BuddhistRoadPaper 5.6 "Light on ‘Art in the Dark’: On Buddhist Practice and Worship in the Mogao Caves"

This piece has partly been written in response to a series of claims put forward by Robert Sharf almost a decade ago in his article Art in the Dark in which he argues that the Buddhist caves in Dunhuang (and elsewhere in China and Central Asia) were not for worship, but were created as a sort of ancestral memorials, or decorated mausoleums meant to be left in the dark. Given that the implications of such reading of Buddhist cave-art in the Sinitic cultural-sphere would surely have a profound impact on our overall understanding of Buddhist ritual practices and cave-art, should Sharf’s readings turn out to be correct, the evidence and speculations he uses as underpinnings for his line of argument in particular merit closer scrutiny. Moreover, as he touches upon a range of other related issues, all of which concern Buddhist ritual practices one way or another, it seems worthwhile to devote a lengthier essay to a more detailed discussion.

The Art of Resistance in Islam

Based on first-hand ethnographic insights into Shi'i religious groups in the Middle East and Europe , this book examines women's resistance to state as well as communal and gender power structures. It offers a new transnational approach to understanding gender agency within contemporary Islamic movements expressed through language, ritual practices, dramatic performances , posters and banners. By looking at the aesthetic performance of the political on the female body through Shi'i ritual practices – an aspect that has previously been ignored in studies on women's acts of resistance -, Yafa Shanneik shows how women play a central role in redefining sectarian and gender power relations both in the Middle East and in the European diaspora.

Tungus-Manchu Traditional Beliefs. Part 2: Zoomorphic Complex

This article describes the zoomorphic complex of Tungus-Manchu beliefs refl ected in mythology, ritual practices, shamanism, and decorative and applied arts. Those beliefs are regarded as a coherent whole within the cultural system. The typology of the zoomorphic complex shows that the key fi gures were the serpent-dragon, the deer, the bear, and the tiger. In traditional worldviews and rituals, they were related to cosmogony, ancestor cult, hunting and fi shing rituals, healing, and initiation shamanic complexes. The semantics of animal images depended on their place in the cultural system, religious ritual, and artistic communication. Comparative analysis demonstrates both ethno-cultural specifi city and universal archetypal characteristics, as well as connection with ancient regional beliefs. The Tungus- Manchu zoomorphic complex originated within the East Asian traditions, having been infl uenced by cultures such as the Old Chinese, Korean, and Jurchen.

The Dance of Aurora

This chapter suggests that embodied ritual practices of the feminine—involving media, art, psycho-spiritual technologies, and techniques of the occult—manifest transmedial auric fields that weave the dance of Aurora, the dance of awakening of the Goddess of Light. These fields resonate with the universal heart vibe, channeling the healing energies of the cosmic Mother to the physical, the digital, the mental, and the tech-noetic. Specific examples from the work of three women are presented, namely Dr. Lila Moore, Vedava (the author of this chapter) and Sedona Soulfire. These modern creatrixes actualize their media priestess function by fusing consciousness and the imaginative with the ancient and the futuristic, in the convergence of art, body, technology, and 21st century feminine spirituality.

“Ritual” mushrooms in the traditional culture of the Ob Ugrians

Introduction. In the traditional culture of the Ob Ugrians, certain types of mushrooms have received a special mythological “status” that reveals their place in the traditional picture of the world and explains the power of their impact on humans. The purpose of the study is to present the role of mushrooms in folk medicine and ritual practices of the Khanty and Mansi. These interconnected areas have not been sufficiently studied at the moment, which reflects the relevance of the work. Materials and Methods. The article uses the published data and field materials of the author, as well as folklore sources. The study was carried out on the basis of an interdisciplinary and systematic approach using the structural-functional method. Results and Discussion. In the treatment and cleansing rituals of the Khanty and Mansi, the use of birch tinder fungi has become widespread. Their healing properties have been known since antiquity, since image of the Tree of Life was associated with this tree. Another representative of the mushroom kingdom, the fly agaric, was used sporadically, primarily as a hallucinogenic agent used in ritual practices. The properties of this mushroom allow researchers to make an ambiguous conclusion that the secret of soma, the drink of the gods, lies in the portion made from the fly agaric. Conclusion. Changes in living conditions led to the gradual disappearance of the traditions of folk medicine and ritual practices of the Ob Ugrians, which significantly complicates their study at the present period.

