Buddhist Stupas In Asia : The Shape Of Perfection - Couverture rigide

Cummings, Joe

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1864501200 ISBN 13 : 9781864501209

Editeur : Lonely Planet, 2001

Synopsis

Lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs, this book is a pictorial that explores the spread of Buddhism and stupa building across Asia and India. Attempts to encapsulate the durable appeal of the stupa - one of the oldest religious symbols still in use - collide with the vast and varied history of stupa building.

A propos du livre

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

Transcending architecture and archaeology, the stupa is the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings-a harmonising of the physical with the spiritual. For many Buddhists the simple contemplation of a monuments divine form draws the observer Gloser to enlightenment. Every year thousands of travellers, pilgrims and devotees find thernselves awed by the splendour of the stupa.

From classic Indian origins, the stupa migrated with the flowering of Buddhism throughout Asia - from Sri Lanka's sprawling lost cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura to the symmetrical purity of Japanese wooden pagodas. Kathmandu Valley is blessed with over 200 stupas - grand mahachaityas (great stupas) towering over humble waist-high chai"yas in the foothills of the Himalayas. Tibet's chortens are built according to principles laid out in ancient Sanskrit texts detailing the intricate rituals of raising and consecrating these sacred monuments. Yet all these widely varying styles share a unified significance - to preserve both the relies reputedly enshrined within and the cosmic dharma manifested in the form of these'sermons in stone'.

With a comprehensive photographie study of Asia, Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection is enriched with detailed overlays revealing the holy symbolism woven into stupa design. In Lonely Planet's characteristic style, this book is a lavish cultural exploration - an immersion in the history, myth and ritual surrounding stupas.

This is a book for people who not only observe culture, but experience it. Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection encourages readers to look deeper, to be spiritually transported by witnessing the majesty, simplicity and beauty of these devotional sites.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Lonely Planet
• Date d'édition: 2001
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1864501200
• ISBN 13: 9781864501209
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 173
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible