Guest lecture „The Expediency on the Bodhisattva Path in Buddhist Art“

Dr. An-Yi Pan, Associate Professor, History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University An-Yi Pan researches Buddhist Art with special interest in the relation between Chinese intellectual participation in Buddhism and Buddhist painting, Buddhist architecture in relation to precepts, monastic hieratical structure, liturgical as well as spiritual spaces, and trans-continental blossoming of Buddhist teachings and art. He also devotes research to modern Chinese art and contemporary Taiwanese art, investigating the impact of colonialism and current geopolitical influence on Chinese and Taiwanese art from the late 19th century to now.

Short introduction of the lecture:
Focusing on Sukhāvatī, this presentation explores Amitabhaism’s role in Mahāyāna quest for Buddhahood. We will examine Tiantai use of the Visualization Sūtra in their practice and the type of death ritual developed in monasteries to ensure birth to Sukhāvatī.