Content

In the course of globalisation religious symbols and objects have become articles of trade and daily use. Regardless of their original meaning and worship they appear indiscriminately in any context. Heads of Buddha on the floors of furniture shops, in hairdressers’ shop-windows, on the shelves of flower shops and hardware stores etc. This does not harm the objects themselves. Yet, in Buddhism it is assumed that practitioners run the risk of being harmed when they treat such objects without the appropriate care and respect. From the Buddhist point of view problems could arise when representations of Buddhas are thrown away, torn up or dumped with waste material after use.

In a religious context the handling of religious visual objects is never arbitrary. In Buddhism, for example, there are numerous Tankas (scrolls) the complexity of which can only be read properly by those who have gone through special “initiation” or “authorisation”. It takes the competence of a master to convey their meaning. And masters in turn choose able practitioners to serve as “dedicated vessels” for the appropriate use of these images. In the minds of followers of Buddhism these images, however tempting it may appear to use them as colourful, “oriental” decoration pieces, possess profound and diverse levels of meaning. The fact that they remain concealed to the uninitiated may lead to wrong ideas and thus to potential harm. Buddhists consider religious visual objects as spiritual tools and maps for “travellers” that require highly developed reading skills to decode them.

Visual objects abound in complex meanings. It can be expected that we are familiar with the meaning of visual objects belonging to our own cultures. In general, crucifixes are not used as hat racks or hallstands, and statues of the Holy Virgin are not placed in washrooms or used as soap dispensers. Visual objects originating from other cultures are perceived as paintings or sculp-tures, whilst the deeper levels of meaning often remain
hidden.

In Buddhism perception is seen as a mental capacity, which can be trained. Perceiving and conceiving and the concomitant associations happening in the mind are minutely described as providing the base for speech and action. Our trains of thought often seem to veer into one direction or another by chance and without us becoming aware of it, but it is possible to develop them consciously and in a reflected manner.

Objectives

This module has been designed to enable people to differentiate between images of profane and of religious origins, to heighten our sensitivity when dealing with images from unfamiliar religions, to make us aware of the inappropriate use of images “on loan” from other cultures.

Organisation

Exercise 1
Buddha images in printed media
Search newspapers/magazines and visual material (supplied by the lecturer) for representations of Buddha. In which context can these religious images be found? Do they appear as push visual objects (e. g. in ads), for decoration purposes (ornament, embellishment), to fill the page? Is there a recognisable difference between the “native” and the “foreign” religion? Which images are used in accordance with their religious meaning, and which are used in an alienated way? Discuss, compare and contrast, and evaluate the images found.

Exercise 2
Buddhas — semantic depth
A Tanka is being projected onto a large screen. First, the group shares observations, thoughts, connotations. What might the painting say? Would you put it onto your wall? Where? Why?
Why not?
Next, a short film is shown in which the abbot of the Buddhist Monasteries Rabten Choeling / CH, Tashi Rabten / A and others briefly describe the Tanka (cf. web-based material). The group compares and contrasts their first and second impressions.

Variations & Extensions

Exercise 3
Sacred images
Investigating images with a religious background — Christian this time: a “mass-produced” angel, a “cuddly pope” doll, a St Francis figure as a candle to burn down, etc. Divers statements (including written quotes / see web-based material) on concepts such as art and kitsch are provided (printouts brought along / web-based material). Debate on diverse attitudes to the use of religious images in intended and unintended contexts. What is an “appropriate” form, is there such a thing as “inappropriateness of means”?

Exercise 4
Sacred images as fashion accessories
Investigating the use of religious images in fashion (crucifixes, rosaries, …), as jewellery, in youth culture (tattoos), cf. ethno scene.

Questions

• May religious images be used indiscriminately? (What about personal rights, dignity, denigration, discrimination, ridicule, tastelessness, but also hero worship and, in principle, copyright?)
• Is there a difference in dealing with secular and religious art?
• What is the significance of book burnings, of the destruction and the banning of images? How important are images and what can they stand for?
• By what means can secular images be endowed with “divineness” or become a fetish?

• How are objects of worship presented, how does their “divineness” show?