Download or read book Burmese Silver Art Masterpieces Illuminating Buddhist Hindu and Mythological Stories of Purpose and Wisdom written by David C. Owens and published by Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Burmese master silversmiths produced a magnificent body of work from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries – the Burmese Silver Age. This aesthetic and functional work is characterized by a unique decorative style and superb technical artistry. Many of the artefacts are embellished with mysterious visual narratives drawn from ancient religious and mythological sources, communicating spiritual beliefs and values that resonate to this day. Burmese silverwork is a distinct and little-known genre of silver art. This book tackles this obscurity by illuminating and describing for the first time 100 Burmese silver artefacts in a stunning photographic gallery. This silverwork – from the Noble Silver Collection – represents some of the rarest and finest quality work from the Burmese Silver Age. The centrepiece gallery of silverwork masterpieces is bookended by two well-illustrated and informative chapters that provide readers with deeper insights into Burmese silverwork: a robust frame of reference chapter summarises the 2,000-year history and cultural tradition of Burmese silverwork; and a chapter following the gallery deciphers the complex and allegorical iconography of the decoration, which gives the reader a deeper appreciation of its religious and cultural meaning and origin. This book captures the great, almost mystical, allure of Burmese silverwork – from the sublime artistry of the decoration, to the extraordinary skill of the silversmith and the profound meaning and importance of the visual narratives. In doing so, Burmese Silver Art takes its place as a definitive reference work for any art historian, collector, expert, student, or general reader interested in this hitherto-overlooked body of noble art.
Download or read book Fighting for Virtue written by Duncan McCargo and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fighting for Virtue investigates how Thailand's judges were tasked by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in 2006 with helping to solve the country's intractable political problems—and what happened next. Across the last decade of Rama IX's rule, Duncan McCargo examines the world of Thai judges: how they were recruited, trained, and promoted, and how they were socialized into a conservative world view that emphasized the proximity between the judiciary and the monarchy. McCargo delves into three pivotal freedom of expression cases that illuminate Thai legal and cultural understandings of sedition and treason, before examining the ways in which accusations of disloyalty made against controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra came to occupy a central place in the political life of a deeply polarized nation. The author navigates the highly contentious role of the Constitutional Court as a key player in overseeing and regulating Thailand's political order before concluding with reflections on the significance of the Bhumibol era of "judicialization" in Thailand. In the end, posits McCargo, under a new king, who appears far less reluctant to assert his own power and authority, the Thai courts may now assume somewhat less significance as a tool of the monarchical network.
Download or read book Thai Silver and Nielloware written by Paul Bromberg and published by River books. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thai silver and nielloware display exquisite craftsmanship and design to rival better-known genres of silver from Asia. However, there has to date been little written about this fascinating subject. Examining the history and scope of specified Thai silver and nielloware production dating from the early 19th century to the present, as well as the various forms and designs utilised, this book provides a single reference source on the subject matter for both newcomers and seasoned collectors alike. The book focuses on the various artefacts broadly termed "utensils" and "vessels", produced for utilitarian purposes, that can still be found for sale in the domestic marketplace, while rarer artefacts, collectibles and commemorative items made for the royal court are also discussed: such items were typically of the highest quality made by top artisans. The author considers the role of religious and devotional silver objects in Thailand, as these too have become popular collectibles. Although dating of Asian silverware generally remains problematic, the author provides dating indicators and the first published compilation of Chinese and other marks on silverware found in Thailand
Download or read book The Gospel of Buddha written by Paul Carus and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-08-07 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Gospel of Buddha According to Old Records told by Paul Carus. Modeled on the New Testament and tells the story of Buddha through parables. It was an important tool in introducing Buddhism to the west and is used as a teaching tool by some Asian sects. Reproduction of 1894 Edition.
Download or read book Middle Land Middle Way written by Shravasti Dhammika and published by Buddhist Publication Society. This book was released on 2008-12-01 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guidebook to the places in India made sacred by the Buddha’s presence. Beginning with an inspiring account of Buddhist pilgrimage, the author then covers sixteen places in detail. With maps and colour photos, an essential companion for pilgrim and traveler.
Download or read book The All knowing Buddha written by Karl Debreczeny and published by Rubin Museum of Art. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examination of a series of 54 miniature paintings from the MAS museum in Antwerp which reveal a meditation process related to Sarvavid Vairocana, the All-knowing Buddha.
Download or read book From Peking to Mandalay written by Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston and published by Рипол Классик. This book was released on 1908 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Foundations of Oriental Art and Symbolism written by Titus Burckhardt and published by World Wisdom, Inc. This book was released on 2009 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating edited collection of art historian Titus Burckhardt's most important writings on Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist art is lavishly illustrated with 140 superb examples of Oriental art, architecture, statuary, and painting.
Download or read book Zen Training written by Katsuki Sekida and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2005-09-13 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pioneering guide to zazen—Zen-style seated meditation—provides practical instructions on how to begin or elevate your practice and progress along the Zen path Zen Training is a comprehensive handbook for zazen, seated meditation practice, and an authoritative presentation of the Zen path. The book marked a turning point in Zen literature in its critical reevaluation of the enlightenment experience, which the author believes has often been emphasized at the expense of other important aspects of Zen training. In addition, Zen Training goes beyond the first flashes of enlightenment to explore how one lives as well as trains in Zen. The author also draws many significant parallels between Zen and Western philosophy and psychology, comparing traditional Zen concepts with the theories of being and cognition of such thinkers as Heidegger and Husserl.
