Enlightenment From Body-Spirit Integration: Dunhuang's Cultivation Pathways and Educational Implications

• In Event: 25.048 - The Dunhuang Grottos, Buddhism, and Global Education: Philosophical, Spiritual, Scientific, and Aesthetic Insights

Abstract

Enlightenment comes as a result of its cultivation, and Buddhism is a system for cultivating enlightenment. Cultivation in this paper is defined as engagement in body-based, contemplative practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and other forms of practice such as dance and the arts. Another level of cultivation is to do good deeds and be compassionate. All these practices are inextricably linked with one’s ability to concentrate and enter deep levels of tranquility, and to expand one’s awareness and energy. In this paper, the author explores Buddhist cultivation methods as illustrated in the murals in Dunhuang’s Grottos. The author posits that these murals intend to preserve such cultivation methods in Buddhism. In the murals and sculptures, the sitting positions of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, their hand gestures, and their eyes gazing down and inward, and the stories that accompany the murals, all intend to convey methods of cultivation to help elevate a person’s energy to reach realms beyond our physical reality and become an enlightened person like the Buddha and his disciples. Finally, the paper discusses educational implications derived from the Dunhuang Buddhist art.

Authors

• Jing Lin, University of Maryland - College Park

• Xu Di, University of Hawaii - Manoa