Guanyin Who Brings Sons usually represented as a white-robed lady carrying a baby in her arms, is a famous goddess specializing in granting sons widely worshiped in China. Developed from a promise of Guanyin to bring children to people in the "Universal Gateway" chapter of Lotus Sutra, a significant scripture promoting Guanyin belief, she is not an independent deity different from Guanyin, the Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara or the Goddess of Mercy in Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Personalizing and embodying Guanyin's power of bringing children, she is one form of Guanyin's various manifestations. The establishment of the cult of Guanyin Who Brings Sons in China has a long history, which was closely associated with the development of Guanyin worship in China. Having the same Buddhist background as Guanyin, Guanyin Who Brings Sons experienced the same Chinese transformation as Guanyin did in her development in China. The Chinese transformation of Guanyin occurred under the impact of Chinese traditional culture, social values and indigenous religions after the worship of her had been introduced to China. The result of it is to make her widely accepted by the Chinese and to be deemed as a deity with Chinese characteristics. As a manifestation of Guanyin, Guanyin Who Brings Sons was also syncretized with Chinese culture and gained her Chinese image during the transformation. The Sinicized cult of Guanyin Who Brings Sons had different belief dimensions, which can be basically divided into orthodox Buddhism and folk Buddhism. Moreover, her duty was no longer confined to the function of granting sons. She was charged with the responsibilities concerning childbirth and childcare to become the patron of women and children. The objective of this thesis is not only to draw a sketch of the development of this cult in China from miracle tales, indigenous scriptures, scholars' field reports and other historical materials, but also to explore the different belief dimensions of this cult and compare the roles of Guanyin Who Brings Sons in these dimensions, in order to investigate the Chinese transformation reflected in them.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-59). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Guanyin Who Brings Sons usually represented as a white-robed lady carrying a baby in her arms, is a famous goddess specializing in granting sons widely worshiped in China. Developed from a promise of Guanyin to bring children to people in the "Universal Gateway" chapter of Lotus Sutra, a significant scripture promoting Guanyin belief, she is not an independent deity different from Guanyin, the Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara or the Goddess of Mercy in Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Personalizing and embodying Guanyin's power of bringing children, she is one form of Guanyin's various manifestations. The establishment of the cult of Guanyin Who Brings Sons in China has a long history, which was closely associated with the development of Guanyin worship in China. Having the same Buddhist background as Guanyin, Guanyin Who Brings Sons experienced the same Chinese transformation as Guanyin did in her development in China. The Chinese transformation of Guanyin occurred under the impact of Chinese traditional culture, social values and indigenous religions after the worship of her had been introduced to China. The result of it is to make her widely accepted by the Chinese and to be deemed as a deity with Chinese characteristics. As a manifestation of Guanyin, Guanyin Who Brings Sons was also syncretized with Chinese culture and gained her Chinese image during the transformation. The Sinicized cult of Guanyin Who Brings Sons had different belief dimensions, which can be basically divided into orthodox Buddhism and folk Buddhism. Moreover, her duty was no longer confined to the function of granting sons. She was charged with the responsibilities concerning childbirth and childcare to become the patron of women and children. The objective of this thesis is not only to draw a sketch of the development of this cult in China from miracle tales, indigenous scriptures, scholars' field reports and other historical materials, but also to explore the different belief dimensions of this cult and compare the roles of Guanyin Who Brings Sons in these dimensions, in order to investigate the Chinese transformation reflected in them. / Arts, Faculty of / Asian Studies, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes special report study. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes special report study. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 449-469). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

No description available.

