺, archaeologists discovered Buddhist relics enshrined in nested reliquaries along with some two hundred offering objects. The most impressive finding was a specially designed, richly decorated reliquary stūpa, known as the Seven-Jeweled Aśoka Stūpa 七寶阿育王塔, created in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). This paper begins with the history of the site where a series of famous Buddhist structures had been built since the Wu Kingdom (222-280 CE), and which has long been associated with the cult of King Aśoka and relic worship. It then goes on to examine the form and features of the reliquary stūpas prevalent in the Wuyue period (907-978). Through comparisons between the Aśoka stūpas commissioned by Wuyue King Qian Chu 錢俶 (929-988) and those by laypeople around the same time, I will demonstrate that the Seven-Jeweled Aśoka Stūpa is distinct in its secular features. It is not a Buddhist reliquary that strictly conforms to the conventions of reliquary-making in terms of scale, inscription, and functionality; besides relic worship, it also features a remarkable manifestation of laypeople's beliefs and expectations, sacred or secular. Viewed in its historical context, in which the Song emperors imposed political control over religious affairs and Buddhism became increasingly secular, the stūpa was a product of negotiation between the political authorities and local Buddhist communities in the Song Dynasty
Ancient history · Archaeology · Buddhism · Cult · Political science · Politics · Theology · Worship · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Law · Philosophy · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
"At the Shores of the Sky"
Early Buddhist Art of China and Central Asia, Volume 3
Japanese Evidence for the History of the Architecture and Iconography of Chinese Buddhism
Life along the Silk Road
Manuscript Culture as Ritual Culture in Late Medieval Dunhuang
Personal Fate and the Planets
Silk, Slaves, and Stupas
| Highly cited | No |
|---|