Legacy Project: The Sins of Temptation

In India, one of the founding origins of Buddhism, Buddha was believed to be born in 563 BC.
Buddha, which is a title that means "one who is awake"in the sense of having "woken up to reality", is
the founder of Buddhism that demonstrates the ultimate goal of enlightenment, which is achieving a state
of perfect knowledge or wisdom, combined with infinite compassion. During Buddha's early years of life,
he was sheltered from death, aging and sickness. When he realized that these are inevitable harsh
realities of human existence, he gives up his royal position and possessions in search for the true
meaning and value of reality and life. His mission was to find a balance and teach others about living a
core and simplistic life. The Standing Buddha Offering Protection shows the Buddhist history and
representations interpreted during the late 5th century and conveys the eternal truth of protection against
temptations.
The object, Standing Buddha Offering Protection, located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it
embodies the qualities of inner calm and stillness which ultimately results in supreme wisdom. Made by
red sandstone, it is 85.5 centimeters tall and 42.5 centimeters in width. This Buddha's raised right hand,
which is now missing, was believed to represent an abhaya-mudra which represents protection and
dispelling of fear. The Buddha is dressed in a simple robe, and a large halo behind him further
implements the idea of auspiciousness and naturalism that he possesses. The skull protuberance
indicates enlightened wisdom, and the hair curls and extended earlobes are signs of renunciation and the
denial of greed and materialism. Met Museum, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History states,
"As the summation of Buddhist stylistic development in a period of Buddhist expansion, this type
and statue of Buddha became the benchmark for Buddha images all throughout Buddhist Asia,
emulated most successfully in Sui and Tang China."
As seen in this quotation, this Buddha's physical radiance and appearance has made a significant impact
on the rest of the Buddhist community, setting a standard for everyone else.
The sculpture, Standing Buddha Offering Protection, was made during the Gupta Period. This
time was known as "India's Golden Age" during the 4th to 6th century. The Gupta Period of India was not
characterized by enormous material wealth or by elaborate trade activity. It was defined by creativity. It
was a time period of prosperity for cultural creativity, architecture, sculptures and paintings. The Gupta

Style Buddha was a source of inspiration and a benchmark for the rest of Asia and the entire Buddhist
community. Each area developed these ideals and developed it along their own lines. The Gupta period is
noted as a time during which the quintessential Buddha image was created, becoming an iconic form
which was dispersed and copied throughout the Asian Buddhist world. According to History Discussion,
"The art of the Gupta period is marked by a deep spiritual quality and a vision which tries to
record the higher and deeper truths of life. While the early Gupta period shows an emphasis on
Hindu art, the climax of Buddhist art, with all the previous tendencies combined into a classical
statement, comes during the later period."
This quote supports the fact that during the Gupta Period, eternal truths were very valuable and
were used to seek the truth about life. It is significant that the Standing Buddha Offering Protection was
made during this time period because it set spiritual and artistic standards for everyone else.
After Buddha decided to leave his palace and become an ascetic, he decided to follow a method
that would possibly lead him to enlightenment. For six years the Bodhisattva's followed this method with
unyielding determination. He fasted for days on end until his body looked like a skeleton. He exposed
himself to the heat of the midday sun and the cold of the night and subjected his own flesh to such
torments that he came almost to the door of death. Yet he found that despite his persistence and sincerity,
these austerities were futile. Later he would say that he took the path of self-mortification further than all
other ascetics, yet it led, not to higher wisdom and enlightenment, but only to physical weakness and the
deterioration of his mental faculties. This was not the path to enlightenment. Just then he thought of
another path to enlightenment, one which balanced proper care of the body while sustaining
contemplation and deep investigation. Buddha hoped to find a better solution that would lead him to
ultimate wisdom and enlightenment. He would later call this path "the middle way" because it avoids the
extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. He had experienced both extremes, the former as
a prince and the latter as an ascetic, and he knew they were ultimately dead ends. According to Buddha's
First Sermon at Benares,
Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the
household life. There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way

of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is
painful, unworthy and unprofitable"
"Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) (2) has realized the Middle Path;
it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana"
As seen in this quotation, the Middle Path is the best way to choose because it avoids the two extremes
and compromises, meeting in the middle. This path will ultimately lead people to enlightenment, which is
the ultimate goal.
The eternal truth, protection against temptation is still evident in today's world. Humans naturally
crave temptation and need protection from the desire to want it. Temptation is still evident in today's
world; it is a universal theme that can be found in any time period. A poem written by August Clair
demonstrates how easy temptation is for people.
"They pull me in, the monsters.
Drowning out any wise words,
replacing them with temptation.
My limbs dance with their pleading words,
foggy thoughts and shaking hands,
guiding me through the night.
They whisper softly, and my ears strain to overcome the silence.
Just a few more steps,
a few more seconds,
and I can quench the thirst in my veins"
As seen in this poem, it relates a lot to Buddha's story. When Buddha was exciting his palace in search of
true meaning of life, he faced Mara, the God of desire and temptation. Mara attempted to confuse
Buddha, manipulated and tempting him to return back to his family. But Buddha overcame this obstacle
and moved on with his mission. In today's world we also see the eternal truth "temptation" in another art
form. This tells the audience that eternal truths are of high value and the message is easily conveyed
through art. The Standing Buddha Offering Protection demonstrates protection against temptation while
the poem proves how tempting they are and how one needs to avoid them. Humans often call upon

supernatural spirits/power or divinity power for help. The difference in time period, but still conveying the
same message proves that this eternal truth is still evident in the 21st century. Another place where
temptation is found is through television shows. Temptation can be demonstrated through Once Upon a
Time, a popular TV show from the 21st century. Once Upon a Time is all about the balance of good
versus evil while the savior and hero, Emma, tries to create peace with everyone. In the most recent
season, where the three queens of darkness are tempted to turn Emma, who is pure and good, into evil
for their own selfish purposes, Emma must fight against their temptations and save people from darkness.
Emma has small glimpses of the evil and realizes how easy it is to fall into that path. In the show, it
demonstrates how temptation is so desirable and humans need protection from wanting to follow that.
This connects to the object, Standing Buddha Offering Protection, because the statue itself represents
protection and offers help to those in need.
The object, Standing Buddha Offering Protection, demonstrates that the eternal truth, protection
against temptation, is still evident in the 21st century. The object shows qualities of radiant inner calm and
stillness, which embodies the perfect state of content. This statue is the embodiment of knowledge,
wisdom and enlightenment. The Standing Buddha Offering Protection flourished during a time period of
cultural prosperity in the arts. Because the sculpture was made in Indias prime time and golden age, it
set the standards for the rest of the Buddhist community. Buddha discovered an easy path to
enlightenment, this was the Middle Path. The Middle Path avoids temptations of two extremes and finds a
way in the middle of them both. The eternal truth, protection against temptation, is still evident in the 21st
century. This could be seen through a poem written by August Clair where he talks about temptation
clouding up ones mind. It is easy for it to take control and that is why Buddha is needed as protection
against it. The TV show, Once Upon a Time, also demonstrates that temptation is still evident where it
talks about the battle of good versus evil and the balance the main character needs to achieve from it.
Overall, the Standing Buddha Offering Protection shows that eternal truths apply and still resonates
throughout any time period.

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