Jennifer Huo

5/3/15
Ancient World Legacy Project
Happiness in the Ancient and Present-day World
Buddhism originated in northern India by Siddhartha Gautama in
the 5th century BCE. There are three sects of the religion: Theravada,
Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The Buddha Amitabha is the
celestial being in Mahayana Buddhism, and expresses the idea that it
is impossible to reach enlightenment during a life lived under lessthan-ideal circumstances. The religion focuses around meditation and
following the Four Nobel Truths and Eightfold Path in order to reach
enlightenment. The cause of suffering is desire and the only way to
end ones suffering is to crush desire. Following the aspects of the
Eightfold Path, such as having right thoughts, will lead one to find
happiness in life. This is shown in the artifact Buddha Amitabha. This
artifact is very interesting because it was the start of humanistic art in
China. The Buddha Amitabha statue proves to us that right thoughts
lead to happiness. This eternal truth was very interesting as well
because it relates to how humans should live their lives. The artifact,
Buddha Amitabha, and eternal truth, right thought leads to happiness,
appear in many examples throughout history.
The artifact narrates how the Amitabha helps others and has
reached enlightenment because of its thoughtful actions. The Buddha
statue located in the Met is number 19.186 and located in the Asian Art

galleries. It was made in the early 7th century, during the Tang dynasty
(618-907 AD), but the artist is unknown. It was made out of hollow dry
lacquer with traces of gilt and polychrome pigments.1 The object itself
values right thought because of its Amitabha and humanistic traits.
According to the Met, The position of the arms, which indicate that the
hands were held in the lap in a gesture of meditation, suggests that
this sculpture represents Amitabha.2 In its past lives, the Buddha
Amitabha was a bodhisattva, someone who delayed reaching
enlightenment in order to help others. It was highly respected and
inspired many others to emulate its actions. This artifact also
resembled the figure of a human and portrayed many human
characteristics. According to historian Maxwell K. Hearn, Buddhist art
during the seventh and early eighth centuries achieved a sublime
balance between naturalistic representation and supernatural
abstraction the modeling of the fleshy eyelids and lips here suggests
the sensuous qualities of the muscle and skin.3 The statue is the
beginning to humanism within art of the ancient world. It represented
what humans should try to emulate: become successful people by

1 Buddha, Probably Amitabha | China | Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Buddha, Probably Amitabha. Accessed May 11, 2015.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collectiononline/search/42163
2 Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Buddha, Probably Amitabha
(Amituo) [China] (19.186). Accessed May 11, 2015.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-if-art/19.186
3 The Arts of Ancient China: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin,
v. 32, no. 2 (1973-1974)

following the Eightfold Path and practicing right thought and helping
others.
The Tang Dynasty was essential to the idea that right thought leads to
happiness because the Buddha Amitabha was gaining popularity and
the religion flourished. During this time period many aspects of the
country thrived, such as economics, literature, and religion. According
to the Met, Marked by strong and benevolent rule, successful
diplomatic relationships, economic expansion, and a cultural
efflorescence of cosmopolitan style, Tang China emerged as one of the
greatest empires in the medieval world.4 Buddhism spread to many
parts of the country and gained popularity among the population,
specifically Pure Land Buddhism. This was a branch of Mahayana
Buddhism, and allowed all kinds of people, despite what their past may
have been, to purify themselves and start a new and better future.
According to Khan Academy, During the Tang Dynasty, Pure Land
Buddhism became very popular. This promoted the Buddha Amitabha,
who helped the believer achieve rebirth in his Western Paradise, where
even sinners are permitted, sitting within closed lotus buds listening to
the heavenly sounds and the sermon of the Buddha, thus purifying
them.5 The Amitabha Buddha was the icon of Pure Land Buddhism,

4 Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Tang Dynasty (618906). Accessed

May 11, 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tang/hd_tang.htm.
5 Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Accessed May 11, 2015.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/tangdynasty/a/mogao-caves-at-dunhuang

thus further spreading the idea that sacrificing ones own goals in order
to help others is the thoughtful thing to do. Since many people knew
about the Buddha Amitabha and its goal in Buddhism, others believed
that they could also reach enlightenment by being good people and
following the right thought in the Eightfold Path.
The Sermon At Benares proves that right thought and following the
Eightfold Path does lead to enlightenment. The Sermon At Benares
was an address that Buddha preached to his people stating ideas such
as the Middle Path, Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path.
According to the Sermon At Benares, Right efforts will be his steps:
right thoughts his breath; and right contemplation will give him the
peace that follows in his footprints.6 This states how the different
parts of the Eightfold Path are a way of life. Applying these in ones life
will lead that person to enlightenment. Thought is defined by the
words of pictures formed in the mind that eventually turn into action.
The Buddha Amitabha is a symbol that stands for right thought, since
in its past lives it has helped others reach enlightenment before
reaching it itself. It is now the Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism and is
the epitome of happiness and peace. According to the Sermon At
Benares, By the practice of loving-kindness I have attained liberation
of heart, and thus I am assured that I shall never return in renewed

