The Temple Art of East Java, a study of the temples created in East Java between the tenth and sixteenth centuries, fills an important scholarly lacuna. The arts of Central Java, home of the great Buddhist monument, Borobudur, and Hindu Prambanan, have been given thorough scholarly attention. The architectural and sculptural treasures of the East Javanese kingdoms of Kadiri, Singasari, and Majapahit, are little known in comparison, yet beautiful and significant in Indonesian history. The author presents the major sites of these three historical periods, and discusses their architecture and sculpture. The many narrative reliefs illustrating sacred and secular literature have been painstakingly identified. The reader is thus able to follow their stories and understand where, why, and how they fit into the visual program planned for each temple and their relation to historical events and the wayang theater. These descriptions are augmented by extensive site summaries. Superb color photography supports the text throughout and is a major contribution in itself. The book contains a wealth of information that is not available all together in any other publication. Not only are the descriptions of the monuments valuable but the author identifies numerous sculptures in collections around the world that were once associated with the East Javanese temples discussed. The attempted reconstruction of sculptural programs at the sites is extremely important. To understand an ancient Javanese stone sculpture, knowledge of its original cultural context is required rather than its current location on a stand in some museum. Today, with the number of fakes appearing on the art market, such associations are invaluable for dating and authenticating stone sculpture said to come from unidentified East Javanese sites. The Temple Art of East Java is a welcome and significant addition not only to Javanese studies but also to architecture, art history, comparative religion, Buddhist, Hindu, and Southeast Asian studies generally.

In 1982, Olivia entered Indonesia as member of the entourage of H.H. The Dalai Lama during His consecration of Borobudur. She continued her pilgrimage there by the name of "Tara" and was requested to write the History of Buddhism in Indonesia by the ethnic Javanese Buddhist teacher, pak Sumarsoeno. Hesitatingly, she agreed only to discover that he was to pass away several days later. Feeling compelled to keep her promise to him, she undertook the task and soon found out that the materials needed, necessary visas to remain in the country, and persons able to convey historical information were uncannily provided…so that she was able to gather the following information for future readers.

The study of historical Buddhism in premodern and early modern Southeast Asia stands at an exciting and transformative juncture. Interdisciplinary scholarship is marked by a commitment to the careful examination of local and vernacular expressions of Buddhist culture as well as to reconsiderations of long-standing questions concerning the diffusion of and relationships among varied texts, forms of representation, and religious identities, ideas, and practices. The twelve essays in this collection, written by leading scholars in Buddhist Studies and Southeast Asian history, epigraphy, and archaeology, comprise the latest research in the field to deal with the dynamics of mainland and (pen)insular Buddhism between the sixth and nineteenth centuries C.E. Drawing on new manuscript sources, inscriptions, and archaeological data, they investigate the intellectual, ritual, institutional, sociopolitical, aesthetic, and literary diversity of local Buddhisms, and explore their connected histories and contributions to the production of intraregional and transregional Buddhist geographies.

Bibliography Index The Tantra Is A Body Of Theories, Techniques And Rituals Developed In India In Antiquity, Which Has Two Fundamental Aspects. The First Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Theory Of Creation, Which Posits That The Universe Has No Beginning And No End, And That All Its Manifestations Are Merely The Projections Of Divine Energy Of Its Creator. The Second Aspect Of The Tantra Is The Belief That The Performance Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Facilitates Access To This Divine Energy, Enabling Their Practitioners To Empower Themselves, As Well As Empower Others Associated With Them In The Guru-Disciple Relationship. Thus The Knowledge And Proper Application Of Tantrik Techniques And Rituals Is Believed To Harness The Creator'S Cosmic Energies To The Promotion Of The Mundane As Well As Spiritual Goals Of Their Practitioners. Between The Vii And The Xii Centuries A.D. These Theories, Rituals And Practices Spread To Other Parts Of Asia. In These Parts Their Interaction With Indigenous Traditions Of Shamanism And Other Magical Cults Resulted In Potent Hybrids. These Not Only Served The Personal Needs Of Their Practi- Tioners, But Were Used By The Kings To Summon The Cosmic Forces To Legitimize Their Right And Power To Rule The Ancient Monarchies. Elaborate And Artistically Beautiful Icons Were Developed In Sculpture, Painting, Bronze And Bas-Relief To Portray The Basic Concept Of Tantrik Theories And Various Deities Of The Hindu And Buddhist Pantheons. This Book First Explores The Origin Of The Tantra In India, Its Development And Emergence Of Various Schools Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Over The Centuries. Then It Explores Their Spread From Tantrik Universities In Bihar And Other Centres Of Tantrik Scholarship And Rituals Practised In West Bengal, Orissa And South India At That Time To Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan And Indonesia. The Coloured Plates Illustrate The Iconographic Presentation Of The Basic Theories And Concepts Of The Tantra, As Well As Various Deities Associated With The Pantheons Of Hindu And Buddhist Tantrism Drawn From Different Parts Of The World.

