Tracy Miller | Vanderbilt University (original) (raw)
Papers by Tracy Miller
Digital Humanities and Libraries and Archives in Religious Studies, 2022
Tang Studies, 2018
This essay examines the relationship between pagodas and tombs in Medieval China through a close ... more This essay examines the relationship between pagodas and tombs in Medieval China through a close reading of the "Preface to the Sutra on the Merits of Constructing a ta, as Spoken by the Buddha" (Foshuo zaota gongde jingxu 佛說造塔功德經序), written by the Silla monk Woncheuk 圓測 (613-696), and an investigation into the cultural environment of the monk himself. Working in and around the cosmopolitan world of court-sponsored Buddhism in both Chang'an and Luoyang, Woncheuk was strongly influenced by Tathaḡatagarbha thought, and his interpretation of Yogacara Buddhism ultimately became very influential in Tibet and Korea. By placing the pagoda in the context of Woncheuk's thought, as well as recent research on amulets, architecture, and other thaumaturgical devices in the early medieval ritual praxis of South Asia and North China, I argue that Woncheuk's equation of ta to fen suggests the monuments had more than a memorial or symbolic function. Rather his "Preface" reflects a belief that the two types of architecture were operating on the same technological principles-they were both designed as tools to channel natural, even cosmic, energies through "mountains" and into powerful remains in order to aid in personal and societal salvation.
Journal of Chinese Religions, 2017
Bai lu wu 白露屋：Casemate，Haxo-Casemate. A covered chamber, frequently wooden, constructed on the te... more Bai lu wu 白露屋：Casemate，Haxo-Casemate. A covered chamber, frequently wooden, constructed on the terreplein (top surface of the wall) (Duffy, 1985, P. 297). Bi ni 俾f兒：Parapet, Battlement [see Die]. A low wall placed on top of the main rampart to protect defenders from missile fire. Usually alternating with Nii tou (Merlons) and openings (crenels, embrasures) to allow the defenders to fire on the attackers. Cao niu 草牛：Grass cow. Grass twisted into the shape of a cow and ignited to provide illumination at night. Cao ta 草塔：Grass towers. Towers built by piling up grasses. Cheng hao 城濠：Moat. A dry or water-filled ditch surrounding all or part of the main rampart. Often separated from the rampart by a Yang ma cheng. Die 堞：Parapet, Battlement [see Bi ni]. A low wall placed on top of the main rampart to protect defenders from missile fire. Usually alternating with Nii tou (Merlons) and openings (crenels, embrasures) to allow the defenders to fire on the attackers. Di lou 敵樓：Turret [see Di peng，Di tuan]. A small tower, sometimes covered, and frequently of wood, constructed within or upon the line of the rampart or Ma mian. Di peng 敵棚：Turret [see Di lou，Di tuan]. A small tower, sometimes covered,
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2021
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, edited by Peter Lorge, Hong Kong : Chinese University Press, 2011., 2011
This paper will argue that provincial architecture constructed in medieval China was largely cons... more This paper will argue that provincial architecture constructed in medieval China was largely conservative, holding to local styles identifiable from the tenth century even after the territories in which they originated were absorbed into larger empires. Rather than a single architectural style being systematically disseminated across the territories under the rule of a newly established dynasty, a conclusion that is often implied in attempts to match middle-period buildings to the Northern Song imperial building standards manual, the Yingzao fashi 營造法式 (Building Standards, 1103, hereafter YZFS), the imperial architecture developed in the capital impacted on provincial areas only gradually. We may thus be able to locate regions of cultural influence and exchange that were not equivalent to dynastic borders by tracking the use of different architectural styles. This discussion will further examine some implications of the evidence found in timber buildings for our understanding of the cultural regions in China during the tenth century and beyond. Until recently, the modern study of Chinese architectural history categorized buildings either by dynastic style, or by larger periods created in direct parallel to European stylistic categories. 