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Philippine Esoteric Buddhism
Enola gay0: creation of the article.
'''Filipino Esoteric Buddhism''' refers to the traditions of [[Vajrayana|Esoteric Buddhism]] found in Philippine islands as well as in [[Maritime Southeast Asia]] which emerged in the 7th century along the maritime trade routes and port cities of the [[Indonesia]]n islands of [[Java]] and [[Sumatra]] as well as in Malaysia.
By means of the recent archaeological discoveries and the few scant references about the existence of Buddhism in the [[Philippines]] can be traced from the 9th century onward in the islands.
==Background==
Indianisation}}
[[File:Filippine, provincia di agusan, immagine hindu, statuetta in oro massiccio, xiii secolo.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Golden Tara]] at the collections of the [[Field Museum of Natural History]] in [[Chicago]], one of the significant examples of buddhist iconography in the [[Philippines]].]]
Although no written record exists about early [[Buddhism]] in the [[Philippines]], the recent archaeological discoveries and the few scant references in the other nations historical records can tell, however, about the existence of Buddhism from the 9th century onward in the islands. The Philippines's archaeological finds include a few of Buddhist artifacts, most of them dated to the 9th century. The artifacts reflect the iconography of the [[Srivijaya]]'s Vajrayana Buddhism <ref>Laszlo Legeza, "Tantric Elements in Pre-Hispanic Gold Art," Arts of Asia, 1988, 4:129-133.</ref><ref>[https://ift.tt/2C2O5fA Camperspoint: History of Palawan]</ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2). Accessed 27 August 2008.</ref> and its influences on the Philippines's early states. The artifacts distinct features point to their production in the islands and hint at the artisans or goldsmiths knowledge of Buddhist culture and Buddhist literature because the artisans have made these unique works of Buddhist art. The artifacts imply also the presence of Buddhist believers in the places where these artifacts turned up. These places extended from the Agusan-Surigao area in Mindanao island to [[Cebu]], [[Palawan]], and [[Luzon]] islands.
Hence, Vajrayana Buddhism must have spread far and wide throughout the archipelago. And Vajrayana Buddhism must have become the religion of the majority of the inhabitants in the islands. The early states trade contacts with the neighboring empires and polities like in Sumatra, Srivijaya and Majapahit empire in Java long before or in the 9th century must have served as the conduit for introducing Vajrayana Buddhism to the islands.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
==Literature==
Many fables and stories in Philippine culture are linked to Indian arts, such as the story of monkey and the turtle, the race between the deer and the snail (similar to the Western story of [[The Tortoise and the Hare]]), and the hawk and the hen. Similarly, the major epics and folk literature of the Philippines show common themes, plots, climax and ideas expressed in the [[Mahabharata]] and the [[Ramayana]].<ref>Maria Halili (2010), Philippine History, , Rex Books, 2nd Edition, pp. 46–47</ref>
According to [[Indologist]]s [[Juan R. Francisco]] and [[Josephine Acosta Pasricha]], Hindu influences and folklore arrived in Philippines by about 9th to 10th century AD.<ref>Mellie Leandicho Lopez (2008), A Handbook of Philippine Folklore, University of Hawaii Press, , pp xxiv – xxv</ref> The [[Maranao people|Maranao]] version is the ''Maharadia Lawana'' (King [[Rāvaṇa]] of Hindu Epic [[Ramayana]]). ''[[Biag ni Lam-Ang|Lam-Ang]]'' is the [[Ilocano people|Ilocano]] version and [[Sarimanok]] (akin to the Indian [[Garuda]]) is the legendary bird of the [[Maranao people]]. In addition, many verses from the ''[[Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras#The Ifugao epic Hudhud|Hud-Hud]]'' of the [[Ifugao people|Ifugao]] are derived from the Indian [[Hindu]] epics [[Ramayana]] and the [[Mahabharata]].<ref>Manuel, E. Arsenio (1963), A Survey of Philippine Folk Epics, Asian Folklore Studies, 22, pp 1–76</ref>
==Archeological findings==
The Philippines's archaeological finds include a few of Buddhist artifacts, most of them dated to the 9th century. The artifacts reflect the iconography of the Srivijaya empire's [[Vajrayana Buddhism]] and its influences on the Philippines's early states. The artifacts's distinct features point to their production in the islands and they hint at the artisans's or goldsmiths's knowledge of the Buddhist culture and the Buddhist literature because the artisans have made these unique works of Buddhist art. The artifacts imply also the presence of the Buddhist believers in the places where these artifacts turned up. These places extended from the Agusan-Surigao area in Mindanao island to [[Cebu]], [[Palawan]], and [[Luzon]] islands. Hence, [[Vajrayana Buddhism]] must have spread far and wide throughout the archipelago. And Vajrayana Buddhism must have become the religion of the majority of the inhabitants in the islands.
