Informal Northern Thai Group Bulletin March 09, 2014

ATTENTION! TWO TALKS IN MARCH:

11 AND 25 MARCH

1. MINUTES OF THE 371TH INTG MEETING. FEBRUARY 18, 2014: “FOLLOWING BUDDHA’S FOOTPRINTS (BUDDHAPĀDA)”. A TALK BY JACQUES DE GUERNY.

2. NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014, 7:30 PM: “THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF STAND-ALONE MOVIE THEATERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A VISUAL NARRATIVE”. A TALK BY PHILIP JABLON.

3. 2ND MARCH MEETING: TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014, 7:30 PM: “ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF LAOS: A MUSEUM PERSPECTIVE”. A TALK BY TARA GUJADHUR

3. FUTURE INTG MEETINGS. 4. INTG CONTACTS: CONVENOR, SECRETARY, WEBSITE.

1. MINUTES OF THE 371TH INTG MEETING, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 “FOLLOWING BUDDHA’S FOOTPRINTS (BUDDHAPĀDA)”

A TALK BY JACQUES DE GUERNY

1.1. PRESENT : Hans Bänziger, Saengdao Bänziger, Dianne Barber-Riley, Mark Barber-Riley, Frederic Bourdier, Kay M. Calavan, Michael M. Calavan, Roger Casas, Peter Daxy, Hilary Disch, Ron Emmons, Louis Gabaude, Anne Marie Garretta, Michel Garretta, Pierre-Antoine Garetta, Trevor Gibson, Ivan Hall, Sjon Hauser, Frédéric Hurteau, Anthony Irwin, Jiraporn Klasson, Brenda Joyce, Mahajirasak Jiraddhammo, George Olson, Mony Pen, Poonsouk na Chiengmai, Surya Smutkupt, Edward van Tryll, Meyer Walter, Rebecca Weldon, Spencer Wood, Layle Wood, a total of 32 at least.

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1.2. The 371th Talk : “FOLLOWING BUDDHA'S FOOTPRINTS (BUDDHAPĀDA). A TALK BY JACQUES DE GUERNY. You are invited to read this sketch of Jacques de Guerny's talk with an eye on the PowerPoint presentation by the speaker: Buddhapada-deGuerny.pptx.

However, due to its "weight", I cannot send this PowerPoint presentation as an attachment. I have put it in my Dropbox and you can access to it with the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t3cdckmqz77rkwo/Buddhapada-deGuerny.pptx

There, you will have two possibilities: either you download the document on your computer or you copy it to your own Dropbox.

Downloading may take some time. Full screen viewing of this PowerPoint presentation will be better (In PowerPoint, click on the "Slide show" command on the lower left side).

In the text of the talk below, references between brackets such as "(Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 04)" refer to the slide nr. 4 in the PowerPoint document called "Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt".

Besides the Minutes (INTG20140310 Minutes (371)), a second document is attached to this message: The list of the 108 auspicious signs found in Buddha's footprints. It has been gracefully sent par Claudio Cicuzza, translator of Buddhapādamaṅgala, the pāli text explaining the 108 signs and transmitted in Thailand. The list is extracted from his book A mirror reflecting the Entire World - The Pali Buddhapādamaṅgala or "Auspicious Signs on the Buddha's Feet" - Critical Edition with English Translation. Bangkok and Lumbini, Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation, Lumbini Internatioanl Research Institute (Material for the Study of the Tripiṭaka, Volume 6), pp. 107-110.

Jacques de Guerny's talk may be considered as an abstract or a presentation of his books "Buddhapāda. Following Buddha’s footprints" and "Buddhapāda. L'odyssée des empreintes de Bouddha" (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 01). For more detailed explanations and more pictures, please refer to these books:

Jacques de Guerny, Buddhapāda, l’odyssée des empreintes de Bouddha, Bangkok, Orchid Press, 2012. Jacques de Guerny, Buddhapāda, following Buddha’s footprints, Bangkok, Orchid Press, 2013.

The Abstract below has been sent by Jacques de Guerny. Minor corrections, additions, pictures and notes come from the editor.

