For You Lot Data - 'Buddha’S Life, Path To The Present' At De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam

The exhibition Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present at De Nieuwe Kerk includes to a greater extent than than 60 exceptional industrial plant of art: from the ancient to the modern.

The exhibition brings together over l exceptional antique artworks from the Royal Society of Friends of Asian Art (KVVAK), celebrating its centennial anniversary. Among the loans are of import exhibits from individual collections equally good equally the Rijksmuseum. These industrial plant demo the wealth together with multifariousness of the many cultures that receive got ties with Buddhism.

The curators of the exhibition, alongside whom co-curator together with designer Siebe Tettero, decided to connect the life together with the teachings of the Buddha to contemporary art. The essence of Buddhism is enlightenment, a state that tin live achieved yesteryear embracing the hither together with now. This awareness is illustrated through xiv industrial plant of fine art yesteryear contemporary artists, including Salvador Breed, Kohei Nawa, Rei Nato, Yoko Ono, Carolee Schneemann en Ai Weiwei. One of Ai Weiwei’s iconic trees volition rising upward high inward the middle of De Nieuwe Kerk.

Head Buddha Śākyamuni, Thailand, Kingdom Lan Na, Chieng Sen, 15th century.
Ger Eenens Collection The Netherlands/Wereldmuseum Rotterdam
[Credit: Erik en Petra Hesmerg]

Yet this exhibition is non close the spread of Buddhism, or close the ways inward which Buddhism evolved after the decease of the Buddha. Instead, this exhibition aims to portray the life of the Buddha equally clearly together with factually equally possible, equally it was earlier the widely varying views together with explanations that were born inward the roughly 2500 years that followed. One of import recurring symbol inward his life story, from nascency to death, is the tree. Trees play an of import piece of work inward each of the 5 stages of the Buddha’s life.

Five life stages

The exhibition guides visitors through the life of Siddhārtha Gautama, also known equally the Buddha. His life floor is divided into 5 stages: birth, insight, enlightenment, the commencement discourse together with finally death. Each phase includes crucial moments together with meetings to illustrate the turning points inward the man’s life. These stages are also related to the telephone commutation principles of his teachings.

Buddha Sakyamuni inward Nirwana pose, Thailand, 18th century, 165cm, Ger Eenens Collection,
The Netherlands/Wereldmuseum Rotterdam [Credit: Erik together with Petra Hesmerg]

This life floor is the source of Buddhism together with hence fits inward perfectly with our requirements for a biographical exhibition. The exhibits associated with each of the Buddha’s stages inward life are located unopen to separate chapels of De Nieuwe Kerk. His life floor is told through a collection of rare antique art, suitably connected with contemporary art, cinema footage together with photos. Each phase is introduced yesteryear a unique together with iconic piece of work of art.

The 5 life stages are relevant because much of Buddhism is based on his life together with teachings. Buddhism is non based on divine revelation, but on the teachings of a man. The give-and-take Buddha literally agency ‘the awakened one’, which refers to the profound insights he gained through meditation after a lengthy spiritual quest for enlightenment.

1. Birth

Siddhārtha Gautama’s exact appointment of nascency is unknown. It is assumed that he lived betwixt 490 together with 410 BC. He came into this world inward the commonwealth of the Śākyas inward northern India. As the boy of the elected ruler, Suddhodana, he was known equally Prince Siddhārtha.When the fourth dimension came for her to give birth, his woman raise Queen Māyā left the palace inward the urban heart of Kapilavastu with a modest retinue together with travelled to her parents’ home.

Tanjobutsu, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni equally infant. Japan, Edo period, 17th- 18th century.
Bronze, gold, h. xx cm. Ger Eenens Collection The Netherlands/Wereldmuseum Rotterdam
[Credit: Erik together with Petra Hesmerg]

At the time, it was customary inward Republic of Republic of India for women to give nascency inward the midst of their woman someone relatives. On the way, however, Māyā went into labour together with she gave nascency to a boy inward the wood of Lumbinī, patch standing upward together with belongings on to the branch of a tree. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few days after returning to her husband’s court, she died. Her sis took on the responsibleness of raising the child.

Sages at the regal courtroom pronounced that the babe prince’s physical attributes suggested he had a smashing time to come ahead of him. He would go either a universal ruler or an ‘awakened one’ (a buddha). Śuddhodana wanted his boy to go a smashing king, together with so he brought him upward inward opulent environment amid all the pleasures of the senses. He hoped to ensure his son’s lasting attachment to the physical world together with to forbid him from pursuing a spiritual path.