In 1225, China's [[Zhao Rugua]], a [[wikt:superintendent|superintendent]] of maritime trade in [[Fujian|Fukien]] province wrote the book entitled ''Zhu Fan Zhi'' () in which he described trade with a country called [[Ma-i]] in the island of [[Mindoro]] in [[Luzon]],(pronounced "Ma-yi") which was a prehispanic Philippine state. In it he said:
.<ref>Prehispanic Source Materials: for the study of Philippine History" (Published by New Day Publishers, Copyright 1984) Written by William Henry Scott, Page 68.</ref>
<ref></ref>
The gold statue of the deity [[Tara (Buddhism)|Tara]] is the most significant Buddhist artifact. In the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, Tara symbolizes the Absolute in its emptiness as the wisdom heart's essence that finds its expression through love and through compassion. The Vajrayana tradition also tells about the outpouring of the human heart's compassion that manifests Tara and about the fascinating story of the Bodhisattva of Compassion shedding a tear out of pity for the suffering of all sentient beings when he hears their cries. The tear created a lake where a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]] flower emerges. It bears Tara who relieves their sorrow and their pain. The Golden Tara was discovered in 1918 in Esperanza, Agusan and it has been kept in the [[Field Museum of Natural History]] in Chicago, Illinois since the 1920s. [[Henry Otley Beyer]], the Philippines's pioneer anthropologist-archaeologist, and some experts have agreed on its identity and have dated it to belong within 900-950 CE, which covers the Sailendra period of the Srivijaya empire. They can not place, however, the Golden Tara's provenance because it has distinct features. In the archipelago that was to become the Philippines, the statues of the Hindu gods were hidden to prevent their destruction by a [[Islam|religion]] which destroyed all [[cult image]]s. One statue, a "Golden Tara", a 4-pound gold statue of a Hindu-Malayan goddess, was found in [[Mindanao]] in 1917. The statue, denoted the ''Agusan Image'', is now in the [[Field Museum of Natural History]], Chicago. The image is that of a Hindu-Malayan female deity, seated cross-legged. It is made of "twenty-one carat gold and weighs nearly four pounds." It has a richly ornamented headdress and many ornaments in the arms and other parts of the body. Scholars date it to the late 13th or early 14th century. It was made by local artists, perhaps copying from an imported Javanese model. The gold that was used was from this area, since Javanese miners were known to have been engaged in gold mining in [[Butuan]] at this time. The existence of these gold mines, this artefact and the presence of "foreigners" proves the existence of some foreign trade, gold as element in the barter economy, and of cultural and social contact between the natives and "foreigners." As previously stated, this statue is not in The Philippines. Louise Adriana Wood (whose husband, [[Leonard Wood]], was military-governor of the Moro Province in 1903-1906 and governor general in 1921-1927) raised funds for its purchase by the Chicago Museum of Natural History. It is now on display in that museum's Gold Room. According to Prof. Beyer, considered the "Father of Philippine Anthropology and Archaeology", a woman in 1917 found it on the left bank of the Wawa River near Esperanza, Agusan, projecting from the silt in a ravine after a storm and flood. From her hands it passed into those of Bias Baklagon, a local government official. Shortly after, ownership passed to the Agusan Coconut Company, to whom Baklagon owed a considerable debt. Mrs. Wood bought it from the coconut company. A golden statuette of the Hindu-Buddhist goddess [[Kinnara]] found in an archeological dig in Esperanza, [[Agusan del Sur]]. the Philippines's archaeological finds include many ancient gold artifacts. Most of them have been dated to belong to the 9th century iconography of the Srivijaya empire. The artifacts's distinct features point to their production in the islands. It is probable that they were made locally because archaeologist Peter Bellwood discovered the existence of an ancient goldsmith's shop that made the 20-centuries-old lingling-o, or omega-shaped gold ornaments in Batanes.