Thank you for your interest in the INTG talks

LG.

   

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Buddhapāda. Following Buddha’s footprints "Buddhapāda", in Sanskrit and Pāli, means "Buddha's foot". Buddha's footprints are among the most popular symbols of Buddhism in Asia.1 The Buddhapāda’s Odyssey has so far spanned more than two millennia covering East Asian routes (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 02) as a new “avatar” of the universal interest in footprints dating back to the hunters/gatherers' prehistory and proto-history.

 

I - Indian sub-continent. The “Buddhapāda core”: India / Sri Lanka / Gandhara

For Thai Buddhism, Gautama (name of his clan) Buddha’s life dates back to the 6th century BCE (-543 -463) which is at least one century earlier than modern researchers would agree. What we do know for sure is that Emperor Ashoka (r. 272-237 BCE), the first to unite various kingdoms from Afghanistan to Bengal under the "Mauryan Empire", is credited by Buddhists to have converted to Buddhism and exported it throughout Asia. Left: Mauryan Empire under Ashoka. The Maurya Empire was ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 322 to 185 BCE.

INDIA (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 03-15)2 The first known Buddhapāda dates back to the second century BCE and was found in the Barhut’s stupa, in the Ganges valley (Madhya Pradesh), as a part as the famous telling about the Buddha coming down from the Tāvatiṃsa Paradise where he is said to have taught the Abhidhamma to his mother. The piece shown on the right of Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 04 is now in the Kolkata Museum. As in Barhut, early Buddhapāda were small and part of larger scenes (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 05). The Buddhapāda’s “invention” was replicated a few hundred kilometres from Barhut, in Sanchi (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 06), where the Buddhapāda is usually considered as representing Prince Siddhārtha, the future Buddha leaving his palace at night (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 07 &

1 The Buddha's footprint is, with an empty throne, the Bodhi tree, a riderless horse, and the Dharma wheel, one among a few "symbols" considered by many as representations of the Buddha himself. In the beginnings of Buddhism, anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha would have been considered as improper, which led to "aniconic" respresentations of the Buddha through these cryptic "symbols". According to this school of thought, the first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha are considered a result of the Greco-Buddhist interaction, in particular in Gandhara (now in Afghanistan/Pakistan), after Alexander the Great's expedition. In the early nineties, the "aniconic" theory stirred fierce debates. Susan Huntington, an art historian, had suggested that the so-called "aniconic" representations of the Buddha through symbols were not in fact "aniconic" because they were not depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha but scenes of worshipping relics and places of pilgrimage. The image of an empty throne was simply depicting an actual relic-throne, etc. On this debate, see: Susan L. Huntington, "Early Buddhist Art and the Theory of Aniconism", Art Journal, Vol. 49, No. 4, New Approaches to South Asian Art (Winter 1990), p. 401-408. This article is available at: http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resources/downloads/aniconism/Huntington,ArtJournal.pdf. Huntington's position was challenged by Vidya Dehejia, "Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems". Ars Orientalis, 21, 1991, p. 45-66. This article is available at: http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resources/downloads/aniconism/Dehejia,Ars%20Orientalis.pdf. Huntington response can be found in: Susan L. Huntington, "Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems: Another Look", Ars Orientalis, 22, 1992, p. 111-156. This article is available at: http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resources/downloads/aniconism/Huntington,Ars%20Orientalis.pdf 2 See: Anna Maria Quagliotti, Buddhapadas, An Essay on the Representations of the Footprints of he Buddha with a descriptive Catalogue of the Indian Specimens from the 2nd Century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., Kamakura, Institute of the Silk Road Studies, 1998.

