Abandoned Aesthetic: The Seclusion of the Buddhist Nuns

Abstract

In search of a suitable place for ascetic practices, Chinese Buddhist nuns travel well into the mountains and take shelter in places that allow them to be in seclusion. Among these places we find abandoned temples; spaces that are commonly used by religious people. Is there any quality or characteristic of abandoned spaces such that it becomes of special value for the practice of religious women? What does the abandoned space provoke or transmit to the nun? Does it produce a connection between physical space and the higher consciousness experience achieved in inner practice? This paper analyzes the experience of a Buddhist nun in an abandoned temple on Nanwutai Mountain in Zhongnan-shan. In this analysis, we propose that the aesthetics of the abandoned space influences the way in which the nun interprets the attainment of a pure consciousness. This may be understood as the union of both interior and exterior spaces, and as such, the liberation of all restraints and the ultimate comprehension of the Buddhist universe.