2. Insight

Siddhārtha grew upward inward the lap of luxury. His manlike someone raise had 3 dissimilar palaces built for him: i for summer, i for wintertime together with i for the rainy season. Inside the palace walls, at that topographic point were beautiful lotus ponds. He wore the most costly robes, ate the most delicious food, together with enjoyed music together with all sorts of entertainment.

Boeddha Amida, Japan, 1125–75, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam [Credit: Koninklijke Vereniging
van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst]

At the historic catamenia of xvi he married his cousin, Princess Yaśodharā, with whom he enjoyed many years of wedded bliss.By the historic catamenia of 29, he began to wonder close life exterior the palace walls. He went on chariot rides to gardens exterior the city. On the way at that topographic point i day, he noticed a weak onetime man, hunched over on the side of the road. Next, he encountered a seriously sick person, writhing inward pain, followed yesteryear a corpse existence taken away for cremation.

He was profoundly shocked yesteryear the sight of such suffering, particularly when his charioteer Chandaka impressed upon him that it was an integral business office of the human condition.Later the prince came across an ascetic. He was struck yesteryear the man’s aura of calm together with serenity. The sight convinced him that at that topographic point must live a way for mankind to costless itself from suffering. Soon after, he decided to surrender his princely life together with laid off inward search of this path.

Shortly after making this decision, he was told his married adult woman had given nascency to a son. He was eager to consider the kid at to the lowest degree in i lawsuit earlier leaving the palace for good. When he entered Yaśodharā’s room, he found his married adult woman asleep with her arms roofing the baby. He was afraid to wake her, inward illustration he could non convey himself to larn out equally he had planned. So he ordered his charioteer to saddle upward his favourite horse. They rode to the Anomā river together with crossed over. Siddhārtha shaved off his pilus together with beard together with gave his regal robes together with jewels to his charioteer. He lay on the saffron robe of an ascetic together with wandered off into the wilderness.

3. Enlightenment

Siddhārtha visited a divulge of renowned sages. They taught him several meditation techniques together with passed on all their insights. Siddhārtha absorbed it all, but did non detect what he was looking for. He continued on his journeying together with met 5 other homeless wanderers. Together, the grouping pursued a strict ascetic lifestyle. He barely ate or drank at all, together with practised extreme forms of self-mortification. After vi years, he was cipher but peel together with bone.

Standing Buddha, China, Northern Wei Dynasty, slow 5th – early on 6th century, Sandstone,
 239 x 115 x 33 cm, [Credit: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London]

Eventually he collapsed. Regaining consciousness, he realised that extreme ascetic practices were non the correct path either. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fille herding cattle passed yesteryear together with offered him some rice porridge, which he accepted. Disgusted, the other 5 ascetics went on their way without him.Siddhārtha travelled to the woodland grove at Uruvelā, where he sat downward nether a large fig tree (the bodhi tree; Ficus religiosa) together with turned his gaze to the east. He vowed to rest seated at that topographic point together with meditate until he had found a path to liberation.

At this bespeak he was lay to the exam yesteryear the demon Māra, Lord of worldly desires. Māra summoned upward an Blue Planet forces of terrifying demons but Siddhārtha refused to live distracted yesteryear them. Then Māra brought his voluptuous daughters to seduce him. Again, Siddhārtha remained perfectly calm. Finally, Māra indignantly asked what correct Siddhārtha had to clear a path for mankind to escape Māra’s power. In response, Siddhārtha stretched out his correct manus to acquit on the Earth together with telephone phone on it to acquit witness to the long path he had travelled. The Earth assented with a tremor together with Māra departed. Siddhārtha sank into profound concentration.

Standing Buddha, China, Northern Wei Dynasty, slow 5th – early on 6th century, Sandstone,
 239 x 115 x 33 cm, [Credit: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London]

At dawn, when the morn star shone inward the sky, he achieved the enlightenment that he had sought for together with so long. He perceived the transience of all physical together with mental phenomena together with saw that cipher inward this world tin be inward a vacuum, inward isolation from everything else. This brought the farther realization that at that topographic point was cipher to which he could cling forever together with that human beings had no immutable, personal essence, no permanent ‘self’. As a result, all selfish desires were extinguished inward him together with he was filled with loving kindness together with pity towards all living beings. He achieved Nirvāṇa together with became the Buddha.