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08). Soon, the Buddhapāda became ubiquitous throughout India down to Amaravati where we find it in the Enlightenment context (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 09), the first sermon representation (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 10) and other various situations (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 11 & 12) or Nagarjunakonda (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 13). The Buddha's footprints rapidly became autonomous, bigger, and more sophisticated. Originally, 8 basic signs could be engraved on the soles: a parasol (a sign of high rank); a fish (a sign of fertility/salvation); a vase or a bowl (a sign of spiritual/material food); a lotus flower (a sign of purity); a conch (a sign of knowledge); a trident (a sign of the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha); a banner (a sign of victory) and a wheel (a sign of Dharma or universal norm). See: (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) From 8, the symbols soon increased to twelve, and later even more - representing a check list, if not a scorecard, for devotees. India, no longer Buddhist at the end of the first millenium CE, remained forever the “mother” for Buddhapāda because she had produced “models” for other Asian Buddhist countries. From Northern India, Buddhism would spread and develop first in two directions, Southwards to Sri Lanka, and Westwards to Gandhāra (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 23). SRI LANKA / CEYLON (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 16-22)

In Mihintale, near Anuradhapura, where the monk Mahinda (son of Ashoka?) is said to have converted King Tissa to Buddhism around 220 BCE, four Buddhapāda were positioned at the four cardinal points of the Kantaka Dagoba (= Pagoda) (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 17). In Anuradhapura, two Buddhapāda have been found near the Dagoba built in the 1st c. CE within the Abhayagiri monastery (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 17, 18). The Vavuniya Buddhapāda (Left + Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 19), from a district in Northern Sri Lanka (see map Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 16) and now in Colombo’s National Museum, may be considered as a masterpiece. It bears witness to the degree of quality achieved in Sri Lanka in early Buddhist times there. In contrast to the rather elaborate Vavuniya Buddhapāda, we also find in Sri Lanka very strict footprints called "blank footprints" by the same museum: besides an approximate shape of the foot, no other detail or symbol appear (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 20).

In real and contemporary life, Adam’s Peak, topped by a rustic Buddhapāda called "Sri Pada", is the most famous Ceylonese pilgrimage site at 2,243 m above sea level (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 21).3 The site was first claimed by local cults and then by all established religions, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian.4 Another probably very ancient Buddhapāda engraved in a granite block can be found in the Aluvihara Rock Cave Temple of Matale, in central Sri Lanka. The local tradition says that in the 1st Century B.C., Buddhist monks had to endure a famine for 12 years amidst wars and internal divisions. In order to preserve the Buddha's teachings, they finally decided that they should write down the Buddhist Canon or ‘Tripitaka’ on palm leaves in pali. This was allegedly done in thi Aluvihara Temple (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 22).5

3 See the official site for Adam's Peak at http://sripada.org. 4 See: S.S.M. Nanayakkara, "Sri Pada: Sanctuary for all Faiths", The Sunday Observer, 27 August, 2000. Available at: http://sripada.org/nanayakkara.htm.. 5 On Aluvihara site, see: http://aluvihara.virusinc.org; http://amazinglanka.com/wp/alu-viharaya/

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GANDHĀRA was an kingdom covering modern-day northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. It lasted from the Vedic period (c. 1500-500 BC) to the 11th century AD. As a center of Buddhist culture, it reached its height between the 1st and the 5th century CE (See map at Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 24). Influenced by western artistic canons received via Alexander the Great (from 327 BCE), Gandhara, as a bridge between East and West, gave birth to a revolutionary style of sculpture in which Buddha was finally represented as human. This new statuary, easier to understand and adapt to local beliefs, became the worst “challenger” of the footprints in all Oriental Asia, with more realistic and flamboyant statues competing with abstract aniconic Buddhapāda. Initially, footprints of the Buddha in Gandhara were imitations of Indian productions (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 25, 26, 27) but soon attested how rich and imaginative the local artists were in the first five centuries of our era (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 28, 29), until the Hephthalites (or Ephthalites), also known as the "White Huns", took Gandhara around 450 CE, causing Buddhism to gradually wane there.6

