响堂山石窟

choi

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(1) 响堂山 is also known as 鼓山, 位于河北省邯郸市峰峰矿区.

(2) The exhibit at issue is featured front and center at the home page of Meadows Museum.
http://smu.edu/meadowsmuseum/

The Exhibition is
Echoes of the Past; The Buddhist cave temples of Xiangtangshan. Meadows Museum, Sept 11, 2011-Jan 8, 2012.
("one important characteristic emerged: figures gained a sense of physicality and became more three-dimensional, as opposed to earlier sculpture that was much flatter and marked by elaborate linear surface patterns meant to indicate garment folds. This new type of figural sculpture dominated the decorative program of the Xiangtangshan grottoes. As a result of this distinctive artistic progression, the beauty of these sculptures attracted the attention of modern private collectors and museums alike, all of whom were eager to own an example of this newly “re-discovered” art. Accordingly, the cave temples suffered extensive losses of their carvings during the lengthy period of despoliation that began around 1910.")

Note to introduction to the Exhibition:
(a) despoliation (n; Latin de- + spoliare to strip, rob — more at SPOIL):
"the action or process of despoiling : SPOLIATION"
www.m-w.com
(b)
(i) Wenxuan 文宣帝: name 高 洋; reign 550-559 CE
Wucheng  武成帝/ 高 湛 561-565
Houzhu  後主/ 高 緯 565-577
(ii) Northern Qi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Qi
(北齊朝; 550-577; the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei 鲜卑 state of Eastern Wei 東魏朝 [534-550])
(c) North Cave, also known as “The Great Buddha Cave" 大佛洞
(d) Avatamsaka Sūtra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatamsaka_Sutra
(Avataṃsaka Sūtra is shortened from Sanskrit Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, literally in English "The Great Vaipulya Sutra of the Buddha's Flower Garland"; in Chinese "大方廣佛華嚴經," commonly shortened to "華嚴經"; written in stages, beginning from at least 500 years after the death of the Buddha * * * all of which were combined, probably in Central Asia, in the late third or the fourth century CE)
(e) For Mahaparinirvāṇa, see Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana_Mahaparinirvana_Sutra
(English: Nirvana Sutra; Chinese: 涅槃經; written around 2nd century CE)

(i) parinirvana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parinirvana
(Sanskrit; 般涅槃)

Quote: "In Buddhism, parinirvana is the final nirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening (bodhi). It implies a release from the bhavachakra, Saṃsāra, karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the skandhas.

(ii) CE stands for Christ Era.

(f) For Queen Śrīmālā Sūtras, see Śrīmālādevī Sūtra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Ar%C4%ABm%C4%81l%C4%81dev%C4%AB_S%C5%ABtra
(nskrit; Chinese: 勝鬘師子吼一乘大方便方廣經; Japanese: 勝鬘経; through the words of the Indian queen Śrīmālā; composition occurred during the Īkṣvāku Dynasty in the 3rd century CE;  translated into English by Alex and Hideko Wayman as The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala; A Buddhist Scripture on the Tathagatagarbha Theory. Columbia Univ Press 1974)

Alex Wayman and Hideko were husband and wife. Hideko was Japanese female given name.
(g) The introduction says, "Wenxuan, above all others, is primarily remembered for his lavish temple building campaigns, and it was he who in 555 intervened in the competition between Buddhism and Daoism by suppressing Daoism."

"齊文宣帝下詔廢道，令道士皆剃頭為沙門；於是齊境皆無道士."


(3) Toward the end of the introduction above, state-of-the art technology is mentioned. Visual aides will be helful.
(a) Artist Creates Digital Simulation of Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan. YouTube.com, uploaded by PBSNewsHour on Jul 11, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJkV5COGLTg
(Jason Salavon, University of Chicago)
(b) Buddha 2.0: Echoes of the Past. YouTube.com, uploaded by SmithsonianVideos on Jun 21, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt3gcxQbFDY&feature=related

(6) Many of the artefacts came from University of Chicago. Indeed the exhibitions now displayed at Meadows Museum were assembled at University of Chicago.

(a) 响堂山石窟 / Xiangtangshan caves project. Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago (the "xts" in the URL stands for XiangTangShan)
http://xts.uchicago.edu/

Click the icon to the left (whose caption reads "Browse the sculptures") and one will see sculptures in the exhibition and their provenance.

This is a RESEARCH project. The exhibition at University of Chicago is here, in (b).
(b) Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan. Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicaho, Sept 30, 2010 – Jan 16, 2011.
http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/echoes-of-the-past/

(4) Last by not least, the co-curator--she has no Chinese--of the project wrote a book.

Katherine R Tsiang, Echo of the Past; The Buddhist cave temples of Xiangtangshan. University of Chicago Press, October 2010.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/E/bo10450129.html

(a) book cover:
http://www.bookdepository.com/Echoes-Past-Katherine-Tsiang/9780935573503
(b) Ms Tsiang can be seen at 0:48 to 0:49 (seconds 48-49, out of the 1:41 length of video clip) at (5)(b) above.


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