CONCEPT | buddhismandidenitity

Concept: The Lotus and Connecting Identity

Buddhism and the lotus sutras' message is all inclusive. Another goal of the design is to use this all inclusive message to allow people of different backgrounds to follow the Dharma oath, and in doing a diverse community will be created. During the initial development of the program, community support spaces are explored that focus on creating an environment that welcomes in and encourages people of many different cultures to unteract with the teachings of the temple, and to also interact with each other. These interactions allow people to begin to recognize the inner buddha nature that we all share. Each space focus on connecting people on a different part of the path to enlightenment, and each space serves a community support goal. For more information see the program breakdown.

The lotus is symbolically tied to many meanings and teachings in Buddhism. The lotus is represented as a blooming flower, growing out of the muddy water, allowing the water to nourish the flower, but not being drowned in it. This is symbolically tied to buddha or even everyday people being born into the world, full of abstraction and suffering, allowing everyday life to nourish and lead one to enlightenment, but not being controlled by the world. The lotus is an object born in one context, abstracting from it, and forming into a new identity. Out of the symbolism of the lotus came one of the most influencial sutras to the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra. The key message of the lotus sutra is that Buddhahood and the path to enlightenment is open to all people, and that every person, regarless of their past, race, gender or circumstance has an inner Buddha nature that is inherent within them. The development of this inner life state enables all people to overcome their problems and live a fulfilled and active life, fully engaged with others and with society. It is the study of the lotus' symbolism and the lotus sutra that I base my concept: Connecting Identity.

Evolution of a Typology

The lotus sutra teaches that all people, regardless of circumstance, race, or gender, have an inherent Buddha nature within them. The main concept of my design, Connecting Identity is about connecting people on the path to discovering their inner buddha identity. It aims at uncovering it from the abstraction of the world, and allowing their inner Buddha nature to influence their lives, and the lives of those around them. The design of the building aims at connecting people to this inner nature, and creating space to allow reflection on their identity, contemplate the world around them, connect to the teachings of Buddhism, and connect with each other to begin to understand this connecting identity within us all. Connecting identity represents the transition of one form in a context of abstraction through a journey to connect to its true refined inner nature , and recognizing how this nature constitutes all forms, reagradless of how abstract they may seem on the surface.

The Lotus Sutra and Symbolism

Connecting Identity

Throughout the history of Buddhism ,its teachings and symbolism transferred throughout the world. It began in India, and quckly spread to other Asian countries such as China and Japan. Each time the teachings spread, the symbolisms and messages evolved and grew. With the growth and change of the religion, the religious spaces evolved as well. Each country interpreted its own symbolisms, and used its historical contexts and settings to fit the religion to its new place. In every permutation of the Buddhist worship typology, the designs and environments are tied to the symbolism of the religion, and as the symbolisms changed, so to did the typlogoies. For more information on the evolution of the Buddhist temple typology, see this precedent study of the evolution of the spaces. Another goal of my design is to follow this perceived evolution of typology and grow it even further, following the use of symbolism in its design, but taking it one step further and utilizing the context of the project to change it to fit. My design seeks to take the wat Buddhist temple typology and infuse it with public space for community interaction and support, taking into consideration its physical and cultural contexts, and evolving the symbolism to represent a connection to ones own Buddha nature within a greater context, and connect people around this journey through architecture. This allows the project to be viewed as a mixture of tradition and the modern, again tying back to the relationship of one form within another.

Connecting Community Identities

"As the flower of a lotus,
Arisen in water, blossoms,
Pure-scented and pleasing the mind,
Yet is not drenched by the water,
In the same way, born in the world,
The Buddha abides in the world;
And like the lotus by water,
He does not get drenched by the world. "

-The Theragatha.

Geometry

The form of the building aims to represent the transtion from the abstract or profane context to the inner natural form within. The site planning aims to connect one on the pathway to discovering this nature, passing through a threshold between the separate indenities. Once in the buidling, you are connected directly to a path that is centered around a large courtyard with the main worship space directly in the middle. This represents the inner buddha nature within us all. On the outside, the facade seems to be an abstract collection of forms, but once you pass through the threshold the true geometry that is centered around the path connecting to the worship space is understood. Each separate structure represents a different point on the path to this inner buddha nature ( worship space) and all are connected with an open path that is used to foster mindfullness of yourself, and allows for one to experience the inner geometry that all other spaces are centered around and connected by. At the points where the outer geometries and the inner worship space align, the geometry of the worship space cuts through the plan of the others, stretching the inner courtyard into the surrounding spaces, creating smaller courtyard spaces that represent the influence of this inner nature within us all that breaks through abstraction. All of the separate space open into these courtyards, creating an introverted focus on a light, natural environment. To achieve these effects, simple square geometries are explored. At the center, the square worship space become the main focus. This geometry stretches outward, first becoming the inner couryard, then the pathway that surrounds it, after that the geometry becomes abstracted, the square is rotated and different 45/ 90 relationships are created. This creates symbolic connection to the abstraction of the world masking the inner nature. Though each space seems like a different form or identity, each representing a different point on the path to the inner space, they are actually created by the abstraction of a simple, connecting geometry. Through plan, form and concept meet. What is created is a collection of wings, almost like petals or points, connected by a path space that focuses on a central geometry that on reflection, can be seen to be the overall connecting identity and focus, tying the symbology of an inner enlightened or true nature, abstraction or points around it, and a path connecting between them, that through midfullness and reflection creates a new understanding of self and form.