II - Northern routes: India to China, Korea, and Japan (mainly Mahāyāna or "Great vehicle" Buddhism) CHINA (See map at: Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 30) No one knows precisely when Buddhism reached China, probably during the 1st century CE. The rare remaining footprints, mainly in Xi’an (now the capital of Shaanxi province) and in the Wutaï mountains (Wǔtái Shān, literally "Five Plateau Mountain" in the northeastern province of Shanxi) are based on a unique model of Indian origin, with few devotees. In Xi’an, within the Da Ci'en (Wild Goose) Temple, a footprint engraved on stone shows various Buddhist symbols similar to those found in India (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 31). Precise dating is impossible. Within the Wolong Temple (Baishulin St., Beilin District, Xi'an) and Da Xing Shan Temple (West Xingshan Si St., Xiaozhai) two footprints betray the same probable Indian influence (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 32). The Wolong Temple was built during Lingdi's reign (CE 168-189) of the Han Dynasty. Further North, in the Wutai mountains, within the Tayuan Temple, the Great White Pagoda (Da baita) hosts two Buddhapāda engraved on stone and including the basic Buddhist symbols found in India, Gandhara and Xi'an. (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 33) A funny case of very modern capitalistic Buddhism in a communist country appears in Luoyang, Henan Province. In the "White Horse Temple", a charismatic monks has built a monumental Sanchi style stupa to draw pilgrims from all over China. On a pillar can be found two Buddha footprints (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 34).7 Historically, the scarcity of Buddha's footprints in China was perhaps due to the rapid victory of the new Gandhara’s statuary, better adapted to Mahāyāna Buddhism, but also to other Chinese beliefs and feelings. However, China played actually a "positive" role in giving Buddhism and Buddhapāda to Korea and Japan.

6 On the Buddhapāda in Gandhāra, see also: http://www.dralbani.com/buddhafootprint/pakistan.html 7 On this temple, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Horse_Temple.

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KOREA Buddhism was originally introduced to Korea from China in 372 CE. Rare “Foot-printings” (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 36) survived as pieces of wood used for reproducing Buddhapāda by "block printing" technique.8 JAPAN - Buddhism came from Korea during the 7th century CE. The first "Buddha footprint on stone" (Bussokuseki), dated 753 CE, can be found in Nara, within the Yakushi Temple (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 37). It is a copy of a Xi’an model and remained the archetype in Japan until World War II. In Tokyo, within the Zozo Temple, a set of two footprints are adorned with an image of Kannon (= Kuan Yin), of a spirit repelling guardian and of verses from Mahayana sutras (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 38). In the Dentzu Temple, a small Buddhapāda is supposed "to bless with serenity and peace" and "is able to make all the modern world troubles disappear" (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 38). In Kyoto, within the Kiyomizudera Temple, two footprints date back to the 19th c. and are inspired by the Buddhapāda from the Yakushi Temple in Nara (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 39). Like in China and India, Japanese Buddha footprints reproduce basic Buddhist symbols (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 40). About 300 Bussokuseki can be found nowadays but half of them were made during the last 60 years, drawing their inspiration directly from Indian models (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 41) or South-East Asian models. Why? Bad post-war relations between Japan and China can possibly explain how some Japanese Buddhist sects - most are not fond of Buddhapāda - tried to diversify their sources, to avoid the Chinese paths, to “purify”, as they say, their references… Will it be a permanent move?

III - Southern Routes: from Sri Lanka to Cambodia/Laos. (Hinayana or Small vehicle) These routes (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 42), mainly following the Hinayana/Theravada current, came successfully from Ceylon via the old Suvarnabhumi area,9 after Buddhism’s collapse in India. In Southeast Asia, like in Sri Lanka, the numerous "natural" footprints of the Buddha have generated a corpus of stories intended to make history.10 MYANMAR (Called "Burma" until 1989 CE) (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 43) In Magwe Division, Minbu District, the Golden Footprints Pagoda (Shwe Set Taw), the story goes that in the 12th year after his Enlightenment, the Lord Buddha came here with a retinue of 500 followers. There lived a Dragon King who invited the Buddha to his realm. At the request of this