The Main Stages of the Development of Incense Culture in China

The article provides an overview of the main stages and trends in the development of the incense culture of China from antiquity to the present day. It covers religious and magical rituals, sanitary and hygiene, traditional medicine, a set of spiritual, healing, artistic, and game practices and rituals of Taoist-Buddhist and Confucian character. In China, over several millennia, a colossal experience has been accumulated in terms of the use of aromatic raw materials of plant, mineral and animal origin: thousands of treatises and reference books have been written, the properties of individual incense and their combinations have been studied, detailed classifications have been drawn up and principles of religious cults and ritual practices have been developed. Along with the applied value of incense, an aesthetic attitude toward incense aromas also developed, which repeatedly ensured periods of rapid flourishing of incense culture in antiquity, the Middle Ages and on the cusp of the New Age. Currently, the traditional aromatic culture in China is experiencing a period of upsurge and revival. This provides ample opportunities for its study in various fields of knowledge, which indicates the relevance and multidimensional nature of the study of this topic.

Symbolic and Ritual Practices in the Post-Soviet Urban World: Symbolic Space and Festivity in the Cities of Eastern and Southern Ukraine, 1990s–2010s

Symbolic and Ritual Practices in the Post-Soviet Urban World: Symbolic Space and Festivity in the Cities of Eastern and Southern Ukraine, 1990s–2010sThe article examines symbolic and ritual practices in five cities of southern and eastern Ukraine – Dnipro, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv – during the 1990s to 2010s. The author considers the ways in which urban symbolic and ritual practices (primarily expressed in such symbolic forms as municipal ceremonies and festivals) are connected with the cultural and symbolic space of cities. First and foremost, these practices represent a kind of “symbolic mediators” of urban cultural memory and participate in the preservation, broadcasting, and actualization of the cultural semantics of the city. During the 1990s to 2010s, urban symbolic and ritual practices in Ukraine were characterized by efforts to leave behind the most objectionable manifestations of the Soviet culture of festivity and create a fundamentally new festive canon. To an extent, these developments were part of the so-called “decolonization of historical memory,” initiated by the central government and urban communities. Undoubtedly, they were facilitated by the ongoing socio-political transformations, particularly those connected with the Orange Revolution (2004) and Euromaidan Revolution (2013–2014), the Russian aggression against Ukraine, etc. At the same time, the transformation of the Soviet complex of symbolic and ritual practices progressed only slowly; the change of political regime did not lead to a large-scale “ceremonial revolution.” Modern Ukrainian festive culture involves a combination, often quite eclectic, of at least several elements: a “new” style of festivity, generally based on borrowed “Western” cultural patterns; “traditional” forms, stressing national aspects and attempting to revive pre-Soviet cultural models; and “Soviet” forms, which preserve the Soviet festive canon, often adapted and rethought within the framework of the new urban tradition. Overall, the process of constructing a new model of urban festivity in Ukraine is far from complete; this emerging cultural complex remains fluid and capable of “turning” towards the festive traditions of different historical periods. Символічні та ритуальні практики в пострадянському міському середовищі: символічний простір і святкування в містах Східної та Південної України протягом 1990–2010-х рр.Стаття присвячена дослідженню символічних і ритуальних практик п’яти міст Південної та Східної України – Дніпра, Донецька, Запоріжжя, Одеси та Харкова – протягом 1990–2010-х рр. Відзначається, що міські символічні та ритуальні практики (передовсім, виражені у таких символічних формах, як міські урочисті церемонії та свята) особливим чином пов’язані з культурно-символічним простором міста. Насамперед, вони являють собою своєрідні «символічні медіатори» культурної пам’яті міста та беруть участь у зберіганні, трансляції та актуалізації культурних смислів міста. Протягом 1990–2010-х рр. для міських символічних і ритуальних практик в Україні були характерними спроби позбутися найбільш одіозних проявів радянської святкової культури та створити принципово новий святковий канон. Частково ці процеси відбувалися в межах так званої «деколонізації історичної пам’яті», ініціаторами якої була центральна влада та міські спільноти. Безперечно, сприяли цьому суспільно-політичні трансформації, зокрема, пов’язані з Помаранчевою революцією (2004 р.) та Єврореволюцією (2013–2014 рр.), російською збройною агресією проти України тощо. Водночас, процеси трансформації радянських символічних і ритуальних практик були помірними: зміна політичного режиму не призвела до масштабної «церемоніальної революції». Сучасна українська святкова культура передбачає поєднання, часто доволі еклектичне, щонайменше кількох складових: «нової» святкової традиції, що загалом базується на запозичених «західних» культурних зразках; «традиційної», що містить національні акценти та являє собою спробу відродження дорадянських культурних зразків; «радянської», що зберігає радянський святковий канон, часто він адаптований та переосмислений у нових міських традиціях. Загалом, маємо підстави казати про незавершеність процесу конструювання нової міської святкової культури в Україні, що характеризується невизначеністю та можливостями «повороту» до святкових традицій різних історичних епох.Praktyki symboliczne i rytualne w postsowieckim środowisku miejskim: przestrzeń symboliczna i obchody świąt w miastach wschodniej i południowej Ukrainy w latach 90. i na początku XXI w.Artykuł jest poświęcony badaniu praktyk symbolicznych i rytualnych w pięciu miastach południowej i wschodniej Ukrainy: Dnieprze, Doniecku, Zaporożu, Odessie i Charkowie, w latach 1990-2010. Symboliczne oraz rytualne praktyki miejskie (wyrażone przede wszystkim przy użyciu takich form symbolicznych jak miejskie święta, uroczystości) są szczególnie związane z kulturową i symboliczną przestrzenią miasta. Są one przede wszystkim swego rodzaju „symbolicznymi mediatorami” kulturowej pamięci miasta i uczestniczą w utrwalaniu, transmitowaniu i aktualizowaniu jego kulturowych znaczeń. W latach 90. i dwóch pierwszych dekadach XXI w. miejskie praktyki symboliczne i rytualne w Ukrainiecharakteryzowały się próbami pozbycia się najbardziej odrażających przejawów sowieckiej kultury świętowania oraz stworzenia zupełnie nowego kanonu świąt. Po części procesy te odbywały się w ramach tzw. dekolonizacji pamięci historycznej, inicjowanej przez władze centralne i społeczności miejskie. Niewątpliwie ułatwiły to przemiany społeczno-polityczne, w szczególności związane z pomarańczową rewolucją (2004) oraz Euromajdanem (2013-2014), rosyjską agresją zbrojną na Ukrainę itp. Jednocześnie procesy transformacji sowieckich praktyk symbolicznych i rytualnych były umiarkowane: zmiana ustroju politycznego nie doprowadziła do „rewolucji ceremonialnej” na dużą skalę. Współczesna ukraińska kultura świąteczna łączy, często dość eklektycznie, przynajmniej kilka elementów: „nową” tradycję świąteczną, która na ogół opiera się na zapożyczonych „zachodnich” wzorcach kulturowych; element „tradycyjny”, zawierający akcenty narodowe i będący próbą ożywienia przedsowieckich wzorców kulturowych; „sowiecki”, który zachowuje sowiecki kanon świąteczny, jest często adaptowany do nowych tradycji miejskich. Ogólnie rzecz biorąc, można zauważyć, że proces budowy nowej miejskiej kultury świętowania w Ukrainie nie jest ukończony i charakteryzuje się niepewnością i możliwością „zwrócenia się” do tradycji świątecznych różnych epok historycznych.