1 In the study of the earliest extant timber buildings, those dating from the eighth through the thirteenth centuries, modern students of Chinese architectural history were taught essentializing formulas: Tang and Song dynasty architecture had their own, respective, new developments, Liao dynasty architecture followed that of the Tang, and Jin dynasty architecture was even more decorative than that of the Song. 2 This was done primarily for heuristic purposes; scholars developing a new field must first sort the information in some manner, and chronological organization is the most
Frontiers of History in China, 2015
This paper is an inquiry into possible motivations for representing timber-frame architecture in ... more This paper is an inquiry into possible motivations for representing timber-frame architecture in the Buddhist context. By comparing the architectural language of early Buddhist narrative panels and cave temples rendered in stone, I suggest that architectural representation was employed in both masonry and timber to create symbolically charged worship spaces. The replication and multiplication of palace forms on cave walls, in “pagodas” (futu 浮圖, fotu 佛圖, or ta 塔), and as the crowning element of free-standing pillars reflect a common desire to express and harness divine power, a desire that resulted in a wide variety of mountainous monuments in China. Finally, I provide evidence to suggest that the towering Buddhist monuments of early medieval China are linked morphologically and symbolically to the towering temples of South Asia through the use of both palace forms and sacred maṇḍalas as a means to express the divine power and expansive presence of the Buddha.
Journal of Song-Yuan Studies, 2013
Modern Chinese Religion I (2 vol.set), 2014
The Journal of Asian Studies, 2010
Archives of Asian Art, 2008
In the generations of High Antiquity [people] excavated caves and piled timber [to make] nests fo... more In the generations of High Antiquity [people] excavated caves and piled timber [to make] nests for their dwellings, while ''sages of later generations'' established a system, with ''a roof ridge above and eaves below thereby [providing] shelter from the wind and rain.'' 2 In the variety of ''palaces, mansions, terraces, and pavilions,'' 3 and in the masses of peasant cottages and village houses-together with the degree of craft or extravagance [displayed in them]-are revealed local customs (fengsu). 4-Xuanhe huapu
Asia Major, 2006
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
State Power in China: 900-1325, 2016
China Review International, Sep 22, 2002
Digital Humanities and Libraries and Archives in Religious Studies, 2022
Tang Studies, 2018
This essay examines the relationship between pagodas and tombs in Medieval China through a close ... more This essay examines the relationship between pagodas and tombs in Medieval China through a close reading of the "Preface to the Sutra on the Merits of Constructing a ta, as Spoken by the Buddha" (Foshuo zaota gongde jingxu 佛說造塔功德經序), written by the Silla monk Woncheuk 圓測 (613-696), and an investigation into the cultural environment of the monk himself. Working in and around the cosmopolitan world of court-sponsored Buddhism in both Chang'an and Luoyang, Woncheuk was strongly influenced by Tathaḡatagarbha thought, and his interpretation of Yogacara Buddhism ultimately became very influential in Tibet and Korea. By placing the pagoda in the context of Woncheuk's thought, as well as recent research on amulets, architecture, and other thaumaturgical devices in the early medieval ritual praxis of South Asia and North China, I argue that Woncheuk's equation of ta to fen suggests the monuments had more than a memorial or symbolic function. Rather his "Preface" reflects a belief that the two types of architecture were operating on the same technological principles-they were both designed as tools to channel natural, even cosmic, energies through "mountains" and into powerful remains in order to aid in personal and societal salvation.
