Ch. 10 Video Blog Review

I reviewed 4 videos.   I chose the ones from China, India, and Japan.   I know enough about Muslims and Islam, but not much about Buddha, Hindu, and Japanese Shinto.  The videos were all pretty good, they went into way more depth than the text.  Here is a summary of the key concepts I learned about:

#1)  Buddhism:  Buddhism started in India.  Siddhartha Gautama had moey, but saw the ways of poor people.   He meditated about it, and was enlightened into the 'Buddha'. The teaching is to eliminate the desires that feed the ego and temptations.   Getting to nirvana was the goal, with a message of love.   There is a 8-fold pathway to follow.   After Buddha died, two groups were created, Linayana and Mahanyana.  Sanchi in India is where the great Stupa is built, each stone is important, but no pictures of Buddha allowed.   Walking around the Stupa is enlightening, but only clockwise.   In Java exists the largest Buddist temple in the world, Borobudur temple, with elaborate carvings, discovered in 1815.   In NYC, the Chuany Yen Monastery, with the largest Buddha statue in the west, with 10,000 smaller Buddhas.   Buddhism was overcome by Hinduism in India, surprising to me.
#2)   Hinduism:  Varanasi is the holiest Hindu city in India, on the Ganges River.   Hindus believe in reincarnation, life, death, and rebirth.  Many gods and goddesses exist, and give access to Brahma (God).   There are many statues of these gods.  Bodies are cremated next to the Ganges river by the Outcasts, in Varanasi.   In Mamallapuran India, the ganges River turns into huge stones with carvings.   Panch Rathes Temples were sculpted from single big rocks.  the golden age of Hindu art had the Kandariya Mahader temple in the 9th century.  They have erotic panels, symbols of life.   There are many ways to Brahma, the Great Breadth.
#3) Chinese Art:   The Chinese National Palace Museum has art from 5000 years ago in china.   the video shows 33 pieces of chinese art.  The art consists of pottery, a narcissus pot, chicken bowls, tea bowls, and a curio cabinet.   There are jade pendents, vases, mirrors, a wine warming vessel, blue porcelin perfumer.   All art has extremely intricate detail, and gives us a view into the past.  The teapot is very interesting and beautiful, full of color and landscape with trees, like a painting.  The vase with the inner and outer sections is great, the way the goldfish can swin around.   The Golden Buddha in lotus position is great, as is the Bodhissattvas.
#4)  Hokusi's "Great Wave" painting is the best known image of Japanses art in the western world.   It is really cool.   It portrays a disaster ready to happen.   The Great Wave is everywhere in advertising, clothing, cartoons, politics, tattoos, and coffee mugs.   Hokusi lived in Tokyo, making wood blocks for prints, then as an apprentice.  He worked in the Floating Style of art.   He also drew waves for 30 years, but his best seller was the Great Wave.   Mount Fuji is in the distance, as 3 boats are about to be flooded, showing the power of nature.    Japanese see courage in the sailors.   In the 1960's, a new generation of artists took ideas from Hokusi.   Popular advertising has used the Great Wave in many parts of design.   A good picture.