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Archaeological finds include Buddhist artifacts.<ref>Jesus Peralta, "Prehistoric Gold Ornaments CB Philippines," Arts of Asia, 1981, 4:54-60</ref><ref>[https://ift.tt/2C4ddCC Art Exhibit: Philippines' 'Gold of Ancestors'] in [[Newsweek]].</ref> The style are of [[Vajrayana]] influence.<ref>Laszlo Legeza, "Tantric Elements in Pre-Hispanic Gold Art," Arts of Asia, 1988, 4:129-133.</ref><ref name="camperspoint">[https://ift.tt/2C2O5fA Camperspoint: History of Palawan]. Accessed 27 August 2008.</ref> The other finds are the [[garuda]], the mythical bird that has been common to Buddhism and Hinduism, and several [[Padmapani]] images. Padmapani has been also known as Avalokitesvara, the enlightened being or Bodhisattva of Compassion.<ref>https://ift.tt/2CwpUav> Surviving Buddhist images and sculptures are primarily found in and at [[Tabon Cave]].<ref>[https://ift.tt/2C2O5fA Camperspoint: History of Palawan]. Accessed August 27, 2008.</ref> Recent research conducted by Philip Maise has included the discovery of giant sculptures, has also discovered what he believes to be cave paintings within the burial chambers in the caves depicting the [[Journey to the West]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
Although some 20th century historians believed that the various cultures of the Philippine archipelago first encountered Hindu and/or Buddhist beliefes as early as the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE,<ref name="Jocano2001"/> more recent scholarship suggests that these cultural influences mostly filtered in during the 10th through the early 14th centuries. Present-day scholarship believes these religious and cultural influences mostly came through trade with Southeast Asian thassalocratic empires such as the [[Srivijaya]] and [[Majapahit]], which had in turn had trade relationships with India.<ref name="Jocano2001">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="Scott1994">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="JocanoJr2012">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name="Churchill1977"></ref>
Scholars such as [[Milton Osborne]] emphasise that despite these beliefs being originally from India, they reached the Philippines through Southeast Asian cultures with Austronesian roots.<ref name="Osborne2004">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
ArtifactsLiquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2) reflect the iconography of the [[Vajrayana Buddhism]] and its influences on the Philippines's early states.<ref>Laszlo Legeza, "Tantric Elements in the Philippines PreHispanic Gold Arts," Arts of Asia, 1988, 4:129–136.</ref>
===List of Esoteric Buddhist iconography===
* [[Lokesvara|Bronze Lokesvara]] – This is bronze statue of Lokesvara was found in Isla Puting Bato in [[Tondo, Manila]].<ref name="ReferenceA">https://ift.tt/2Cx1UnE>
* [[Buddha|Buddha Amithaba bass relief]] The Ancient Batangueños were influenced by [[India]] as shown in the origin of most languages from Sanskrit and certain ancient potteries. A Buddhist image was reproduced in mould on a clay medallion in bas-relief from the municipality of Calatagan. According to experts, the image in the pot strongly resembles the iconographic portrayal of [[Buddha]] in [[Siam]], India, and [[Nepal]]. The pot shows [[Buddha|Buddha Amithaba]] in the [[tribhanga]]<ref name="tribhanga">[https://ift.tt/2C4E8Oz tribhanga]</ref> pose inside an oval nimbus. Scholars also noted that there is a strong [[Mahayana|Mahayanic]] orientation in the image, since the Boddhisattva [[Avalokitesvara]] was also depicted.<ref name="asj.upd.edu.ph">https://ift.tt/2Cw6m61>
* [[Garuda|Golden Garuda]] of Palawan- The other finds are the [[garuda]], the mythical bird that is common to Buddhism and Hinduism, Another gold artifact, from the [[Tabon Caves]] in the island of [[Palawan]], is an image of [[Garuda]], the bird who is the mount of [[Vishnu]]. The discovery of sophisticated Hindu imagery and gold artifacts in Tabon Caves has been linked to those found from [[Oc Eo]], in the [[Mekong Delta]] in Southern [[Vietnam]].