6 THE SERMON AT BENARES. The Sermon At Bernares. Accessed May

11, 2015. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg17.htm.

births. I have even now attained Nirvana.7 The Amitabha Buddha

states himself that after having shown love and kindness he was able
to reach enlightenment. His caring action began with his caring
thoughts for others. This Sermon exemplifies that following the
Eightfold Path, including having the right attitudes, will lead to
liberation.
The object, time period it was made, and sacred texts written about it
prove that right thought can lead to enlightenment and liberation. The
objects shows humanistic traits and the time period proves the religion
flourished during that time. This means many people knew about the
theology and were inspired by how the religion was so similar to their
every day lives, meaning they could all reach happiness. This is
proved in the Sermon at Benares, where Buddha himself talks about
his experience and journey of reaching nirvana through the Eightfold
Path.
This eternal truth is displayed in the 21st century just as
commonly as it was in the ancient world. The 9th grade English class
recently read a book called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Written in 2007, this book narrates the life
of a teenage boy named Arnold, who struggles to fit into a new school
because of his race.8 The reason he moved into this all-white school
7 THE SERMON AT BENARES. The Sermon At Bernares. Accessed May
11, 2015. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg17.htm.
8 Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a
Part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007.

was because his geometry teacher told him that he needed to starting
believing in himself and start striving for a better future one with
hope. He believes that if he really tries hard in this new school and
applies himself, that he will become successful and defy the stereotype
the white community has that all Indians are dumb. He eventually
does defy this stereotype, and further unites the two sides of the
community, the Indians and white people, as they start to finally
respect each other and see what it is like in the other persons world.
In this book, Arnold believes in himself, which is the right thought, and
ends up creating two happy communities and a happy self.
Another example of how right thoughts leads to happiness is shown in
the 2001 book Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel. This book is about a
young boy named Pi who gets stranded in the middle of the sea with
his only companion an enormous Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. 9
Pi has recently lost his family in a shipwreck and does not know
anything about sailing. Despite this, he has a good attitude. He does
not simply give up. He uses his resources to feed himself, and even
makes a schedule to complete everyday so that he does not become
bored and lose track of his goal. Surviving 227 days at sea without any
help is extremely difficult as it is, but doing it with a tiger on the loose
is almost unthinkable. However, Pi defies these thoughts and manages
to finally find land in Mexico and be rescued. His right thoughts and

9 Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001.

attitudes allowed him to keep his mind set on his goal, which was
finding land again. He achieved this goal and currently lives a very
happy life with his wife and children.
In conclusion, the ancient world and 21st century are alike in some
ways. The eternal truth that rights thoughts lead to happiness has
been proven true in examples taken from both the ancient world and
present-day world. The artifact itself shows the similarity between
Buddha Amitabha and humans, showing that humans can just as easily
attain nirvana by following the correct path and right ideas. The time
period proves that the Buddha Amitabha and Pure Land Buddhism, a
branch of Mahayana Buddhism, gained popularity and spread the ideas
of this religion, causing people to want to follow and emulate the ideas
of Amitabha. The sacred texts, written by the Buddha himself, shows
that right thought does indeed lead to happiness, since following the
Eightfold Path leads to enlightenment and nirvana. Finally, the two
examples in the 21st century strengthen the ideas of this eternal truth.
Arnold in The Absolutely Truth Diary of a Part-Time Indian succeeds by
believing in himself and trying hard to help the other all-white
community understand his world. In Life of Pi, Pi keeps his goal at the
top of his priorities and eventually finds land and is saved. All of these
examples show how both the ancient and present-day world display
the idea that right thoughts and attitudes lead to a happy and healthy
lifestyle.

Bibliography
Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Parttime Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.
"Buddha, Probably Amitabha | China | Tang Dynasty (618907)."
Buddha, Probably Amitabha. Web. 11 May 2015.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collectiononline/search/42163>.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Buddha, Probably Amitabha
(Amituo) [China] (19.186). Web. 11 May 2015.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/19.186>.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Tang Dynasty (618906). Web. 11
May 2015.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tang/hd_tang.htm>.
"Khan Academy." Khan Academy. Web. 11 May 2015.
<https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperialchina/tang-dynasty/a/mogao-caves-at-dunhuang>.
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.
"THE SERMON AT BENARES." The Sermon At Benares. Web. 11 May
2015. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg17.htm>.
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