Chogen's Vision of Todaiji's Great Buddha as Both Mahāvairocana and Amitābha
The Japanese monk Chogen (1121-1206) is best known for leading a concerted temple solicitation campaign to finance the reconstruction of Todaiji in Nara after its destruction during the nationwide unrest known as the Genpei War. The temple was renowned for its statue of the Great Buddha. While the s...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2019
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
Year: 2019, Volume: 46, Issue: 2, Pages: 173-192 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Chōgen 1121-1206
/ Tōdaiji (Nara)
/ Reconstruction
/ Vairochana, Buddha
/ Statue
/ Amitābha
/ Geschichte 1206
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| IxTheo Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia |
| Further subjects: | B
Rebirth
B Buddhism B Deities B Monks B Religious Studies B Religious rituals B Statues B Mandalas B Temples |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The Japanese monk Chogen (1121-1206) is best known for leading a concerted temple solicitation campaign to finance the reconstruction of Todaiji in Nara after its destruction during the nationwide unrest known as the Genpei War. The temple was renowned for its statue of the Great Buddha. While the statue was originally understood to depict the Buddha Vairocana, Chogen promoted the Great Buddha as two distinct, yet congruent deities, Mahāvairocana and Amitābha. He communicated this message using mobile reliquaries of an esoteric design and statues of Amitābha installed at Pure Land halls at estates that facilitated the temple's reconstruction. Chogen's rationale was to leverage the estate laborers' understanding of the Pure Land as a postmortem paradise, while simultaneously connecting them to the products of their labors, the Great Buddha statue and Todaiji. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.46.2.2019.173-192 |