8 The world's earliest woodblock printed fragments to have survived date back to the Han Dynasty (before AD 220). Then, the technology of printing on cloth in China was adapted to paper under the influence of Buddhism which needed standard translations and multiple copies of key texts over a wide area. The oldest wood-block printed book is the Diamond Sutra in 868 CE. 9 On Suvaṇṇabhūmi, see a recent critical examination by Nicolas Revire, "Facts and Fiction The Myth of Suvaṇṇabhūmi through the Thai and Burmese Looking Glass", Mahachulalongkorn Journal of Buddhist Studies, Vol. 4, 2011, pp. 79-114. 10 Buddha's "natural" footprints in Southeast Asia are considered by devotees as marks of a visit by the Buddha, or of a Buddha, in a distant past, often illustrated and "proved" by tellings and prophecies about the future development of the site as a Buddhist centre or pilgrimage. These tellings first create a link, throughout "history", between the normally distant Indian Buddha and the local place and folks. They often allow also the legitimation and transformation of local "chtonic" cults, finally taming them in the Buddhist inclusive worldview. A famous collection of these tellings is called in Thai "Tamnan Phrachao liap lok", i.e. "Chronicles of the Lord setting foot in this world".

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Dragon King, the Buddha left an imprint of his feet on the banks of the river (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 44). Then, up on the hill, he met an hermit and left his left footprint on the rock. Such stories have been developped for almost all places with an important Buddhapāda throughout Southeast Asia.

Left: A Drawing of the Buddha Footprint at Shwe Set Taw Upper Hill Temple In Bagan (or "Pagan"), a Northern capital after Thaton in the South,11 the first paintings of Buddhapāda appeared on the entrance’s ceilings of some temples built from the 11th century CE (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 45). Footprints were also produced in stone or stucco, from crude designs to sophisticated sets, culminating with the classical “grid” of 108 symbols influenced by Sri Lanka Buddhism and exported throughout South East Asia (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 46, 47).12 Bagan fell and was destroyed by Mongols in 1287 but a second Buddhapāda golden age occurred later further North around Mandalay, until the British' arrival in 1885 CE (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 48, 49, 50, 51).

136 new signs (108+136 = a total of 244) have been created and taught until nowadays by Buddhapāda masters, adorned with flamboyant Nagas and Nats (spirits). In Yangon’s gorgeous Swedagon Stupa, footprints are also purveyors of holy water for ablutions or drinking (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 52).13 THAILAND is the Champion with about 600 Buddhapāda registered (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 53).14 From Ceylon and through what is now Burma, Buddhapāda spread to Siam, Laos and Cambodia. The first maybe "historical" record of a Buddhapāda cult could be the mention of a pilgrimage to

11 According to "classical" history, Thaton, in lower Burma, was a Mon kingdom or rather a city-state. Its prosperity (9th-11th centuries) came from commerce with South India. Historians debate now about the signification, the nature and even the existence of this kingdom. For the source of the debate, see: Michael A. Aung-Thwin, The Mists of Ramañña: The Legend that Was Lower Burma, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2005. 12 The number "108" should not always be taken too seriously, too literally. In the Foreword of the translation of the text explaining the 108 Auspicious Signs on the Buddha's feet, Peter Skilling notes: "[...] as is more often than not the case in Buddhist and Indian texts, there are problems with the mathematics"! (Claudio Cicuzza , A mirror reflecting the Entire World - The Pali Buddhapādamaṅgala or "Auspicious Signs on the Buddha's Feet" - Critical Edition with English Translation. Bangkok and Lumbini, Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation, Lumbini Internatioanl Research Institute (Material for the Study of the Tripiṭaka, Volume 6), p. ix). Generally speaking, in Thai common language, "108" does not mean really "108" but "a large quantity of", "an infinity variety of", and/or gives a sense of plenitude and perfection like in "108 INTG talks"! However, there are cases where "108" items are really counted. The 108 auspicious signs (maṅgala) drawn on the Buddha's soles, are such a case. But there are many other sets. We find, for exemple, 108 Brahmins appearing and rejoicing right after the birth of the future Buddha. We find 108 kings of feelings (vedanā) and 108 kinds of cravings (taṇhā). "108" is also the sum of the Buddha's virtues (56 guṇa) + Dhamma's virtues (38 guṇa) + Sangha virtues (14 guṇa) and so expresses the fullness and perfection of Buddhism. In astrology, "108" is also the sum of the forces (kamlang) which allow each of the 8 planet gods to pull the strings of our fate, day after day: 6 for the Sun, 15 for the Moon, 8 for March, 17 for Mercury, 12 for Rahu, 19 for Jupiter, 21 for Venus, and 10 for Saturn. 13 On Buddhapāda in Burma, see also: http://www.dralbani.com/buddhafootprint/myanmar.html. 14 See: Virginia di Crocco, Footprints of the Buddha in Thailand, Bangkok, The Siam Society, Bangkok, 2004; Michel Lorrillard, "Aux origines du bouddhisme siamois: Le cas des buddhapāda", Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, Vol. 87/1, 2000, p. 23-55

