The Three Buddhas

The Three Buddhas of the Three Ages are the main objects of veneration in Mahayana Buddhism, commonly known as the "Three Jewel Buddhas". According to Indian philosophy, time and space are conflated, so the Three Buddhas of the Three Ages are divided into the "Horizontal Three Buddhas" calculated by space and the "Vertical Three Buddhas" calculated by time. Horizontal Three Buddhas (also known as the Three Directional Buddhas): refers to the central Sakyamuni Buddha, the Eastern Medicine Buddha (another theory is the Eastern Akshobhya Buddha, also known as the "Immovable Buddha"), and the Western Amitabha Buddha.

2018-11-27

Development of precision casting

Investment casting, also known as lost-wax casting, produces precise and complex products that closely resemble the final shape of the parts. They may be used directly with little or no machining, making investment casting an advanced near-net shape forming process. Ancient Chinese artifacts such as the Prince Wu Ding, bronze censers, and bronze lions are all masterpieces of investment casting. Since its industrial application in the 1940s, investment casting has developed rapidly over the past half-century, particularly in Europe and America. Beyond aerospace and military applications, investment casting is used in almost all industrial sectors, especially electronics, petroleum, chemicals, energy, transportation, light industry, textiles, and pharmaceuticals.

2018-11-27

Why did Guan Yu become a Buddhist guardian deity?

Guan Yu, a famous general in China during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, was canonized by successive emperors after his death, highly revered by the populace, and became an omnipresent deity honored by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, worshipped by the common people. Guan Gong culture, evolved from the worship of Guan Gong, is an important legacy of traditional Chinese moral culture and still deeply influences Chinese people today. Buddhism originated in India and developed in China, but why is Guan Gong, a native Chinese deity, seen in temples, consecrated as Sangharama Bodhisattva, and becoming a great protector of Buddhism? I. Origin of Sangharama Bodhisattva. 'Sangharama' is an abbreviation of 'Saṃghārāma,' translated as 'assembly garden,' which refers to the garden where monks reside, or commonly, a monastery or temple.

2018-11-27

Ancient incense burner

Introduction to Ancient Chinese Incense Burners Among ancient Chinese artifacts, incense burners were the most widely used, yet they varied significantly in form and style. In the common perception, an incense burner seems to be a device for lighting stick incense, so when discussing the styles of incense burners, most people's minds will always conjure up Song Dynasty Ge ware or Longquan ware double-eared burners, and then Ming Dynasty bronze Xuande burners and their imitations. In reality, the types and uses of incense burners are far more diverse than this, and their historical origins date back at least two thousand years. Most previous writings on incense burners merely described the objects themselves. In recent years, there have been specialized studies on incense burners, one of which is Yang Zhihui's "New Evidence for Names of Ancient Poetry and Prose" concerning incense burners and incense.

2018-11-27

Four methods for maintaining bronze sculptures

I. Silver Oxide Method: This method uses silver oxide in contact with cuprous oxide to seal the exposed surface of cuprous chloride, thereby controlling the corrosion of copper sculptures. First, use mechanical methods to remove powdery rust and expose the grayish-white waxy cuprous chloride. Then, mix silver oxide with alcohol to form a paste, apply it to the surface of the cuprous chloride, and place it in a humid environment to allow it to fully react, forming cuprous oxide and copper chloride, which cover the surface of the cuprous chloride. Both are stable salts. This process is repeated until the object shows no powdery rust corrosion points even when placed in a high-humidity environment. This method is suitable for objects with spot-like local corrosion and objects with metal inlays. II. Benzene

2018-11-27