Download or read book The Gilded Buddha written by Alex R. Furger and published by Librum Publishers & Editors LLC. This book was released on 2017 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book celebrates in words and images the traditional metal crafts practised for over a thousand years by the creators of religious Buddhist statues in Nepal. The skills of these artisans are nurtured with deep respect for tradition, regarding religion, iconography and technology. Wax modellers, mould makers, casters, fire-gilders and chasers are among the specialists of the Newar ethnic group, whose work is characterised to this day by a melding of age-old technology, great skill, religious observance and contemplation. There are numerous books and exhibition catalogues dedicated to Buddhist art and iconography but little was available about the craft of the artists who turn the religious imagery into metal casts. This book fills this gap, with a thoroughly documented and historical account of the development of this "archaic" technology. The well-informed text and comprehensive photographic coverage constitute the only up-to-date account and full documentation of an art that is 1300 years old but dying out: the "ritual" production of Buddhist statues in the lost wax casting technique. The author, Dr. Alex Furger, is an archaeologist who has studied ancient metallurgy and metalworking techniques over the past four decades. He spent twenty-five years at the head of the Roman site of Augusta Raurica and lives in Basel (Switzerland). He is the author of over 130 articles in scientific journals and twelve books in the field of culture history. The fieldwork for this book led him repeatedly to Nepal, where he met and interviewed dozens of craftsmen in their workshops. This book is addressed to readers interested in culture history, travellers to Asia, collectors of statues of Buddha, (avocational) metalworkers, historians of technology, Buddhists, ethnologists, archaeologists, art historians, scholars of Asia and to libraries and museums.
Download or read book Empires of the Silk Road written by Christopher I. Beckwith and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-16 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic account of the rise and fall of the Silk Road empires The first complete history of Central Eurasia from ancient times to the present day, Empires of the Silk Road represents a fundamental rethinking of the origins, history, and significance of this major world region. Christopher Beckwith describes the rise and fall of the great Central Eurasian empires, including those of the Scythians, Attila the Hun, the Turks and Tibetans, and Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In addition, he explains why the heartland of Central Eurasia led the world economically, scientifically, and artistically for many centuries despite invasions by Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese, and others. In retelling the story of the Old World from the perspective of Central Eurasia, Beckwith provides a new understanding of the internal and external dynamics of the Central Eurasian states and shows how their people repeatedly revolutionized Eurasian civilization. Beckwith recounts the Indo-Europeans' migration out of Central Eurasia, their mixture with local peoples, and the resulting development of the Graeco-Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations; he details the basis for the thriving economy of premodern Central Eurasia, the economy's disintegration following the region's partition by the Chinese and Russians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the damaging of Central Eurasian culture by Modernism; and he discusses the significance for world history of the partial reemergence of Central Eurasian nations after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Empires of the Silk Road places Central Eurasia within a world historical framework and demonstrates why the region is central to understanding the history of civilization.
Download or read book Christianity in Asia written by Pedro de Moura Carvalho and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition, Christianity in Asia: sacred art and visual splendour, presented at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, from 27 May to 11 September 2016"--Title page verso.
Download or read book The Onion Book of Known Knowledge written by The Onion and published by Little, Brown. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you a witless cretin with no reason to live? Would you like to know more about every piece of knowledge ever? Do you have cash? Then congratulations, because just in time for the death of the print industry as we know it comes the final book ever published, and the only one you will ever need: The Onion's compendium of all things known. Replete with an astonishing assemblage of facts, illustrations, maps, charts, threats, blood, and additional fees to edify even the most simple-minded book-buyer, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge is packed with valuable information -- such as the life stages of an Aunt; places to kill one's self in Utica, New York; and the dimensions of a female bucket, or "pail." With hundreds of entries for all 27 letters of the alphabet, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge must be purchased immediately to avoid the sting of eternal ignorance.
Download or read book The Restoration of Borobudur written by Unesco and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication traces the history and restoration of Chandi Borobudur, a Buddhist temple built over 1,000 years ago on the island of Java, Indonesia which was successfully restored during 1973-1983 and listed as a World Heritage Site in 1991. It covers the various aspects of the process, including the long and painstaking task of logging the position of the stones, the studies that revealed the underlying sources of decay, and the important archaeological finds that provided clues to the temple's spiritual past; and includes many of the original drawings and photographs taken from the restoration project archives.
Download or read book Before and Beyond the Image written by Dietrich Seckel and published by Paul Holberton Pub. This book was released on 2004 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Published a quarter-century ago, Dietrich Seckel's essay remains a vital contribution to a much-debated feature of Buddhist art, its aniconism, its aversion to depicting spiritual entities of the very highest order. Unlike Judaism, early Christianity, and Islam, he explains, the Buddhist faith has not condemned the representation of holy beings or living creatures. Nonetheless it believes that its most crucial spiritual insights lie beyond the power of human imagination to describe or depict; the visual arts can allude to them only obliquely, through omission on the use of non-iconic figures. This discrepancy between the practical, ritual functions of the work of art and concepts of ultimate sanctity, Seckel suggests, has affected Buddhist arts throughout Asia, particularly those of the Meditation School (Chan, or Zen) in China and Japan. " - From the Introduction
Download or read book The Heart of Islam written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the specter of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to represent an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand. In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to "open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding." Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths. Nasr challenges members of the world's civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today. "Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies," he writes, "but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God's creation." Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose. The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.
Download or read book Blown to Bits written by Harold Abelson and published by Addison-Wesley Professional. This book was released on 2008 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Blown to Bits' is about how the digital explosion is changing everything. The text explains the technology, why it creates so many surprises and why things often don't work the way we expect them to. It is also about things the information explosion is destroying: old assumptions about who is really in control of our lives.
