Diving into the Buddhist treasures of the Guimet

Artistic expressions of ancient spiritual themes to reflect the human condition

Tracing the roots of a sacred Buddhist art form

A Buddhist scholar, artist, and yoga teacher who is committed to living life to the full

New Ancient Religions gallery draws on pan-Asian Buddhist art traditions

Origami has evolved over the last few decades from a Japanese paper craft practiced mostly by children into an international pastime and a sophisticated form of artistic expression. In the last few de

Buddhist Novice Monks, Chiang Mai, Thailand. By Alan McArthur, 2010?. Photograph courtesy of the artist. Of all the artists I have known personally over the years who have featured Buddhist subjects

There is a painting in the Freer Gallery of Art’s current exhibition, Zen, Tea, and Chinese Art in Medieval Japan, that beautifully symbolizes the remarkable cultural exchange and synthesis that

Detail of the Buddha Amitabha with hands in the meditation gesture, Kotoku-in, Kamakura, Japan. 13th century, bronze. Photograph by Meher McArthur. The hand gestures, or mudra, assumed by figures o

Four years ago, one of my best friends visited Hong Kong. The first cultural landmark I took him to was Chi Lin Nunnery, which I still believe is the city’s most attractive temple. It was the first ti

Visitors to Japan’s shrines and temples cannot miss the hundreds of wooden votive plaques hanging on stands in a reserved area outside on the shrine grounds. On one side of the plaques are prayers ins

In the main hall of an elegant Pure Land Buddhist temple called Joruri-ji near the city of Nara in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, a row of nine gilded wood figures of the Buddha Amida (Skt. Amitabha) have s

“Fluttering Merrily” by Otagaki Rengetsu, Japan, 1840s–50s, calligraphy and painting in ink on paper mounted as a hanging scroll; Private Collection, Switzerland             

Religion and meditation in woven art