Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 26. (Budapest, 2008)

Béla KELÉNYI: 'May It Shine like the Sun and Moon!' Consecration Texts from a Tibetan Stüpa

BÉLA KELÉNYl 'MAY IT SHINE LIKE THE SUN AND MOON!' CONSECRATION TEXTS FROM A TIBETAN STÜPA* The texts presented below were originally placed inside a Tibetan reliquary (Sanskrit: stüpa, Tibetan: mchod rten) belonging to the art collection assembled by Ferenc Hopp (1833-1919), the founder of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts (ill. 1). Although Hopp visited Darjeeling, located in a region with Tibetan inhabitants, as early as 1883 during his first round-the-world trip in order to pay his respects at the tomb of his compatriot Sándor Körösi Csorna,

1 there is no evidence that he was ever interested in Tibetan art: his wide-ranging collection contains almost no Tibetan artefacts. /. Votive stüpa. Tibet, 19'' century, gilded copper, with coral, lapis lazuli and malachite inlay. Height: 16.3 cm, inv. no.: 2858 The stüpa occupies an important place in Tibetan religious life, as the 'mind support' (T.: thugs rten) from among the Three Supports (T.: rten gsum) representing the Body, Speech and Mind of the Buddha. Of the eight different types of stüpa depicted by Tibetans in connection with important events and places in the life of the Buddha, the type discussed here represents victory over Mära, the Temptation to 'Evil'. This is the most usual stüpa depiction, which bears the name "stüpa of the conquest of Mâra' (T.: bdud 'did mchod rten), or the name 'stüpa of enlightenment' (T.: byang chub mchod rten). Among its key elements is the lower, square-shaped 'lion throne' (T.: seng kim) consisting of a number of parts. Between its decoratively worked bottom section (T.: sa d-^in) and upper part (T.: bad gam), lions referring to the Säkyamuni Buddha flank precious stones symbolising the Three Jewels of Buddhism (T.: dkon mchoggsum). Above it, on four steps (T.: bang rim) of a base embellished with rows of lotus flowers is placed a 'dome' or 'vase' (T.: bum pa). The front-facing side of it is embellished with so-called 'face of glory' (S.: kïrtimukha, T.: tsipa ta) and in a small niche (T.: sgo khyim) a painted portrait of the Säkyamuni Buddha can be seen. The small square-shaped part (S.: harmikä, T: bre) above it is surmounted by thirteen so-called dharma wheels (T.: chos 'khor bcu gsum); above these there is a parasol. On this parasol a half-moon (T.: -^la ha), a disk* Here I should like to thank Gergely Hidas, DPhil (Department of Indo-Kuropean Studies, Eötvös Ixjránd University, Budapest) for analysing and translating the Sanskrit texts published in this study.