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Phra Phutthabat Si Roi near Chiang Mai by King Mangrai. (r. 1263?-1311?) (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 54). Then, the footprints of the Buddha or other Buddhas15 became popular masterpieces in successive Siam’s capitals, Sukkhotai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Bangkok, with various materials and sizes (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 56-64). The most famous pilgrimage since the 17th c. is in Wat Phraphutthabat in Saraburi Province, with its Buddhapāda protected by a golden gate assaulted by crowds of devotees (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 65). In modern times, during the Chakri dynasty since 1782, many new footprints, some gigantic, were made everywhere, including one in pure gold for the reigning Queen Sirikit (Bangkok, 1992) (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 66). CAMBODIA and LAOS (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 67) Angkor, in Cambodia, had first Hindu Shivapada16 and then Buddhapāda sites since the 16th CE. The oldest footprints are in situ in Phnom Kulen and Phnom Baken (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 68). Subsequent ones from Bayon and Angkor Vat were moved and sometimes damaged or lost during recent wars (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 69, 70, 71). Phnom Penh, the present capital and its neighbourhoods, hosts several modern Buddhapāda (from 19th CE), the devotees’ fervour much exceeding their archaeological interest (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 72-75). In Laos, Buddhism allegedly arrived via the Mekong to convert King Fa Ngum (r. 1353-1373) in Luang Prabang (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 76) but the rare old surviving Buddhapāda have greatly suffered. None was found in Vientiane. Meanwhile, two crowded pilgrimages, in Wat Pha Bat Phonsan, Bolikhamsai Province, Laos (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 77) and Phnom Santuk, in Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia (Buddhapada-deGuerny.ppt 78), attest to the present popularity and rebounds of Buddhapāda. Buddhapāda never reached Mahayana’s Vietnam nor islamised southern Countries. Conclusion: With the Buddhapāda Odyssey, we are essentially facing an important part of the Great History of Oriental Asia, affiliated to an antique tradition of footprints: only few other symbolic creations can compete worldwide, even if much more studies remain to be done. You may now understand why I am a lover of Buddhapāda - Welcome on board!

15 Notably the "Four Buddhas": The Buddhavaṃsa—a "historical" text which describes not only the life of Gautama Buddha but also the lives of the 27 Buddhas who preceded him—has inspired the discovery of sites with footprints of the last four Buddhas like in Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi in Mae Rim, as well as their fabrication like the one in Wat Phrathat Haripunchai in Lamphun. The last four Buddhas are: Kakusandha, Koṇāgamana, Kassapa, and Gautama. The fifth Buddha, Maitreya, not being born yet, cannot leave any footprint. 16 Sachchidanand Sahai, Shivapada in Khmer Art: Rediscovering Angkor in the Footprints of Shiva, Bangkok, White Lotus, 2011.

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2. NEXT MEETING (372): TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014, 7:30 PM “THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF STAND-ALONE MOVIE THEATERS

IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: A VISUAL NARRATIVE” A TALK BY PHILIP JABLON

The Talk: By the middle decades of the 20th century, the countries of Southeast Asia were in the midst of a great push towards modernization, adapting modernist trends in architecture and planning to preexisting indigenous forms. An affinity for cinema accompanied this move towards modernity, resulting in thousands of artistically designed, highly-crafted stand-alone movie theaters across the region. Almost every urban area – large or small – could boast of at least one, as trips to the movies came to represent an important leisure activity.