The Central Thesis Of This Book Maintains That The Need To Preserve Pluralism In Indonesia, And The High Price Paid By Its People Anytime Pluralism Had Been Trampled Upon In The Past, Are The Two Essential Aspects Of Their Historical Experience. This Thesis Is Particularly Relevant For The People Of Indonesia Today As They Are Grappling With The Problems Of National Unity And Transition To A Modem Pluralistic Democracy. Two Parts Of This Book Articulate This Thesis. Part I Explains The Origin Of The Hindu-Buddhist Dualism During The Srivijaya And Sailendra Periods In The Viii- Ix Centuries Ad. The Process Of Javanization Then Extended This Dualism By Incorporating Into The New Synthesis The Indigenous Ancestral And The Rsi Cults During The Majapahit Period, Particularly Under King Wuruki'Ls Rule From 1350 To 1389. This New Pluralism Was Further Extended By Absorbing Elements Of The Kalang/Palang Culture And The Bhima Cult, Culminating In The Grand Synthesis Of The Core Values Of The Hindu-Javanese Culture As Expressed By The Iconography Of Candi Sukuh Erected In 1437. Two Factors Are Identified As Contributing To The Decline And Then Demise Of Majapahit In 1527. First, Attempts By China To Build Its Own System Of Dependencies In Southeast Asia By Detaching From Majapahit Its Overseas Territories, And Then Its Intervention In The Dynastic Rivalries In Java During The Paregreg Civil War From 1400 To 1406. Second, The Penetration Of Islam From The Coastal Areas Of Majapahit Into Its Heartland, And The Gradual Establishment Of Its Hegemony Over The Core Values Of The Hindu-Javanese Civilization. Part Ii Of The Book Explores The Interaction Of Islam With The Deeply Rooted Substratum Of The Hindu-Javanese Values, And Then The Absorption Of Islam Into A New Synthesis And A Higher Form Of Pluralism Forged During The Long Process Of The Islamization Of Java And The Javanization Of Islam. This New Pluralism Was Further Enriched By Incorporating Various Strands Of Christianity During The Colonial Period. In Its Fmal Form This Pluralism Provided The Social Cohesion And The National Ethos And Consciousness Which Propelled Indonesia Towards Its Statehood And Independence In 1945, Leading To The Establish- Ment Of A Secular State To Accommodate The Imperatives Of This Higher Pluralism Under The State Doctrine Of The Pancasila. The Book Then Surveys The Post-Independence Period To Show How This Pluralism Fared Under The Successive Regimes Of Sukamo, Suharto, Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, And How It Fares Under Megawati Sukamoputri Today. The Survey Con- Cludes On A Sobering Note That Most Of The Problems Experi- Enced By These Regimes Had Their Roots In The Violation Of The Pluralistic Nature Of The Indonesian Society. In This Context There Is Little Doubt That The Continued Attempts Of Some Islamic Groups, Mostly Incited From Abroad, To Wage A Jihad For The Replacement Of The Existing Secular State By An Islamic One, Would Plunge The Country Into A Civil War Of The Paregreg Type. These Attempts Might Not Succeed Given The Rnilitaryns Staunch Commitment To The Pancasila And The Secular State. However The Cost Of Thwarting Them Would Be Very High.

More than 1,000 years ago in India there lived five ascetics, Pasupata's, who went around naked, with ungroomed hair. The fame of their holiness spread to Java and Bali, where they became heavenly seers, aspects both of Shiva and Buddha, celestial gods even, and as such connected with the creation. Classificatory thought classes them with a man's four older brothers: amniotic fluid, blood, vernix caseosa, and the placenta, the helpers or enemies par excellence of each and every person, whether layman or priest. This book brings together much material, from old to very modern, which indicates the extent to which these ideas were, and still are, living reality for the Balinese. The most important texts, both prose and poetry, and the comparison of many manuscripts published here for the first time, form the body of this book.