* [[Ganesha|Bronze Ganesha statues]] – A crude bronze statue of a Hindu Deity [[Ganesha]] has been found by [[Henry Otley Beyer]] in 1921 in an ancient site in [[Puerto Princesa]], [[Palawan]] and in [[Mactan]]. [[Cebu]] the crude bronze statue indicates of its local reproduction.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Avalokitesvara|Mactan Alokitesvara]] – Excavated in 1921 in [[Mactan]], [[Cebu]] by [[Henry Otley Beyer|H.O.Beyer]] the statue is bronze may be a siva-buddhist blending rather than "pure Buddhist".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* The [[Golden Tara]] was discovered in 1918 in Esperanza, Agusan by Bilay Campos a [[Manobo]] tribeswoman.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2C6zlfP Agusan Gold Image only in the Philippines].</ref> The Golden Tara was eventually brought to the [[Field Museum of Natural History]] in Chicago, Illinois in 1922. Henry Otley Beyer, and some experts have agreed on its identity and have dated it to belong within 900–950 CE. They can not place, however, its provenance because it has distinct features.<ref>Agusan Image Documents, Agusan-Surigao Historical Archives.</ref>
* [[Kinnara|Golden Kinnari]]- The golden-vessel [[kinnari]] was found in 1981 in [[Surigao City|Surigao]]. The kinnari exists in both Buddhist and Hindu mythology. In Buddhism, the kinnari, a half-human and half-bird creature, represents enlightened action. The Buddhist [[Lotus Sutra]] mentions the kinnari as the celestial musician in the Himavanta realm. The kinnari takes the form of a [[centaur]], however, in India's epic poem, the [[Mahabharata]], and in the [[Veda]]'s [[Purana]] part.
* [[Padmapani]] and [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] images – Padmapani is also known as [[Avalokitesvara]], the wisdom being or Bodhisattva of Compassion. Golden jewelry found so far include rings, some surmounted by images of [[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] – the sacred bull, linked chains, inscribed gold sheets, gold plaques decorated with repoussé images of Hindu deities.<ref name=atnb>Anna T. N. Bennett (2009), [https://ift.tt/2CymlAr Gold in early Southeast Asia], ArcheoSciences, Volume 33, pp 99–107</ref><ref>Dang V.T. and Vu, Q.H., 1977. The excavation at Giong Ca Vo site. Journal of Southeast Asian Archaeology 17: 30–37</ref>
* The [[Laguna Copperplate Inscription]] (above) found in 1989 suggests Indian cultural influence in the Philippines by 9th century AD, likely through [[Hinduism in Indonesia]], prior to the arrival of European colonial empires in the 16th century.]]
==See also==
* [[History of the Philippines]]
* [[History of the Philippines (900-1521)]]
* [[Buddhism in the Philippines]]
* [[Hinduism in the Philippines]]
==References==
==External links==
[[Category:Vajrayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:History of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Buddhism in Indonesia]]
October 09, 2018 at 11:02AM