Today, the stand-alone movie theaters of Southeast Asia are teetering on the brink of obsolescence. Despite their potential as sources of vital cultural capital for the towns and cities in which they stand, this unique architectural form is rapidly disappearing from the region with almost no effort to preserve any of them. The Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project (SEAMTP) is a documentary photography project focused on the remaining stand-alone movie theaters of Southeast Asia. It was created as means of chronicling the region's stand-alone movie theaters with two main objectives: 1) to compile a professional, photographic archive of these structures in all the ASEAN countries while they stand; and 2) to advance the cause of their preservation and/or renovation with the aim of sustaining them as centers for the arts and education. Since the project's inception in 2009, it has been responsible for archiving over two-hundred theaters across Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.

The Speaker: Working out of Chiang Mai, Thailand, documentary photographer and researcher Philip Jablon has been creating a photographic archive of stand-alone movie theaters across Southeast Asia. Through his evocative images and qualitative research, the Chiang Mai University graduate (who earned an M.A. in Sustainable Development in 2010) wants to cultivate an appreciation of these institutions in the hope of stimulating preservation efforts. His work has been exhibited recently at the Asia Society in New York, the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok and the Luang Prabang Film Festival. His work can be seen at: http://seatheater.blogspot.com/

3. 2ND MARCH 2014 MEETING (373): TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014, 7:30 PM “ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF LAOS: A MUSEUM PERSPECTIVE”.

A TALK BY TARA GUJADHUR

The Talk: The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) is an independent, non-profit museum dedicated to promoting the appreciation and preservation of cultural diversity in Lao PDR. Like most museums, TAEC maintains a collection of artefacts, curates exhibitions, and promotes scholarship and learning through research and outreach activities. However, TAEC is also a museum representing living cultures in a developing country context, and as such faces a unique set of challenges. Tara will discuss TAEC’s history and goals, how it has developed relationships with source communities, and the establishment of livelihoods, intangible cultural heritage, and women’s empowerment programmes.

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The Speaker: Tara Gujadhur founded the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre with Thongkhoun Soutthivilay (now Co-Directors) and has been based in Luang Prabang for over 10 years. Tara has a BA in Anthropology and an MSc in Tourism, Environment, and Development, and 12 years’ experience in sustainable tourism development, community development, and cultural heritage management in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa.

5. FUTURE INTG MEETINGS

372nd Meeting : Tuesday, 11 March, 2014, 7:30 pm : “The past, present and future of stand-alone

movie theaters in Southeast Asia: a visual narrative”. A Talk by Philip Jablon. 373rd Meeting : Tuesday, 25 March, 2014, 7:30 pm : “Ethnic Diversity in Laos: A Museum

Perspective”. A Talk by Tara Gujadhur. 374th Meeting : Tuesday, 8 April, 2014, 7:30 pm : “An Artist's Statement: Linking Culture and

Creation”. A Talk by Chatcha Thavee. 375th Meeting : 13 May, 2014, 7:30 pm : "Sima: Monastic Space Throughout Theravada History". A

Talk by Anthony Irwin. 376th Meeting : Tuesday, 10 June, 2014, 7:30 pm : “Silenced Voices of History: Asian Labour on the

Death Railway”. A Talk by David Boggett.

6. INTG CONTACTS : Convenor - Secretary - Website

1) Convenor : Rebecca Weldon : e-mail : < rebecca.weldon@gmail.com>. Mobile : 087 193 67 67. 2) Secretary : Louis Gabaude : e-mail : <gabaudel@yahoo.com>. Mobile : 087 188 50 99.

3) INTG Website : http://www.intgcm.thehostserver.co

Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 29 years of Talks!

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Movie theaters in

Southeast Asia: a visual

narrative

A Talk by Philip Jablon

Tuesday 11 March 2014 19:30

At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai - Opposite the EFEO

Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 29 years of Talks!

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Ethnic Diversity in Laos: A Museum

Perspective

A Talk by Tara Gujadhur

Tuesday 25 MARCH 2014 19:30

At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai - Opposite the EFEO