The “transience of things” in Vajrayana Buddhist visual culture

Oliveira Lopes, Rui

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/102244

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Authors

Oliveira Lopes, Rui

Abstract(s)

The idea of impermanence (anitya) is known as a critical concept found in Buddhism, regarded as one of the three marks of existence (trilaksana), along with suffering (duhkha) and non-self or self-annihilation (anātman). Buddha propagated the law of dependent arising (pratītyasamutpāda), which presents the idea that any phenomena arise in dependence on outer conditions and because of the natural flow of these conditions. Therefore, no worldly phenomena have a permanent essence or existence. The transience of all things deals with the awareness to ephemera, like ageing, illness, death, and rebirth, admitting that all conditioned things are in a constant state of flux. The notion that time is an illusion has been discussed more recently by physicists such as Julian Barbour, Carlo Rovelli, among others. However, this is a well-known concept in religious thought extant not only in Dharmic religions but also in Abrahamic and Taoic religions. Religious thought demonstrates different perspectives toward the impermanent nature of life, manifested in the sacred scriptures, in the classical spiritual literature, as well as in the religious arts. This paper examines the representation of the doctrines of impermanence and momentariness in Vajrayana Buddhist visual culture as a form of self-expression of the transient nature of the worldly existence. Ancient art treatises deal with the subject of artistic creativity as a form of self-expression and a means by which one could achieve another state of mind, transcending his human temporal condition. Therefore, the act of creating an image is often considered a process of visualisation to pursuit spiritual edification and meditation, leading to a way of living or a form of spiritual liberation. This paper argues that the religious concept of impermanence is represented in Buddhist visual culture in two ways: first, by the mnemonic function of the image as a reminder of our transient condition, through expressions of momentaneous existence, material detachment and emptiness; and second, by the intrinsic tempos involved in the creation of images and ritual implements, which emulates the constant state of flux of all conditioned things.