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Introduction

Welcome to Sculpting Humanity! I’ll be using this as a space to voice my understanding of topics covered in my East Asian Humanities course in the Fall of 2021. This is my first blog so this will be a journey in many ways. 

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Zen Buddhism in Japan: A Tale of Two Schools

Zen Buddhism is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China, as Chan Buddhism. Zen focuses on spiritual practice and the use of self-discipline, mindfulness, meditation ( zazen ), and dedication to understanding one's own "Buddha nature", in the hopes of attaining enlightenment. In the thirteenth century Zen Buddhism became deeply rooted in Japan and, as with Chan Buddhism, would develop into two main schools: Rinzai and Soto. Despite being distinct schools "Rinzai and Soto were not so much antagonistic rivals as they were different alternatives." (Bresnan 497) Springing from the same root stock these branches of Zen differ in ways that would appeal to different audiences in thirteenth century Japan, perhaps explaining the lack of antagonism. The fundamental differences between Rinzai and Soto includes the social class they appealed to when they became established in Japan and; more importantly, their specific meditative practices and how these practi...
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Ethics in Archaeology

This week while learning about the Silk Road, I ended up obsessively pondering ethics (or lack thereof) in archeology. I attempted to research further, to dig myself out of this negative thought spiral but at this point I doubt I'll be able to walk through a museum without questioning if all of the artifacts on display were obtained nefariously. I guess the best way to explain how I got to this point is to start where I began, the Silk Road.  The Silk Road was made up of numerous trade routes that enabled the flow of goods and ideas between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe from 130 BCE and 1453 CE. Among the many outposts that existed along these routes was Dunhuang, China, which would become a hub for Buddhism along the Silk Road with 15 monasteries by the 10th century. This wasn't unusual since many religions spread along the trade routes but what made this stop exceptional were the caves that Buddhists carved out to serve as places of worship. Dunhuang (Mogao) Caves The inc...
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The Legacy of Tara - Goddess of Compassion

 As a part of my Humanities journey, I found myself combing through the virtual galleries of a number of museums, searching for a piece of art that piqued my curiosity. My search ended in The British Library with the picture of a bronze and gold statue of Tara, Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.  Figure of the goddess Tara found in The British Museum While the artist is unknown, the statue was found on the east coast of Sri Lanka and dates back to 700-750 CE. At 143 centimeters (4 feet, 7 inches) the statue is nearly life-size and is cast in one piece of solid bronze and gilded in gold. It's also believed that the eyes and hair were once inlaid with gems.  This piece struck me since I had never heard of the goddess Tara (who appears in the Buddhism and Hinduism) and I haven't spent much time learning about female bodhisattvas, which some believe Tara to be. So, I decided to do some research about this piece to understand what the piece represents, how it reflects the time/l...
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