Talk:Bayon

Hinduism & Mahāyāna

Feeling inclined to edit the comments made due to a misunderstanding of the historical development of the religions in question. It's entirely true that the historical Buddha Śakyamuni was and is never depicted with multiple faces, while Brahmā has four -- all seeing, and looking in the four directions. This idea is found in Mahāyāna where the cosmic Buddha Vairocana has four faces and is called Sarvavid. So while the general impression, from the modern point of view, makes us think of Brahmā, historically we know the temple was founded by Jayavarman VII who followed Buddhism. References can be found in: https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/sarvavid and https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vairocana. Looking at Angkor : cities and temples by Claude Jacques, which we can read online, we find a useful summary of the changed made to Bayon over time. [For some reason this does not sign with my wiki name, but wikipedians should be able to figure it out].

Buddhist symbolism in the foundation of the temple by King Jayavarman VII

The current text makes no grammatical sense, especially the last sentence beginning "Angkor scholar":

The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Brahma (Khmer: ព្រះបាទជ័យវរ្ម័នទី ៧). Others have said that the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. The two hypotheses need not be regarded as mutually exclusive. Angkor scholar George Coedès has theorized that Jayavarman stood squarely in the tradition of the Khmer monarchs in thinking of himself as a "devaraja" (god-king), the salient difference being that while his predecessors were Hindus and regarded themselves as consubstantial with Shiva and his symbol the lingam, Jayavarman as a Hindu.

This is what was there before it was altered to make no grammatical sense:

The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII himself. Others have said that the faces belong to the bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. The two hypotheses need not be regarded as mutually exclusive. Angkor scholar George Coedès has theorized that Jayavarman stood squarely in the tradition of the Khmer monarchs in thinking of himself as a "devaraja" (god-king), the salient difference being that while his predecessors were Hindus and regarded themselves as consubstantial with Shiva and his symbol the lingam, Jayavarman as a Buddhist identified himself with the Buddha and the bodhisattva.

147.147.128.67 (talk) 22:01, 27 April 2021 (UTC)

These are the edits that radically changed the article, and they were all on one day by one user:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bayon&type=revision&diff=995884389&oldid=995091138

147.147.128.67 (talk) 22:15, 27 April 2021 (UTC)

References

Etymology

Why does the "Etymology of Bayon" section not actually explain the etymology of the word "Bayon"? 173.88.246.138 (talk) 03:38, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

Is this really a Buddhist temple?

The long pillars seem to have 4 faces and they clearly depict Brahma and might not be a Buddha god. While any Buddha idol will be depicted as serene at face these idols are smiling as if Brahma keeps smiling at the birth of the Sristhi. Agree?? Disagree?? 67.4.102.111 (talk) 21:36, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

The Buddha Sarvavid Maha Vairochana (described in the Sarvadurgati Parishodhana Tantra) has four faces and similar attributes to Brahma. Sarvavid Maha Vairochana was popular during the period this temple was constructed, and throughout SE Asia and parts of Indonesia. A number of Hindu Deities are also found in the mandala of Sarvavid Maha Vairochana.

Of course there are also several four faced forms of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Chris Fynn (talk) 16:07, 29 May 2023 (UTC)

Jayagiri and etymology

I am uncertain how the article can say that "Jaya" is another name of Brahmā, it does not seem that way: https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/jaya. Moreover, what is the source that says the Bayon was called Jayagiri? Is this in an inscription? It looks like a play on the name Jayavarman, but we need the early evidence. Thanks. Shirazibustan (talk) 10:58, 4 December 2024 (UTC)