Koreanische Zeremonie zur Weihe einer buddhistischen Malerei

In the organizer's words:

Korean ceremony for the consecration of a Buddhist painting performed by the "Preservation Society of the Traditional Bulbokjang Ceremony", represented by ten monks, under the direction of the venerable Master Gyeongam of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order.

In this centuries-old, unique Korean "ceremony for the consecration of Buddhist deities" (Bulbokjang), material works of art are transformed into "living cult images" through ritual actions and recitations.

The venerable Master Gyeongam and nine other monks will consecrate the copy of a Joseon-period (1392-1910) masterpiece from 1729, which depicts "Buddha's Sermon on Vulture Head Mountain". The original comes from the famous Haeinsa Temple, which is also known as the repository of the printing plates of the Tripitaka Koreana, the 14th century Buddhist canon of the Goryeo period (918-1392).

For the ceremony, a special esoteric Buddhist altar space is set aside in the foyer of the museum, consisting of multi-coloured altars and banners symbolizing the cardinal points. During the ritual, the monks, led by the venerable Master Gyeongam, will place Buddhist objects of varying potency and symbolic power in a flat container on the back of the Buddhist image. Ritual gestures and recitations of syllables or verses (mantras) and Buddhist texts (sutras) accompany the consecration.

The Korean "Preservation Society of the Traditional Bulbokjang Ceremony" has set itself the task of preserving the uniqueness of this Korean consecration ritual and making it known worldwide. The Korean Buddhist Bulbokjang Ceremony has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Korea Heritage Service.

An event organized by the Museum of East Asian Art, the Preservation Society of the Traditional Bulbokjang Ceremony and the German Society for East Asian Art, Berlin.

More information: www.mok.koeln