Journal of Chinese Religions, 2017
Bai lu wu 白露屋：Casemate，Haxo-Casemate. A covered chamber, frequently wooden, constructed on the te... more Bai lu wu 白露屋：Casemate，Haxo-Casemate. A covered chamber, frequently wooden, constructed on the terreplein (top surface of the wall) (Duffy, 1985, P. 297). Bi ni 俾f兒：Parapet, Battlement [see Die]. A low wall placed on top of the main rampart to protect defenders from missile fire. Usually alternating with Nii tou (Merlons) and openings (crenels, embrasures) to allow the defenders to fire on the attackers. Cao niu 草牛：Grass cow. Grass twisted into the shape of a cow and ignited to provide illumination at night. Cao ta 草塔：Grass towers. Towers built by piling up grasses. Cheng hao 城濠：Moat. A dry or water-filled ditch surrounding all or part of the main rampart. Often separated from the rampart by a Yang ma cheng. Die 堞：Parapet, Battlement [see Bi ni]. A low wall placed on top of the main rampart to protect defenders from missile fire. Usually alternating with Nii tou (Merlons) and openings (crenels, embrasures) to allow the defenders to fire on the attackers. Di lou 敵樓：Turret [see Di peng，Di tuan]. A small tower, sometimes covered, and frequently of wood, constructed within or upon the line of the rampart or Ma mian. Di peng 敵棚：Turret [see Di lou，Di tuan]. A small tower, sometimes covered,
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2021
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, edited by Peter Lorge, Hong Kong : Chinese University Press, 2011., 2011
This paper will argue that provincial architecture constructed in medieval China was largely cons... more This paper will argue that provincial architecture constructed in medieval China was largely conservative, holding to local styles identifiable from the tenth century even after the territories in which they originated were absorbed into larger empires. Rather than a single architectural style being systematically disseminated across the territories under the rule of a newly established dynasty, a conclusion that is often implied in attempts to match middle-period buildings to the Northern Song imperial building standards manual, the Yingzao fashi 營造法式 (Building Standards, 1103, hereafter YZFS), the imperial architecture developed in the capital impacted on provincial areas only gradually. We may thus be able to locate regions of cultural influence and exchange that were not equivalent to dynastic borders by tracking the use of different architectural styles. This discussion will further examine some implications of the evidence found in timber buildings for our understanding of the cultural regions in China during the tenth century and beyond. Until recently, the modern study of Chinese architectural history categorized buildings either by dynastic style, or by larger periods created in direct parallel to European stylistic categories. 1 In the study of the earliest extant timber buildings, those dating from the eighth through the thirteenth centuries, modern students of Chinese architectural history were taught essentializing formulas: Tang and Song dynasty architecture had their own, respective, new developments, Liao dynasty architecture followed that of the Tang, and Jin dynasty architecture was even more decorative than that of the Song. 2 This was done primarily for heuristic purposes; scholars developing a new field must first sort the information in some manner, and chronological organization is the most
Frontiers of History in China, 2015
This paper is an inquiry into possible motivations for representing timber-frame architecture in ... more This paper is an inquiry into possible motivations for representing timber-frame architecture in the Buddhist context. By comparing the architectural language of early Buddhist narrative panels and cave temples rendered in stone, I suggest that architectural representation was employed in both masonry and timber to create symbolically charged worship spaces. The replication and multiplication of palace forms on cave walls, in “pagodas” (futu 浮圖, fotu 佛圖, or ta 塔), and as the crowning element of free-standing pillars reflect a common desire to express and harness divine power, a desire that resulted in a wide variety of mountainous monuments in China. Finally, I provide evidence to suggest that the towering Buddhist monuments of early medieval China are linked morphologically and symbolically to the towering temples of South Asia through the use of both palace forms and sacred maṇḍalas as a means to express the divine power and expansive presence of the Buddha.
Journal of Song-Yuan Studies, 2013
Modern Chinese Religion I (2 vol.set), 2014
The Journal of Asian Studies, 2010
Archives of Asian Art, 2008
In the generations of High Antiquity [people] excavated caves and piled timber [to make] nests fo... more In the generations of High Antiquity [people] excavated caves and piled timber [to make] nests for their dwellings, while ''sages of later generations'' established a system, with ''a roof ridge above and eaves below thereby [providing] shelter from the wind and rain.'' 2 In the variety of ''palaces, mansions, terraces, and pavilions,'' 3 and in the masses of peasant cottages and village houses-together with the degree of craft or extravagance [displayed in them]-are revealed local customs (fengsu). 4-Xuanhe huapu
Asia Major, 2006
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
State Power in China: 900-1325, 2016
China Review International, Sep 22, 2002