許雪輝. / 稿本 ; 複本據稿本影印. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院藝術學部. / Gao ben ; fu ben ju gao ben ying yin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-259). / Xu Xuehui. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan yi shu xue bu. / 導言 / Chapter 第一章 --- 孔望山佛教造像題材之發現 / Chapter 甲 --- 孔望山之地理位置 --- p.6 / Chapter 乙 --- 歷代對孔望山造像題材及年代之認識 / Chapter （一） --- 文献記載 --- p.11 / Chapter （二） --- 近人考察 --- p.13 / Chapter 丙 --- 孔望山造像內容之概述 --- p.18 / Chapter 第二章 --- 孔望山造像年代問題述評 / Chapter 甲 --- 東漢說 --- p.36 / Chapter （一） --- 小結 --- p.44 / Chapter 乙 --- 非東漢說 / Chapter （一） --- 曹魏以後元魏以前說 --- p.53 / Chapter （二） --- 三國或西晉時代以後說 --- p.57 / Chapter （三） --- 六朝說 --- p.59 / Chapter （四） --- 唐代前後說 --- p.60 / Chapter （五） --- 小結 --- p.65 / Chapter 第三章 --- 從文献資料考察孔望山佛教造像的年代 / Chapter 甲 --- 從佛教起源及漢代譯經方面考察 / Chapter （一） --- 佛像之起源　 --- p.74 / Chapter （1） --- 小結 --- p.89 / Chapter （二） --- 漢代佛教譯經 --- p.92 / Chapter （1） --- 小結 --- p.100 / Chapter 乙 --- 從漢代海上交通及漢代佛法流佈之地理分佈方面考察 / Chapter （一） --- 漢代海上交通 / Chapter （1） --- 漢代海路已開 --- p.106 / Chapter （2） --- 漢代中印之海路交往 --- p.114 / Chapter （3） --- 《漢書、地理志》所載之航程 --- p.119 / Chapter （二） --- 漢代佛法流佈之地理分佈 --- p.122 / Chapter （1） --- 小結 --- p.136 / Chapter 第四章 --- 孔望山佛教造像及藝術特色之分析比較 / Chapter 甲 --- 孔望山佛教造像之圖像及藝術特色 --- p.139 / Chapter 乙 --- 孔望山佛教造像與中國早期佛教造像之圖像及藝術特色比較 / Chapter （一） --- 東漢佛教造像之圖像及藝術特色　　　 --- p.147 / Chapter （二） --- 魏吳晉間出土佛像的圖像及藝術特色 --- p.152 / Chapter （三） --- 孔望山佛教造像與中國早期佛教造像之圖像及藝術特色比較 / Chapter （1） --- 圖像方面 --- p.163 / Chapter （2） --- 藝術特色方面 --- p.165 / Chapter 第五章 --- 總結 --- p.171 / 注釋 --- p.178 / 書目 --- p.224 / 圖錄

Buddhism is an integral part of Burmese culture. While Buddhism has been practiced in Burma for around 1500 years and evidence of the religion is found throughout the country, nothing surpasses the concentration of Buddhist monuments found at Bagan. Bagan represents not only the beginnings of a unified Burmese country, but also symbolises Burmese 'ownership' of Theravada Buddhism. ¶ While there is an abundance of artistic material throughout Burma, the study of Burmese Buddhist art by western scholars remains in it infancy due to historical events. In recent years, opportunities for further research have increased, and Bagan, as the region of Buddhism's principal flowering in Burma, is the starting point for the study of Burmese Buddhist art. To date, there has been no systematic review of the stylistic or iconographic characteristics of the Buddhist images of this period. This thesis proposes, for the first time, a chronological framework for sculptural depictions of the Buddha, and identifies the characteristics of Buddha images for each identified phase. The framework and features identified should provide a valuable resource for the dating of future discoveries of Buddhist sculpture at Bagan. ¶ As epigraphic material from this period is very scant, the reconstruction of Bagan's history has relied heavily to this point in time on non-contemporaneous accounts from Burma, and foreign chronicles. The usefulness of Bagan's visual material in broadening our understanding of the early Bagan period has been largely overlooked. This is addressed by relating the identified stylistic trends with purported historical events and it is demonstrated that, in the absence of other contemporaneous material, visual imagery is a valid and valuable resource for both supporting and refuting historical events. ¶ Buddhist imagery of Bagan widely regarded to represent the beginnings of 'pure' Theravada practice that King Anawrahta, the first Burman ruler, actively encouraged. This simplistic view has limited the potential of the imagery to provide a greater understanding of Buddhist practice at Bagan, and subsequently, the cross-cultural interactions that may have been occurring. In this light the narrative sculptural imagery of the period is interrogated against the principal Mahayana and Theravada texts relating to the life of Gotama Buddha. This review, along with the discussion regarding potential agencies for stylistic change, reveals that during the early Bagan period, Buddhism was an eclectic mix of both Theravada and Mahayana, which integrated with pre-existing spiritual traditions. Towards the end of the early Bagan period, trends were emerging which would lead to a distinctly Burmese form of Buddhist practice and visual expression.