This thesis delves into the intersection of Buddhism, medicine, and art through the lens of seventeenth-century Tibetan paintings known as the Blue Beryl series. These intricate artworks not only...Show moreThis thesis delves into the intersection of Buddhism, medicine, and art through the lens of seventeenth-century Tibetan paintings known as the Blue Beryl series. These intricate artworks not only serve as repositories of medical knowledge but also reflect the cultural, religious, and political values of their time. Central to these paintings is the representation of indigenous Tibetan perspectives on spirit-caused illnesses, which focus on the existence of elemental spirits deeply rooted in local beliefs and landscapes. The research aims to investigate the indigenous Tibetan beliefs surrounding spirit causation and illness as depicted in the Blue Beryl paintings, offering a deeper understanding of these often misconstrued spiritual entities. By closely analyzing the iconography within these artworks, the study seeks to unveil the presence and significance of non-Buddhist beliefs and practices within Tibetan psychiatry, shedding light on a less-explored aspect of Tibetan medicine and spirituality.Show less
For millions of people in Southeast Asia, Buddhism is more than a religion in the Western sense; it is a lifestyle. Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is intimately connected to Thai governance,...Show moreFor millions of people in Southeast Asia, Buddhism is more than a religion in the Western sense; it is a lifestyle. Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is intimately connected to Thai governance, society, and culture. Since the 1980s Thai Buddhism has created links with environmentalist movements. The Buddhist Environmental movement in Thailand has two terms related to monks: firstly, Development Monks or phra nak phatthana, and secondly, Forest Monks or phra nak anuraksaa. By 1991, there were some 250-300 Development Monks, comprising an important network in village grassroots communities, especially rural communities, and premised the desire to introduce a ‘Buddhist way of sustainable development'.Show less
This paper explores why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women in The Netherlands following Sanātan Dharm to answer the research question: ‘Why does Hinduism act as a...Show moreThis paper explores why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women in The Netherlands following Sanātan Dharm to answer the research question: ‘Why does Hinduism act as a source of empowerment for Surinamese Hindu women in the Netherlands?’ Currently it is unknown how empowered Surinamese Hindu women pursue Hinduism in The Netherlands. This research investigates the cultural and religious aspects of Hinduism they implement to their lives, why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women, how they combine their Hindu lifestyle with the Western society and how they convey Hinduism. For this, interviews were conducted with twenty women. The outcome was that most respondents express themselves by implementing life lessons from the Bhagavad Gitā. Negative aspects of Hinduism are linked to the marginalization of lower caste and women, who believe everyone should be treated equally. The results indicate that all Hindus define Hinduism not only as a way of life but also connect Hinduism to various concepts such as dharma, arth, kām, moksh and more. Some respondents are vegetarian or do vrat once a week or on religious festivities. They mostly join and celebrate religious festivities. In difficult situations, Hinduism provides guidance, and various deities, such as Durgā Mā, Kāli Mā, Pārvati Mā, Sarasvati Mā, Lakshmi Mā, and Santoshi Mā, are a source of empowerment. Hinduism also brings family together with its culture and religion and provides solace in difficult situations. Although a part of the respondents think that Hinduism is marginalizing women, we can conclude that the positive influence of Hinduism to the extent that it empowers them outweighs this negative aspect. Besides empowerment Hinduism is linked to many more values, such as energy, love, confidence, and peace.Show less
This thesis examines displays of Chinese porcelain in Dutch museums and how they construct an image of China. Chinese commodities, especially porcelain, ended up in the Netherlands due to...Show moreThis thesis examines displays of Chinese porcelain in Dutch museums and how they construct an image of China. Chinese commodities, especially porcelain, ended up in the Netherlands due to increasing trade relations between Europe and China during the seventeenth century. Chinese porcelain was collected and put on display in Dutch interiors. This was mainly done to express the identity of the collector, thus reframing Chinese porcelain in a Dutch context. These porcelain collections eventually ended up in museum displays that framed Chinese porcelain within Western-centered and Orientalist frameworks. From the twenty-first century onwards, museum professionals have attempted to move beyond this Orientalist framework. This thesis aims to evaluate the narratives about Chinese porcelain and China that are being presented by twenty-first century displays of Chinese porcelain in Dutch museums. The analysis is performed through the observation of contemporary museum displays and focusses on the concept of framing. Attention is paid to aspects such as visual design, layout, and textual framing through object labels and wall panels. The analysis is used to evaluate the extent to which Dutch museums present Chinese porcelain as part of Western-centered and Orientalist narratives. The outcomes show that many museums still present a Western-centered narrative and use Orientalist modes of display which highlight the otherness of Chinese porcelain.Show less
In Northern Pakistan lies a cave temple with vast untapped research potential. Kashmir Smast is a religious cave and settlement site in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This site is...Show moreIn Northern Pakistan lies a cave temple with vast untapped research potential. Kashmir Smast is a religious cave and settlement site in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This site is currently dated from at least the 2nd century CE and may be one of the earliest dated sites associated with Hinduism in Pakistan, with occupation continuing until at least the 11th century. Researchers have identified Kashmir Smast as the earliest Śaivite site in the northwest based on material culture including a wide range of religious motifs found on unique seals (Nasim Khan, 2003). However, there is also evidence of Vaiṣṇava, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, and Islamic connections through the archaeological and textual evidence associated with the site. Based on a range of material connected to Kashmir Smast the principal deity is believed to be the goddess Bhīmā, associated with fortune and prosperity. To date very few studies have explored Bhīmā in detail with most studies offering her a cursory mention within the iconography found on the seals and coinage. This thesis takes this opportunity to contribute a new perspective to the understanding of this site and develop wider research around this goddess, through exploring an interdisciplinary approach to analysing religious change.Show less
In this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology today, and has done so ever since the conception of the game. Where the once-popular woodblock printed parodies and educational books that featured the poems inevitably fell out of fashion, karuta has seen attempts at modernization, standardization and national organization that secured not only its own survival into the twenty-first century, but that of the anthology as well. As there was very little research on this specific topic at the time of writing, I sought to answer this question: how has karuta, and the popularity thereof, concretely contributed to the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu in the past 70 years?Show less
