Thanks so much, Professor Bharne, for elucidating how the changing perception of the Buddha from the original idea of the social reformer to a spiritual icon has been expressed architecturally and how the environmental conditions of each country have exerted their influence on design decisions, which in turn, influence the particular ways in which people interact with each other and with the idea of Buddhism and the Buddha.

Mark Twain’s poem seems to express the shifting meaning of the enormous statue of the Buddha at Kamakura as it is interpellated into the various religious frameworks that people carry with them to Kamakura. Twain uses a number of traditionally Christian terms, like “Judgement Day,” “heathens,” and “sins,” which don’t occupy conceptual space within Buddhism. It seems in the poem that there is a tension between the people encountering the Buddha “on their way to Judgement Day” and the Buddha, who sits unmoved by those who encounter him, practicing the principles of Buddhism, letting the world pass through and by him.

The discussion of Zen practitioners illustrated another way in which practitioners continue to shift and refine their practice of Buddhism and use their environments to do so, at the same time that shifting environmental conditions shift their methods of practice. It was interesting to learn about how economic upheaval changed these gardens into dry gardens and how the tea trade from China to Japan served both a ritualistic and physical (caffeine-induced) function in developing Zen Buddhist practice.

I’m wondering what your thoughts are, especially considering architecture, about how Buddhism’s focus on the present moment (like the Zen ink drawings express) and the Buddhist concept of not harming interact with climate change as a global and future-oriented issue. Are there attempts beyond constructing temples with more sustainable principles to relating the concept of not harming to a wider set of practices?

Also, I had a technical question. When you discussed the Shosoin, you wrote, “In the summer the heat contracted the logs letting in the breeze through the gaps; in winter the dampness expanded them keeping the interiors dry” (p. 16).  I’ve always experienced summer expanding wood and winter contracting it, so I’m wondering how these conditions worked.

I was especially nterested in the Analogy of the Water Buffalo, since my wife observes that I  lack the proper focus when thinking about important decisions; my mind wanders instead of soncentrating on the task at hand.

Regarding the task of making the Zen Garden impeccably clean, I would surmise that the student should simply have left things alone, since nature would make the garden perfect in its own way with maple leaves.  "If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand"-- sorry, I couldn't resist!!

I have many thoughts and questions relating to depictions of Buddha in art and architecture.

First, Buddha originally was not depicted in human form but as an empty space situated below a parasol or above a set of foot prints. I have seen relief carvings on structures from India relating stories from Buddha's life in such a way. In the third lecture, there was mention that Buddha's earliest devout followers viewed him as a social reformer rather than a spiritual icon. My questions pertaining to this: what was the initial reasoning for not depicting Buddha in human form, and was it related to the view that he was a man and not an entity to be worshipped?

Also in the third lecture, it was said that the large human form that has become an iconic representation of Buddha was developed over time in East Asia. My questions pertaining to this: when did it become convention to depict Buddha in human form, what was the significant influence behind this shift, and did it first occur in India or East Asia?

I found the images and diagrams of different pagoda structures very interesting. Looking at the Chinese and Japanese pagoda design side by side, it didnt register that they were so different until this lecture. They have a similar profile, but utilize different material based on aesthetic preference and functionality. I think students would be able to look at them side by side, like is done in the lecture, and make observations about the differences and similarities. 

Additionally, the use of wood and appreciation of the natural world in Japan is very special. My elementary students may not have seen a large wooden structures like the temples and castles in Japan, but share a love of nature. We can discuss the upsides of building with wood and the downsides. A field trip to the huntington gardens would be ideal, but we could also take a virtual field trip. We can identify concepts to look for like: Zen brushstrokes, zen gardens, zen walkways, natural materials, etc.

Do any other elementary teachers have experience with teaching about East Asian architecture?

Thank you for the informative lectures! 

I love your idea of incorporating the use of wood in Japanese architecture in your teaching practices.  I have never taught elementary school, but I imagine if you discuss positives and negatives of using wood, you could tie it into a small unit on conservation in science.  Students could potentially explore the benefits of utilizing other materials instead, and maybe they might brainstorm how they might create a different design that is more sustainable for larger cities.  I also was thinking about your idea for field trips, and there is a website https://virtualfieldtrips.org/ that allows students to view videos and go on a virtual field trip to different locations.  They only have a few locations in Asia, but this might be a cool resource for you!

 I found this weeks topic really interesting in particular, the tension between the preservation of Japanese indigenous building proceses and pratices, and enviornmental sustainablity. We often consider indegnious wisdom and building pratices to be climate sensitive and thus more sustainable. In yesterday's conversation there was mention of the Pueblo people of the American southwest, as well as Mongolian Yurt building, and I am sure that everyone can think of other examples as well. Indeed, I have used examples of Shinto/Zen pratices in my class as an alternative perspective on nature as inspiration of being more sustainable as well in my environmental science class. What was new for me this week was the realization was just how unsustainable building with wood actually is with the constant rebuilding of large wooden structures. While, it seems like wood was a natural choice as a building material given how abundant it is, and how flexible a wooden structure is during a seismic event, and yet, it is still an unsustainable process.

I really like this idea for a class. It seems like artists design or account for particular subjectivities, too, and many of my students wouldn't necessarily fit with those subjectivities, so it'll be interesting, if you do this class, to hear from your students about whether they felt like they could be part of particular artworks or that the artworks addressed them or took them into account in some way. I like your application of these concepts to the subject of psychology and mental health, too, which are organized very specifically in different contexts.