4. First discourse

After achieving enlightenment, the Buddha remained inward the woods at Uruvelā for vii weeks, contemplating his novel insights. Then he travelled to the urban heart of Benares (Varanasi), a major religious centre inward India. Outside the city, inward a deer green (now Sārnāth), he met the 5 ascetics who had abandoned him. It was to them that he delivered his commencement sermon.

Standing Buddha, China, Northern Wei Dynasty, slow 5th – early on 6th century, Sandstone,
 239 x 115 x 33 cm, [Credit: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London]

Afterwards, i of the 5 straight off achieved enlightenment. He asked the Buddha to pick out him equally his disciple together with the Buddha replied ‘Ehi bhikṣu’ (Come, monk). Over the side yesteryear side few days, the Buddha continued pedagogy the ascetics. The other 4 also achieved enlightenment together with afterward remained with him equally his disciples. They became the commencement members of his community of monks, known equally the ‘Saṃgha’.

After some time, he travelled to Kapilavastu to portion his insights with his family. His married adult woman Yaśodharā had kept rails of his quest together with had herself attempted to pursue the path of meditation. His boy entered the monastic fellowship equally a novice. At the asking of the aunt who had brought him up, the Buddha also established an fellowship of nuns. Later, when King Suddhodana died, Yaśodharā together with the Buddha’s aunt Prajāpatī both became nuns. After this visit, the Buddha spent forty-five years travelling only about the Ganges basin together with instructing all who requested it. He taught all social classes, from the courts to farmer’s villages, together with both sexes, without distinction.

5. Death

At the historic catamenia of eighty, the Buddha told his disciples that he would non live with them much longer. Soon afterwards he brutal seriously ill, but recovered sufficiently to live able to move with a grouping of students to Vaisali, a urban heart dearest to his heart. When they were leaving again, the Buddha turned dorsum together with gazed at the urban heart for a long time, saying, “Now I shall never consider Vaisali again”.

Emaciated Buddha Gautama. Thailand, 1890. Bronze, h. 89 cm. Ger Eenens Collection,
The Netherlands/Wereldmuseum Rotterdam [Credit: Erik together with Petra Hesmerg]

Not long after this, he suffered serious nutrient poisoning. Even so, he continued with his students to the town of Kuśinārā. There he asked them to ready a couch for him betwixt 2 Sal trees (Shorea robusta). He lay downward on the couch together with announced that he was close to die. He told his disciples to summon the rulers of the Malla tribe, because he did non want to drib dead on their reason without them witnessing this.

Surrounded yesteryear his disciples together with the Mallas, he asked 3 times if they had whatever remaining questions or doubts close his teachings. All remained silent. Then he uttered his lastly words: “Nothing lasts forever. Work difficult to gain your ain liberation”. Then he entered into a meditative state together with died. The trees shed their blossoms together with the birds stopped singing.

The trunk of the Buddha was cremated together with his ashes were given to the rulers of 8 kingdoms inward northern India, together with stupas were built to trouble solid the ashes.

Contemporary Art

The essence of Buddhism is enlightenment, attainable via a consciousness of the hither together with now. The exhibition makers, including co-curator together with designer Siebe Tettero, illustrate the ‘now’ yesteryear including industrial plant yesteryear contemporary artists; some of these are novel pieces specially created for this exhibition. The contemporary exhibits are yesteryear internationally famous artists similar Ai Weiwei, Yoko Ono, Tony Feher, Alicia Framis, Tatsuo Miyajima, Allan Kaprow, Rei Naito, Kohei Nawa, Michelangelo Pistoletto together with Carolee Schneemann. Dutch fine art is also represented with industrial plant yesteryear Salvador Breed together with Koos Breukel.

Upon entry, the visitor is welcomed yesteryear i of the highlights from the exhibition: a standing Buddha, mensuration over 2 meters high together with dating from the 5th – 6th century AD. After that, the visitor is attracted to industrial plant yesteryear Chinese creative someone Ai Weiwei together with Kohei Nawa from Japan. Tree (2010), a slice yesteryear Ai Weiwei, together with Kohei Nawa’s PixCell-Deer#51 (2018) appear visually together with conceptually connected to the Buddha’s life story.

The exhibition Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present runs to 3 Feb 2019.

Source: De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam [September 16,  2018]


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