Artist: unknown
Title: The Great Stupa/Mount Meru at Borobudur, cross-section of
top central stupa
Material: local volcanic rock
Site: Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
Current Location: in situ
Period/Date: ca. end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th century,
under the Shailendra Dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: The cross-section of the top central stupa
shows the chamber in which the so-called "unfinished
Buddha" was placed. The image was placed at the actual center of
the entire monument and was a Buddha in the earth-touching gesture
Shakyamuni at the moment of enlightenment. However, in this case, as recorded
in the Avatamsaka Sutra, it was Shakyamuni as Vairochana in the Akanishta
heaven where he appeared to teach the same text to the inhabitants of the
heaven. It is only after this teaching that he returned to Bodh Gaya to
carry on with the usual life events. As such he is here Shakyamuni/Vairochana,
or the Buddha Shakyamuni as identical to the universality of Buddhahood.
It should be noted that, at this time, the Avatamsaka Sutra was popular
and widely practiced throughout Asia. There is evidece of it in China, Japan,
India, Central Asia, and Indonesia.
Stylistic Comments:
