Comments on: Glass and thatched roofs at Athelhampton https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/glass-and-thatched-roofs-at-athelhampton/ Gardenvisit.com Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:51:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 By: Tom Turner https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/glass-and-thatched-roofs-at-athelhampton/#comment-988 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:51:04 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=2205#comment-988 I think Buddhism is the world religion with the strongest relationship to gardens and that its, equally strong, relationship with natural landscapes probably comes directly from Hindu beliefs and traditions. And, since you mention it, there is something puzzlingly Buddhist about my photo of Athelhampton.

]]> By: Christine https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/glass-and-thatched-roofs-at-athelhampton/#comment-987 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:34:13 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=2205#comment-987 The World Buddhist Forum details the listing of Mt Wutai (“five terrace mountain”) in China by UNESCO [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1279]. The site listed under the category of ‘cultural landscape’ is an excellent example of the symbiotic relationship of landscape and architecture.

Understanding the relationship between landscape, architecture and, in this instance, spiritual practice as the management of this site demonstrates is quite complex:

“The mountain has became more serene after the ‘pulling down’, which is good for religious practice,” said Jamyang Molam, director of administration of the Pusading Lamasery.
[http://www.wbf.net.cn/english/Chinese/13093.htm]See also the Annexure Survey Drawings of Significant Temples.

In the UNESCO documents the importance of the temple complex located on Mt Wutai to World Buddhist practice is described as:

“There had been monks from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka,Burma, Vietnam, Korean and Japan who traveled here to obtain sutra and be enlightened. In this manner the Buddhist culture and arts of Mount Wutai, including the Manjusri Worship, Avatamsaka Studies,Vinaya Studies, Buddhist music, sculpture, architecture, spread to the south and east Asian countries. The Manjusri Worship practiced at Mount Wutai became the common belief of Buddhist devotees in
all Oriental nations and Mount Wutai became a worldly recognized Sacred Place for Buddhism equivalent to the Vulture Mountain of India.”

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