From The Senses To The Mind

The ancient art of Chinese Buddha sculpting was created with a clear sense of purpose toconjure up a specific cognition that inspires a strong belief in Buddhism in the mind ofviewers. To achieve this goal, craftsmen utilized a variety of methods to create both visualand psychological impacts on the audience.Based on perceptual psychology, this thesis first elaborates on the process of thegeneration of a psychological construct through objective perception of the worldsupporting relationships between perception and cognition.Secondly, from the perspective of Buddhism, one’s insight into Buddhism and a trueunderstanding of “self” also originates from one’s perception. This thesis outlinesbackground of the introduction of Buddhism into China, specifically expounded howlocal Chinese thinking style places emphasis on intuition and perception in the formationof their cognition. It also pinpoints Chinese painting as an integral part of China’s visualart system.Thirdly, this thesis analyzes Chinese ancient Buddha sculpting by taking into accountvisual perception. Perception has served as a departure point for this traditional art in itscognitive impact on the audience.Finally, this thesis analyzes how visual perception gives rise to cognition, and concludesthat it requests careful consideration of personal ways of receiving and processinginformation, personal feelings, clear use of materials, and an understanding of the spirit oftimes, combined with the current situation when creating art and engaging in other fields.