Artist: unknown
Title: The Great Stupa/Mount Meru at Borobudur, Buddha from the top
central stupa
Material: local volcanic rock
Site: Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
Current Location: Borobudur site museum, Borobudur, Central
Java.
Period/Date: ca. end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th century, under
the Shailendra Dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: This so-called "unfinished Buddha"
in the earth-touching gesture, was placed within the top central stupa at
the pinnacle of the monument. It is theBuddha Shakyamuni at the moment of
enlightenment. However, as recorded in the Avatamsaka Sutra, it is
Shakyamuni as the Buddha Vairochana in Akanishta heaven where he appeared
to teach the same text to the inhabitants of the heaven. As such he is here
Shakyamuni/Vairochana, or the Buddha Shakyamuni as identical to the universality
of Buddhahood. It is only after the teaching of the Avatamsaka Sutra
at Akanishta that Shakyamuni returned to Bodh Gaya to carry on with the
usual life events.
Stylistic Comments: Scholars have been concerned about the "unfinished"
appearance of the image and various iconographic explainations have been
made to account for this characteristic. However, rather than iconographic
concerns, the "unfinished" condition probably results from the
fact that the image was to be placed within a sealed chamber that was never
to be opened and viewed. As such, it was unnecessary to finish the image
with all the necessary details.
