Re-collecting a Forgotten Past: Traces of Hindu-Buddhist Art in the Precolonial Philippines

Asia Society

September 15, 6:30PM: (For Members Only) Re-collecting a Forgotten Past: Traces of Hindu-Buddhist Art in the Precolonial Philippines. Lecture. Join co-curator of Philippine Gold: Treasures from Forgotten Kingdoms, Florina H. Capistrano-Bakerfor an insightful talk on the origins of these extraordinary objects, from the pre-colonial era of the Philippines, which are on view in the United States for the first time. Dr. Capistrano-Baker is Consulting Curator, Ayala Museum. This is a free, members-only event. Tickets are distributed at the front desk from 6 pm onwards on a first-come first-served basis.

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Siddhartha: The Musical

FO GUANG SHAN Philippines in cooperation with the Buddha’s Light International Association will restage Siddhartha: The Musical at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 17, 2 and 8 p.m. Directed by Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson and with musical direction by Jude Gitamondoc, Siddhartha: The Musical tells the story of Siddhartha, the prince who renounced his royal status to seek enlightenment, eventually becoming the Buddha. The musical is based on the book The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order. Most of the songs used in the musical are also based on the writings of the Venerable Master. All proceeds of the restaging of the musical will benefit Guang Ming College in Manila for the training of scholars from financially challenged families around the country in the fields of Performing Arts and Buddhist Studies. For ticket inquiries, call the Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple at 559-9540.

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Fish In Korean Buddhism

Posted by The Shobogenzo Zen Center, Philippines
November 23, 2012

Anyone interested in the temple decorations of Korean temples will discover painted and sculpted fish all around the main halls _ on the pillars, brackets, ceiling and walls. It is also easy to find wooden fish gongs and wind chimes.

The origin of the use of the fish in Buddhism is unknown: one version tells that a fish always has its eyes open day and night; thus it is a reminder to always be aware. Another version comes from a story:

Philippines: Children’s Art Teacher required @ Buddhist Temple

idealist.org
November 13, 2012
Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple

Teaching Artist at Chinese Buddhist temple

Live, teach, and create. Facilitate storybook illustration with children’s visual arts.

Fo Guang Shan (FGS) is an international Buddhist organization founded in 1967 in Taiwan by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. It practices Humanistic Buddhism, which aims to make Buddhism relevant in the world and in people’s lives and hearts. Fo Guang Shan promotes interfaith dialogue to build mutual understanding and respect between diverse religious groups. In the Philippines, FGS primarily works with education of (esp. underprivileged) children and youth with a goal to foster country development and contribute to youth empowerment.

Storybook Project is designed to promote ethics and values among Filipino youth. During the project, the team will select local and Chinese fables, incorporate them into a book together with digitized illustrations made by children, and cooperate with Philippine Education Department to introduce the book as an educational material for public schools.

The Heart of a Single Stroke

Sutra Calligraphy By Venerable Miao Way

Manila Bulletin, By MA. GLAIZA LEE, EDWIN DIAZ and SAMANTHA BELTRAN
July 29, 2012, 6:58pm

Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA
MANILA, Philippines — With a shaking hand, the 86-year-old old man wearing an orange monk’s robe dipped his brush in the inkwell filled with ink made from lampblack, a sooty residue created by burning pine resin underneath a hood. Just like a father caressing his sleeping son, he carefully touched the paper with his other hand as he contemplated on what piece to write.

As soon as the brush hit the parchment, the Buddhist monk skillfully maneuvered it from top to bottom, left to right, without a pause. He never once lifted the brush off the paper, and had finished the piece in a single movement.

The monk, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, has been battling with diabetes for more than 40 years now. His condition led to a serious eye condition, along with retinal detachment. With unclear visions on both eyes, he can barely see. His failing vision makes it very difficult for him to continue to the next character. He could not distinguish the distance between each character.

Under such challenging circumstances, the Venerable Master still makes efforts to keep his brush moving between ink and paper. He just lets his heart guide his hands to create calligraphy pieces for his disciples and friends.

An exhibit of Buddhist culture

By Jenara Regis Newman
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper
Monday, January 30, 2012

FOR the first time, Chu Un Temple along V. Rama St., Cebu City has opened its doors for a “Chinese and Buddhist Culture Exhibit” at its Ti Tsang Hall. The main attraction is Buddha and the several statue renditions of him otherwise known as Siddhartha and The Enlightened One.

Also on exhibit are artifacts used in the rituals of Buddhist culture like prayer instruments as well as statues of Kuan Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy.

Leo Abaya and the Illusion of Desire

Photo by Pinggot Zulueta

By DIDY EVANGELISTA, Manila Bulletin Publishing
November 7, 2011, 11:52am

MANILA, Philippines — There is a sense of theatricality in Leo Abaya’s work. Not quite over the top, but neither simple nor quiet; his artwork make strong statements about humanity, whether it is the body, the psyche, or how humans interact with one another. He observes Philippine society and records his observations as art, leaving behind commentary – not quite a complaint, but not a compliment either. He is subversive, preferring the subtlety of espionage as opposed to the vulgarity of an open attack. Abaya could be dangerously in the domain of being here nor there, but no, he has made himself a force to contend with; someone who knows who he is, what he’s saying, and what he stands for.

Welcome to the world of Leo Abaya.

Inspired by Tanha

In Abaya’s newest collection, “Sense, Sate,” we see once again the power of Abaya’s thoughts translated into art form. Inspired by the Buddhist concept Tanha, which literally means “thirst” and is synonymous with “desire” or “craving”, Abaya explores how Filipinos as a society are always in search for that something that will satisfy desire, consuming them in the process. Tanha, in Buddhist writings, is identified as the origin of all suffering, and concerns not only the desires of the flesh (sense and sensual pleasures), but also the desire for existence and non-existence.

Art expression in the Mandala

Business World, Posted on October 23, 2011 08:23:09 PM
October 23, 2011 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

By Marivic Rufino
Mandala is the path to the center, to individuation. I began to understand that the goal of psychic development is the self. There is no human evolution. There is only a circumambulation of the self. — Dr. Carl Jung, Swiss analyst

The Mandala, “circle” in Sanskrit, represents wholeness, an integrated view of the world and the universe. In his books, Dr. Jung wrote, “It signifies the psychic center of the personality, not to be identified with the ego…. As psychological phenomena, they [mandalas] appear simultaneously in dreams…they contain a quaternity or a multiple of four, in the form of a cross, a star, a square, an octagon.”

“A cosmic diagram, it is a model for the organizational structure of life itself,” Dr. Dido Gustilo-Villasor explained. “The mandala reminds us of our relation to the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and mind. It appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.”