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Iconicity in Buddhist language and literature

The case of multidimensional iconicity in the perfect Buddhist mantra
  • William J. Herlofsky
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Dimensions of Iconicity
This chapter is in the book Dimensions of Iconicity

Abstract

This chapter will examine iconicity in Buddhist language and literature by analyzing the multidimensional iconicity in the gyate mantra that appears at the end of the Heart Sutra (Herlofsky 2013, 2014). It will be shown how the method of analysis for the four dimensions of poetry suggested by Abrams (2012) is also applicable to the analysis of multidimensional iconicity in this Buddhist mantra. After a brief discussion of mantra and an explanation of the method to be used, the mantra to be analyzed will be introduced, and the visual appearance of two pictographic (form miming form) versions of the mantra will be discussed. The sounds of the words of the mantra will then be identified, and how the sounds are elicited from the pronunciation of the words for the items represented in the pictographs (form miming form) will be illustrated. The discussion will then proceed to a brief explanation of the meaning of the sutra, describing how the five ‘lines’ of the mantra are related to five stages of enlightenment (form miming meaning). And finally, there will be an illustration of how the articulation of the sounds of the mantra can be seen as an orchestrated performance of iconically motivated vocal gestures (form miming meaning).

Abstract

This chapter will examine iconicity in Buddhist language and literature by analyzing the multidimensional iconicity in the gyate mantra that appears at the end of the Heart Sutra (Herlofsky 2013, 2014). It will be shown how the method of analysis for the four dimensions of poetry suggested by Abrams (2012) is also applicable to the analysis of multidimensional iconicity in this Buddhist mantra. After a brief discussion of mantra and an explanation of the method to be used, the mantra to be analyzed will be introduced, and the visual appearance of two pictographic (form miming form) versions of the mantra will be discussed. The sounds of the words of the mantra will then be identified, and how the sounds are elicited from the pronunciation of the words for the items represented in the pictographs (form miming form) will be illustrated. The discussion will then proceed to a brief explanation of the meaning of the sutra, describing how the five ‘lines’ of the mantra are related to five stages of enlightenment (form miming meaning). And finally, there will be an illustration of how the articulation of the sounds of the mantra can be seen as an orchestrated performance of iconically motivated vocal gestures (form miming meaning).

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction xi
  5. Part I. Phonic dimensions
  6. The effect of iconicity flash blindness 3
  7. Iconic treadmill hypothesis 15
  8. Tracking linguistic primitives 39
  9. Continuity and change 63
  10. Iconicity in English literary neologisms 85
  11. Part II. Cognitive dimensions
  12. Toward a theory of poetic iconicity 99
  13. The ocean of surging emotion 119
  14. Ekphrasis, cognition, and iconicity 135
  15. Part III. Multimodal dimensions
  16. Deleuze and the Baroque diagram 153
  17. Bridging the gap between image and metaphor through cross-modal iconicity 167
  18. Iconicity, ‘intersemiotic translation’ and the sonnet in the visual poetry of Avelino De Araújo 191
  19. Reading across the gutter 209
  20. The role of iconicity in package design 229
  21. Part IV. Performative dimensions
  22. Iconicity in Buddhist language and literature 249
  23. Iconization of sociolinguistic variables 263
  24. Performative iconicity 287
  25. Part V. New dimensions of iconicity
  26. Why notational iconicity is a form of operational iconicity 303
  27. Iconicity, ambiguity, interpretability 321
  28. The iconicity of literary analysis 331
  29. Author index 345
  30. Subject index 347
https://doi.org/10.1075/ill.15.14her

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction xi
  5. Part I. Phonic dimensions
  6. The effect of iconicity flash blindness 3
  7. Iconic treadmill hypothesis 15
  8. Tracking linguistic primitives 39
  9. Continuity and change 63
  10. Iconicity in English literary neologisms 85
  11. Part II. Cognitive dimensions
  12. Toward a theory of poetic iconicity 99
  13. The ocean of surging emotion 119
  14. Ekphrasis, cognition, and iconicity 135
  15. Part III. Multimodal dimensions
  16. Deleuze and the Baroque diagram 153
  17. Bridging the gap between image and metaphor through cross-modal iconicity 167
  18. Iconicity, ‘intersemiotic translation’ and the sonnet in the visual poetry of Avelino De Araújo 191
  19. Reading across the gutter 209
  20. The role of iconicity in package design 229
  21. Part IV. Performative dimensions
  22. Iconicity in Buddhist language and literature 249
  23. Iconization of sociolinguistic variables 263
  24. Performative iconicity 287
  25. Part V. New dimensions of iconicity
  26. Why notational iconicity is a form of operational iconicity 303
  27. Iconicity, ambiguity, interpretability 321
  28. The iconicity of literary analysis 331
  29. Author index 345
  30. Subject index 347
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