Young artisans revive ancient wooden Buddha statues
It’s a sight to behold ― three young women working intently on a pair of centuries-old, towering wooden statues. They are chipping away at a sun-faded coat of paint in one corner of the workshop, and using resin to fill…
Kushinagar, the archaeological dig where Buddha attained ‘mahaparinirvan’
A small shrine at the place of Buddha’s last meal in Faizal Nagar (Fazilnagar) Kushinagar is the place where Gautam Buddha chose to die and attend mahaparinirvan — the Sanskrit term which means nirvana after death. Today, Kushinagar is a…
A trip to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, on the India-Nepal border
The Maya Devi Temple has a pond that dates back to the time of Lord Siddhartha’s birth A statue of infant Buddha in the Lumbini complex Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. Today, Lumbini is located in Nepal and along…
Japan. Temple’s ancient Buddhist statue turns heads with hidden images
FUKUYAMA, Hiroshima Prefecture–The hollowed out head of an ancient Buddhist statue kept at the Myooin temple here revealed sheet after sheet of “washi” traditional paper adorned with images of the revered religious figure. The discovery followed the dismantling of the Maitreya…
Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum’s captivating Buddha exhibition culminates February
The exhibition “Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia” will bid farewell to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena next month. This captivating showcase delves into the realm of protective deities, exploring how their representations have provided…
Ramayana in Southeast Asia: Ram is considered reincarnation of Buddha in Laos
Rama Katha, Rama’s journey as a prince, his battle for recovering his wife Sita from the captivity of Lankan King Ravana, are among the world’s greatest poems. The story starts from India and goes to south-eastern countries. It is an…
Why did these monks in Japan choose to mummify themselves?
Enclosed in a shrine, the skeletal frame of a man is posed in meditation, legs crossed beneath bright abbot’s robes while his bony hands rest on top. Thin, leathery skin stretches across what’s visible of his body. At first glance,…
The Gorgeous Tibetan Book of Proportions
An eighteenth-century pattern book consisting of 36 ink drawings showing precise iconometric guidelines for depicting the Buddha and Bodhisattva figures. Written in Newari script with Tibetan numerals, the book was apparently produced in Nepal for use in Tibet. The concept…
Devadatta in Hell
One of Buddhism’s most reviled villains was crucified in the Buddhist underworld. When French Christians arrived in Siam in the 17th century, venerating images of Christ on the cross, dialogue between the two religions reached an impasse. In the stories…