The Future Buddha Maitreya: An Iconological StudyD.K. Printworld, 1997 - 385 pages Maitreya is not just one of the myriad divinities of the Buddhist pantheon; he is revered by the devout as the Buddha of the fifth world cycle, the Ultimate Buddha, the Much-Awaited Deliverer, who (like Kalki a would-be incarnation of Vishnu in Hinduism) will descend on the earth, in human form, sometime in the distant future and lead people to both enlightenment and the final nirvana. The cult of Maitreya, however, goes as far back as to the second century BC, and even beyond, when perhaps, his images, in varying anthropomorphic forms, came to be chiselled alongside the earliest sculptural representations of the Buddha and Boddhisattvas. Here is the first iconological study to exclusively focus on the Maitreya phenomenon in almost the whole range of Buddhist sculptural art. Exploring the historical evolution of the Maitreya cult, the book admirably highlights the different phases of Maitreya iconography with an in-depth analysis of the images from various regions of the Indian subcontinent Gandhara, Kashmir, Mathura, Sarnath, Nalanda, Orissa, Western Deccan and South India. Dr. Inchang Kim has skilfully combined his extensive fieldwork with diverse literary sources to contextually explore some of the problematic issues to their last thread like, for instance, the genesis of Maitreya cult, its nature in the pre-Christian era, and its role in Hinayana, Mahayana and Yogacara Buddhism. Also spelling out the symbolism of Maitreya iconography, the study specially underscores the iconographic attributes that help not only identify Maitreya, but also distinguish the Buddha of the Future from other Bodhisattvas. Together with a generous supplement of visual material comprising over 240 photographic reproductions with an extensive bibliography and index, the book is invaluable to art historians, connoisseurs/specialists of Buddhist sculptural art and scholars of Buddhist studies. AUTHOR DETAILS: Born in Korea, Dr. Inchang Kim received a Master's Degree in 1987 and a PhD in 1995 from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University of Baroda. During his long stay in India, he actively participated in various seminars on ancient Indian art and archaeology and travelled extensively to all the excavated Buddhist sites and museums. He has founded an institute in Korea with the aim of promoting history of Buddhist art. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Origin and Development of Maitreya Cult 932 | 9 |
The Origin and Development of Maitreya Image in Kuṣāṇa 3369 | 49 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
abhaya mudra Ajanta Amitabha Asanga ascetic features Aurangābād Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva attendants Bodhisattva images Bodhisattva Maitreya Bodhisattva ornamentation Bodhisattva Siddhartha bow-knot hair Buddha image Buddhist art Buddhist triad cauri Cave crowned Buddha deity dharmacakra pravartana mudrā dhyāna dhyāna mudrā Dhyani Buddha dvarapala early Ellora emblematic Buddha fifth century figure Gāndhāra hair arrangement hair style headgear Hinayana Hsüan-tsang iconographical features iconography identified image of Maitreya inch India Ingholt japa japa mālā jaṭāmukuṭa kamandalu Kaniska Ketumati Kuṣāṇa left hand left side Mahāyāna Maitreya cult Maitreya iconography Maitreya image mandala Mănuși Buddhas Mathura Mathura school mudrā Museum Acc Museum fig Nāga nagakesara nāgakesara flower Nālandā Nasik nature of Maitreya Padmapāņi Avalokitesvara pedestal period representation represented right hand right side Sakyamuni Śākyamuni Buddha Sarnath sculptural seated Buddha seated image second century shoulder shown shrine Standing image stupa Tantric top-knot tradition turban Tusita type of Maitreya uṣnisa Vajrapāņi varada mudra Western Deccan