Folk Liturgies and Narratives of Holy Wells among the Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria

Building on Celeste Ray’s extensive research on Ireland’s holy wells, I show how folk liturgies underlie meanings that are closely related to some of the practices that manifest around holy wells among the Yoruba in southwest Nigeria – meanings that are often neglected in the holy wells literature. I adapt some holy wells terms as they appear in existing studies for illustrative as well as for comparative purposes. Their interpretation and analysis will, however, focus on the liturgical narratives that best fit the article’s perception of what is local to holy wells among the Yoruba. With a focus on two holy wells, Olokun and Ori Aye, the article draws on the testimonies of local knowledge, close research encounters of ritual practices and performances and readings from extant literature to open the window through which holy wells and their various manifestations in the socio-cultural life among the Yoruba could be properly assessed and adequately understood.

The Thread metaphor in the linguistic imaginary of folklore

The Thread Metaphor in the Linguistic Imaginary of Folklore. In our study, we analyse the conceptualization of the idea of creation in the linguistic imaginary of traditional Romanian communities, with the help of certain metaphors from the sphere of household industry, namely the thread, the linen, the towel, the handkerchief, the kerchief, the girdle and others. By exploring a number of theories from the field of cognitive linguistics and ethnolinguistics, we research not only the manners of representing genesis, but also those of other forms of “creation”, such as creating human connections, both between the living and between the living and the dead. To this end, we follow certain linguistic data that encode the concept of creation, identified in folkloric texts, such as dirges, incantations, carols, fairytales, or cosmogonic legends. For their correct interpretation, we invoke their relation with popular beliefs, with ritual practices or elements of material patrimony, without which we would not be able to understand the deepest meanings. Finally, the results of the analysis highlight the significance of the seed-thread, as a core-metaphor responsible for the production of several types of creation, at different levels of existence. The thread metaphor supports the imaginary scheme of warping and weaving, which has modelled the representations about the birth of the vast canvas of the world. By analysing the multiple items, the connections and correlations created with the thread’s help, we can better understand that the folkloric world is itself a vast canvas whose threads often remain visible only to the initiated. Keywords: creation, cosmogony, thread, linen, towel, handkerchief, kerchief, girdle, footbridge, bridge, connection.