Jean Boisselier wrote, “[…] indeed, aren’t the most
ancient monuments attesting to the existence of Buddhism in the Fu-Nan dated
back to before the 5th century?”
Even though the museum does not own any Buddhist
figures that can be dated between the 1st and the 5th
centuries, it nonetheless owns statues of Buddha from the Phnom Da style and
sculptures of Lokesvara from the Sambor style. It can therefore be assumed that
ancient Khmers already practiced the two major religions since the Nokor Phnom
era.
Research studies have revealed that in the late 12th
and early 13th centuries, Mahayana Buddhism flourished under the
reign of Jayavarman VII. This would explain why so many sculptures of Lokesvara
and Prajnaparamita have been found in this period. We will not cover the study
of Hinayana Buddism in the present document, as Buddha never married, even
though he has already reached spiritual enlightenment and is the supreme being
of this religion.
However, it is necessary to focus on another
important figure of the Maháyána school of Buddhism, Pránápáramitá, a woman who
is a subject of our study. Indeed. Maháyána Buddhism is a speculation from the
Hínayána, with Lokesvara and Prájnápáramitá as its two major emanations.
The Bodhisattva from the Lesser Vehicle is a
character who will reach the state of enlightenment to become a Buddha.
Nowadays, the historic Buddha is called Sakuyamuní or Samana Gautama. There
were five Buddha in the history of Buddhism, four of whom reached a state of
enlightenment. Sakhyamuní is the fourth one. The fifth one, who will reach the
state of enlightenmet after the Samana Gautama Buddha, is Maitreya, considered
as the Buddha of the future.
In Maháyána Buddhism, Bodhisattva, Lokesvara and
Prájnápáranitá are compassionate gods who must save those who live outside of
suffering and help them reach nirvana, a place where death and rebirth no
longer exist but where all beings find relief from this cycle.
In Maháyána Buddhism, the Bodhisattva does not
assume the same importance to enlightenment as he does in Hínáyána Buddhism. In
the Maháyána school, the Bodhisattva helps all human beings reach nirvana so
they may in turn become Buddha.
In Khmer art, Lokesvara – whose name is derived from
the words Loka and Isvara, is a character with two, four, six or ten arms.
Sculpted in the round, he is commonly represented with four arms and holds a
rosary, a flask, the sacred book and a lotus. He is characterized by an effigy
of Buddha, called Amitábha and which symbolizes infinite radiance, placed on
the top of his chignon.
Lokesvara, also called Avalokitesvara, is the Lord
looking grom above. He is a supreme god who must save the living. His wife,
Prájnápáramitá, mother of all Buddha, is also a Bodhisattva among the other
Páramitá and, like Lokesvara she wears the Amitábha on top of her chignon. She
is most commonly depicted with only two arms and her attributes are a lotus and
a book. But she may also take the appearance of a character with several heads
and arms, an example of which is the bronze Prájnápáramitá housed in the
museum.
According to a Sanskrit inscription by Master
Kirtipadita, from another school of Buddhism, known as ‘Tantric Buddhism’ that
originated from Maháyána Buddhism, and appeared in Cambodia in 968, at Vat Srei
Santhor, Kampong Cham province. This school of Buddhism centers on a main
Vehicle, the Vajrayáná- Vajra meaning lightning or diamond – mentioned during
the reign of King Udayádityárvarman II and, at the same time, depicted in the
iconography of Phimai (Vimáyá) temple, located in present-day Thailand.