Buddhism is a collection of beliefs and practices, considered a religion by many. It is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama (commonly known as 'The Buddha) who lived in the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent until around 400 BC. Buddhists recognize him as a teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings bring an end to their suffering and escape the cycle of rebirths. The methods that various schools of Buddhism apply towards thi goal are ethical conduct and altruistic behavior, devotional practices, ceremonies and the invocation of bodhisatvas to help achieve Nirvana, renunciation of worldly matters, meditation, physical exercises, study, and the cultivation of wisdom.
The Heart Surtra is considred a member of the Perfection of Wisdom class of Mahayana Buddhist literature. Along with the Diamond Sutra, it is considered by many to be the primary representative of this genre. The Heart Sutra consists of fourteen shlokas (or verses) in Sanskrit and 260 Chinese characters (in the most prevalent Chinese version). It is one of the most highly abbreviated versionf of the Perfection of Wisdom texts, which exist in various lengths up to 100,000 shlokas. The Heart Sutra is classified by Edward Conze as existing in the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon. Because it contains a mantra, it ovelraps with the final tantric phase of development, and is included in the tantra section of some editions of the Kangyur.
Cold Cast is a modern method of casting sculptures using a mixture of resin and powdered polymer materials. The finished sculpture has a surface which looks very similar to traditionally cast material, but tends to be much lighter.
