William Dyrness presents his study of comparative aesthetics
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05/10/11
The Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts presented a colloquium—“Living Images: The Visual Culture of Islam and Buddhism in Los Angeles”—on Friday, May 6, at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. In two separate lectures, Fuller Professor of Theology and Culture
William Dyrness shared the results of an ethnographic study of the imagery, practices, and sacred spaces of selected Buddhist and Muslim communities in Los Angeles.
The research, funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, initially focused on images and art, but soon Dyrness realized that “art” is a problematic term in both Buddhist and Muslim communities. Instead, while he and his team of 10 student researchers interviewed 75 people from 6 mosques and 5 Buddhist communities, they paid special attention to the aesthetic character of images, space, and practices that are life-giving or enriching to those they interviewed.
In his first lecture, “Buddhist Meditation: Chanting One’s Life,” Dyrness observed that “the goal for Buddhists is a life that is calm and free of worry,” and their teaching focuses on qualities that characterize a peaceful life. Although in the early years of Buddhism there were no images at all—not even of the Buddha—Dyrness noted, the religion’s “relationship with images has become very complex.” For instance, symbolism is pervasive. Images can symbolize characteristics of the Buddha or qualities of enlightenment, Dyrness pointed out, and they might be seen as “post-it notes that bring joy and encouragement to devotees.”
While the Buddhist aesthetic is difficult to focus on due to the varied and rich nature of its tradition, every stream holds in common the practice of chanting, which embodies an aesthetic of peace and acceptance. “The mental discipline of chanting absorbs the other practices,” remarked Dyrness. “One is chanting one’s life so that life becomes enchanted.” Following his lecture, Khedrub Candace Podvoll, Dharma teacher from Bodhi Path Sangha in Pasadena, offered a response.
In his second talk, “Muslims at Prayer: A Spiritual Architecture,” Dyrness shared that he was surprised how often the Muslim respondents spoke of spiritual practices in aesthetic terms. Respondents frequently mentioned ritual washing before reading the Koran and prostration as actions that brought them closest to God. However, they emphasized the distinction between physical practices, which are revered, and artistic images, which are treated with suspicion as externalities that hamper internal devotion.
Many of the respondents spoke about the mosque, which Dyrness identified as “extremely important, both symbolically and literally” as providing a sense of place where one finds protection and community. Many reflected on the beauty of the space, the uniformity of the carpets and wall colors, and the blank walls that give one the opportunity to focus on prayer. In the same way, Dyrness suggested, Muslims view life as a process of building and structuring oneself to worship God—“a patient sculpting of oneself into a beautiful vessel.” By observing the five pillars of Islam—which employ architectural imagery themselves—one makes sacred “the house of the soul.” Mr. Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Shura Council of Southern California, offered a response.
Afterward, all of the speakers participated in a panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Marèque Steele Ireland, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Theology at Fuller.