“Since the Esoteric Buddhist teachings are so profound as to defy expression in writing, they are revealed through the medium of painting.” -Kukai, founder of Shingon Buddhism
Written languages signified civilization, showed cultural advancement, and initiated the intellectualization of the human race, but to this day, imagery and pictures continue to serve profound communicative and connective purposes. Where words and analysis often fail to satisfy our hunger for truth and wholeness, art and spiritual experience help humans to reach states of ecstasy and enlightenment.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an influential research psychologist, brings up an interesting point in his 2008 Ted Talk on a state of being called flow, or optimal experience. Csikszentmihalyi defines flow as a state of complete and total absorption or engagement which usually occurs during an athletic, creative, or musical activity--anything that is both challenging and enjoyable for the individual. Flow is, in essence, an “ecstatic state.” It is at once a step into an alternative reality and a state of being present in the moment. This said, Csikszentmihalyi makes the intriguing point that we know more about the flow states, or the ecstasies, of the men of thriving ancient civilizations than we do about their everyday lives. “We know the temples they built, where people could come to experience a different reality. We know about the circuses, the arenas, the theaters. These are the remains of civilizations and they are the places that people went to experience life in a more concentrated, more ordered form,” says Csikszentmihalyi.
Over the course of my research on the early Japanese mandalas--specifically the Womb World mandala--of Esoteric Buddhism, I began to notice how the mandala may function no different from the art historical structures and sanctuaries Csikszentmihalyi speaks of in his lecture; despite the 2-dimensionality of the Womb World silk scroll, it too, aided in the creation of sacred space, in the making of a place where flow experience is possible. Moreover, perhaps Buddhist “enlightenment” and flow are one in the same. Where Csikszentmihalyi's decades of research show that flow states involve a challenge, engagement, openness, mastery and deepened connection to place, people, and time, the Buddha’s “enlightenment” is also achieved by a state of heightened concentration and deeper connection, a balance of wisdom and compassion. At once there is a loss of the baggage of the self but also a realization that by utilizing the unique qualities and skills of the individual, the self can contribute to the universal good.
The art and spiritual practices of Buddhism originated in India and were introduced to Japan by two Japanese holy men named Saicho and Kukai in the 9th Century. Saicho and Kukai went on study missions to China and both returned with art, relics, and knowledge of Buddhist teachings. The two men founded the Tendai and Shingon sects of Esoteric Buddhism. With the introduction of Buddhism also came the introduction of new and intricate art forms, specifically the mandalas, that played important roles in communicating Buddhist teachings. Moreover, the Tendai and Shingon sects of Buddhism introduced tantric deities to the Japanese pantheon of Gods and consequently influenced the imagery of indigenous Japanese art.
The mandala was a critical instrument of spiritual communication and comprehension. Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, felt passionately that the unenlightened could not feel or understand the true essence of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, by simply having the sutras, the sacred texts, read aloud and explained to them. He believed that only images could encompass and reveal the Buddha’s wisdom, claiming that upon viewing the Two World Mandala one’s “buddha nature” would awaken. This “buddha nature” speaks to one of the most profound and perhaps the most historically appealing aspects of Esoteric Buddhism: all beings have the ability to reach enlightenment and achieve buddhahood. According to Kukai, the Buddha and the Dharma exist within all sentient beings, and assisted and guided by visual and sensory aids, the unenlightened can journey toward enlightenment and learn to embrace the great compassion of the Buddha.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an influential research psychologist, brings up an interesting point in his 2008 Ted Talk on a state of being called flow, or optimal experience. Csikszentmihalyi defines flow as a state of complete and total absorption or engagement which usually occurs during an athletic, creative, or musical activity--anything that is both challenging and enjoyable for the individual. Flow is, in essence, an “ecstatic state.” It is at once a step into an alternative reality and a state of being present in the moment. This said, Csikszentmihalyi makes the intriguing point that we know more about the flow states, or the ecstasies, of the men of thriving ancient civilizations than we do about their everyday lives. “We know the temples they built, where people could come to experience a different reality. We know about the circuses, the arenas, the theaters. These are the remains of civilizations and they are the places that people went to experience life in a more concentrated, more ordered form,” says Csikszentmihalyi.
Over the course of my research on the early Japanese mandalas--specifically the Womb World mandala--of Esoteric Buddhism, I began to notice how the mandala may function no different from the art historical structures and sanctuaries Csikszentmihalyi speaks of in his lecture; despite the 2-dimensionality of the Womb World silk scroll, it too, aided in the creation of sacred space, in the making of a place where flow experience is possible. Moreover, perhaps Buddhist “enlightenment” and flow are one in the same. Where Csikszentmihalyi's decades of research show that flow states involve a challenge, engagement, openness, mastery and deepened connection to place, people, and time, the Buddha’s “enlightenment” is also achieved by a state of heightened concentration and deeper connection, a balance of wisdom and compassion. At once there is a loss of the baggage of the self but also a realization that by utilizing the unique qualities and skills of the individual, the self can contribute to the universal good.
The art and spiritual practices of Buddhism originated in India and were introduced to Japan by two Japanese holy men named Saicho and Kukai in the 9th Century. Saicho and Kukai went on study missions to China and both returned with art, relics, and knowledge of Buddhist teachings. The two men founded the Tendai and Shingon sects of Esoteric Buddhism. With the introduction of Buddhism also came the introduction of new and intricate art forms, specifically the mandalas, that played important roles in communicating Buddhist teachings. Moreover, the Tendai and Shingon sects of Buddhism introduced tantric deities to the Japanese pantheon of Gods and consequently influenced the imagery of indigenous Japanese art.
The mandala was a critical instrument of spiritual communication and comprehension. Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, felt passionately that the unenlightened could not feel or understand the true essence of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, by simply having the sutras, the sacred texts, read aloud and explained to them. He believed that only images could encompass and reveal the Buddha’s wisdom, claiming that upon viewing the Two World Mandala one’s “buddha nature” would awaken. This “buddha nature” speaks to one of the most profound and perhaps the most historically appealing aspects of Esoteric Buddhism: all beings have the ability to reach enlightenment and achieve buddhahood. According to Kukai, the Buddha and the Dharma exist within all sentient beings, and assisted and guided by visual and sensory aids, the unenlightened can journey toward enlightenment and learn to embrace the great compassion of the Buddha.
