Patricia Graham
| DATE: | Wednesday, September 10, 2008 |
|---|---|
| TIME: | 4:00 PM |
| PLACE: | IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor |
| FORMAT: | IEAS Book Series: New Perspectives on East Asia |
| SPONSORS: | Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Japanese Studies, Center for Buddhist Studies |
Introduced by Gregory Levine, History of Art, UC Berkeley.
This talk explores the reasons for the enduring popularity in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon of Buddhist "saints" -- monks known as Rakan (Luohan in Chinese; and Arhat in Sanskrit) and laity known as the Buddha's 10 Great Disciples (Shaka Judai deshi). Both groups were devout, unconventional personages who gained enlightenment after hearing the teachings of the Buddha in India. Their popularity as personal saviors continues to the present and has inspired the creation of numerous idiosyncratic images by artists working within and apart from formal Buddhist organizations. Their widespread appeal is emblematic of their transcendence beyond Buddhism to universal symbols of individualism and integrity.
Patricia J. Graham, a former professor of Japanese art and culture, and museum curator, is an independent scholar and Asian art consultant based in Lawrence, Kansas. This talk is drawn from her new book, Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art, 1600-2005 (University of Hawai'i Press, 2007).
