Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection - Hardcover

Wassman, Bill; Cummings, Joe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1864501200 ISBN 13: 9781864501209

Publisher: Lonely Planet, 2001

Synopsis

Transcending architecture and archaeology, the stupa is the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings – a harmonising of the physical with the spiritual. It remains one of the oldest and most persistent religious symbols still in everyday use. This beautifully illustrated, full-colour hardback explores the spread of stupa building across India and Asia, encapsulating the lasting appeal and allure of stupas to travellers, scholars and those interested in architecture and religion. Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection is a lavish exploration of this religious and architectural icon of Asia and India.

• more than 250 beautiful photographs
• ten pages of transparent architectural overlays depicting plans and elevations of major stupas
• exhaustive coverage of 13 countries: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Java, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam
• learned and authoritative narration to explain the symbolism, rituals and mystic power associated with these monuments, great and small
• detailed investigations of the world’s most significant Buddhist sites, from Angkor in Cambodia to Borobudur in Java, the largest Buddhist monument in the world

About this title

About the Author

Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans, and raised in California, France and Washington DC. In high school he developed a taste for rock guitar and subversive politics, playing in a succession of garage bands while publishing an underground newspaper. After he graduated from university, the Peace Corps granted his request to be posted to Thailand, where he served as an English lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology in Bang Mot, Thonburi, while studying Buddhism at Wat Bowonniwet. He later earned a master's degree in South Asian Civilization from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a scholar in residence at the East-West Center in Hawaii. 

     His Thailand guide for Lonely Planet was the first guidebook to that country written in English since 1928. An instant success, it remains one of the bestselling guidebooks ever published. He has authored over 45 other books, including coffeetable books, phrasebooks and travelogues. 

     Joe has twice been honored with the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Gold Award and is also a recipient of Mexico's Pluma de Plata (Silver Quill) for outstanding foreign journalism on Mexico. He never gave up the guitar, and continues to jam regularly at clubs in Thailand, where he makes his home.

Reviews

Lonely Planet presents Buddhist Stupas in Asia: The Shape of Perfection, exploring stupas (sacred structures that function as memorials of enlightenment) in 13 Asian countries. As shown in more than 250 color photographs, stupas are tremendously diverse in appearance, ranging from gold-topped domes to marble temples to giant sculptures. Some stupas serve as reliquaries, or repositories for relics of enlightened masters. This informative, beautiful book is a fine introduction to the sacred art and architecture of Buddhism. Sept.)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Stupas are Buddhist shrines of varying size, shape, age, elaborateness, and style of detail. Found throughout Asia, they continue to play a key role in the spiritual lives of millions of people. Some, such as Borodudur in Indonesia and Shwedagon in Myanmar, are major tourist attractions as well as active pilgrimage sites. In this gorgeously illustrated and thoughtfully written book, writer Cummings (Baja Handbook) and photographer Wassman (Insight Guides) capture the beauty and meaning of stupas and explain how they have been built, how they are used today, and how they vary from region to region (countries covered include India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China, Tibet, and more). Also included are transparent overlays that show construction details and interior floor plans. Robert A.F. Thurman, Columbia University authority on Tibetan Buddhism, has contributed a concise and insightful foreword. This fine book is fairly priced and will surely find a readership in all libraries. Harold M. Otness, formerly of Southern Oregon Univ. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1864501200
• ISBN 13: 9781864501209
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 173