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Reviews
Preaching from Pictures: A Japanese Mandala (2003)
Excellent introduction of the Jikkai Mandala.
Brief film that surveys a Japanese mandala of the various worlds of reincarnation, and how we can deal with them. Includes basic Buddhist lessons about late medieval/early modern Japanese life, with comparisons to screens made for secular purposes. This is a good academic introduction to the topic. The film basically interweaves explanations of two paintings. The main topic is the Kasuga Kanshin Jikkai Mandala, a kind of spiritual map of the universe, with humanity at its center and suffering in both the human world and other incarnations. The second painting is a screen of the pleasures of life in the early modern capital, much more secular (and pleasant). The two works give us alternative ideas of early modern life and the ways in which people dealt with death and suffering.