By Karli Korszeniewski
How to build Buddhist temples is something that has been passed down through generations, even through reincarnation, says Tulku Orgyen Rinpoche, a powerful yogi known for spreading the Dharma in Tibet. He has been recognized as the rebirth of Todgen Kunzang Longdrol.
Before passing away in 1971, Longdrol aspired to build a temple. He had already made three statues, one on each temple floor in his vision. These unfinished tasks were passed down to Tulku Orgyen once he was given the rebirth title.
“I had two responsibilities. First and foremost, of course, was to continue the spiritual path….Whatever he’s been practicing, to continue that. In this regard, I feel like I did, and I’m still doing what I can,” Orgyen told a UC Santa Barbara audience.
Tulku Orgyen Rinpoche, shows an image of his past life, during a workshop on Buddhism recently held by UCSB’s Religious Studies department.
He also believed he must continue Longdrol’s earthly activities. “Obviously, he left this project half finished, so it is my sacred path,” Orgyen said. “I consider this not just a big unwanted responsibility, but it’s my privilege to continue his aspirations.”
Tulku Orgyen was one of 12 panelists at a UCSB Religious Studies department workshop to examine the professional artists and craftspeople responsible for labor and construction of Buddhist sites in India, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia.
Abe Yasuro, a professor at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, gave a lecture on the traditional arts and crafts that created the Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, and the influence of Prince Shotoku, a regent and politician of the Asuka period in Japan in the 7th century AD.
University of Indiana-Indianapolis professor Uranchimeg Tsultem explored the Buddhist context of the construction and architecture in her lecture, “Art, Patronage, and Meditation in Mongolian Buddhism”
UCSB religion professor Greg Johnson’s research focuses on Hawaiian and Native American law and religion. He spoke about cross-tribal craftsmanship and the importance of reevaluating artifacts in different faiths to see the various factors influencing their creation.
Jin Young Lim, a graduate student who attended, says Johnson’s lecture provided additional perspective by comparing the trends and practices to different religions and regions. "Greg Johnson showed us different Indigenous handicrafts from Hawaii, Navajo, and other Native Americans,” said Lim, a first-year PhD student, “begging the question: how did they create these ‘cultural arts?’ Why? And for what?”
Ellen Van Goethem, of Kyuska University, Fukuoka, is an intellectual historian of ancient Japan who studies urban development and issues related to cultural heritage, and archeology. Goethem talked about the Buddhist temple construction in 8th century Japan, and said she is now looking tiles from these temples that had name inscriptions on the inside.
She believes these inscriptions may have been a way to keep track of and pay the artisans and artists who worked on those sites. Other participants suggested the inscriptions might have honored donors, a common practice in Japan, but Goethem countered that this most likely wasn’t the case because during that period donors would mainly give money, paper, or people.
On Day 2 of the workshop, Tulku Orgyen explained the five steps in his lineage for building a temple, which begins with owning the land, which entails purchasing and clearing the land from past spirits. Owners must complete offerings to these spirits to truly possess the land. Another step, purifying the site, involves clearing out any negative energy. A few ways of doing this are by sprinkling holy water or burying sacred objects under the land. The last step, safeguarding the holy place, is the practice of invoking blessings, meaning anyone who enters or sees the temple is blessed and protected.
UCSB Religious Studies workship speaker, Tulku Orgyen, a revered Buddhist, shows the final product of a temple his lineage built in Tibet.
Another visiting expert, Erdne Obadykow, served for over 30 years as the leader of the Kalmyk people, a Mongolian ethnic group mainly living in Southern Russia whose ancestors migrated from Western Mongolia in the 17th century. He oversaw and took part in producing 32 temples across Kalmykia.
“Every president that comes into office usually has a vision, plan, or project,” Obadykow said. He called his vision the 3 R’s for Reintroduction, Restoring, and Redevelopment. “Reintroduction of Buddhism, restoring the people’s faith and the old ancient tradition, and redeveloping in a new way.”
He discussed the process of building Buddhist structures in Russia after the Kalmyk’s migration. At the time, there was a lot of pressure to convert to Christianity, which resulted in the temples having been influenced by Christian monasteries. Obadykow said adapting the temples was a way to please them.
Karli Korszeniewski is a second-year Film and Media Studies major at UC Santa Barbara. She is a Web and Social Media Intern with the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.