Buddhism and the arts
Sep 29, 2020
Martin Goodson

Images of Truth

Buddhist art and iconography

Buddhist art has always been more than just decorative, it is also used for reflection and contemplation. This series features images and a short text that may be used for personal reflection, a perfuming of Heart & Mind to quieten & uplift consciousness.

Gandaran bust of Buddha

©

John Eskenazi

Images of Truth: Gandaran Bust of Buddha

3rd Century
The familiar image of the standing Buddha probably originated in Gandhara in the 1st/2nd century CE; from that region, straddling the present-day nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the form spread to every region permeated by Buddhism.

Images of Truth: Seated Buddha (Tibet) 13th Century

The golden body of the Buddha shines a spiritual light that points to the fact that the teachings must be realised in this very body, if they are to be understood completely.

Images of Truth: Seated Buddha (Cambodia) 6-8th Century

The hard sandstone used to create this elegant Buddha rupa makes its formation an act of arduous devotion that accumulated great merit for sculptor and donor alike. 

Images of Truth: Yakushi Nyorai

(Medicine Buddha) Japan 12th Century
The Buddha is called the Great Physician and his teachings medicine for body and mind. These Buddhas dispense medicine to alleviate the 'dis-ease' of the human condition.

Images of Truth: Bodhisattva - Central Tibet

13th/early 14th century
Tibet became a refuge for Tantric teachings once persecution took hold in India. Bodhisattvas came to represent the function of the Buddha nature in the world and devotional images began to be formed in this Himalayan kingdom.

Images of Truth: Emaciated Buddha Frieze 3rd Century

The high holidays can be a time of excess. This frieze of the Great Bodhisattva during his time of asceticism reminds us of the superhuman efforts he made to reach Enlightenment.  

Amida Buddha - Muromachi period

Images of Buddha
Amida Buddha is the Buddha of the Western Paradise who has vowed to rescue anyone who calls upon his name. It is one of the most popular Buddhist schools amongst the laity. The school originally arose in China but has spread throughout SE Asia.

Images of Truth: The Buddha Listens to Bavari

Images of Truth
The Buddha spent much of his teaching life in discourse with those who sought Truth. Some asked questions, others sought to refute his teachings. Whatever they came for the Buddha showed them all the same courtesy of listening carefully to what they were asking and then replying from the depth of his wisdom

Images of Truth: Buddha Head

Images of Truth
The surviving fragment of a statue of the Buddha reveals a serene face, apparently in a state of deep introspection.

Images of Truth: The Goddess Vasundhara, 11th century Nepal

Images of Truth
Magical powers, Devas and bodhisattvas expound the Dharma in this week's images of truth

Maitreya Buddha: Thailand c. 8th century C.E

Images of Truth
On the border of Thailand and Cambodia, bodhisattvas rather than Buddhas seem to have been the focus of worship during the 7th-9th century CE. 

Portrait of a Lama: Tibet 15/16th Century

Images of Truth
This meditative Lama's portrait illustrates a wonderful story of a monk who is frightened by a giant spider that disturbs his meditation. His teacher devises a clever method to open his eyes to the true source of his fear.

Bodhisattva (fragment) Gandhara 4th Century

Images of Truth
The Bodhisattvas vow to stay in this world of Samsara until every last sentient being is saved. While such ideals may seem distant from our own lives, at it’s core, the Bodhisattva vow has much to offer us in our own practice.

Heian Buddha (11th Century)

Images of Truth
The Heian Period (794-1185) saw a number of schools of Buddhism developing in Japan - Tendai, Shingon and Pure Land. Zen arrived in Japan in the 12th Century at the end of this fruitful period.

Buddhist Theophany

Images of Truth
When the godhead or deity appears this is known as a theophany. Although the Buddha was a man, was it the Buddha or the man that incarnated all those years ago?

PRAJNAPARAMITA Cambodia - 12th Century

Images of Truth
Prajnaparamita, the mother of the Buddhas, is a living embodiment of the Great Wisdom Sutras, which point the way to the nameless insight of the Buddha.

6th Century Gandharan Buddha

Images of Truth
One of the earliest iconographic depictions of the Buddha was Afghanistan, depicted in the Hellenic style of the Ancient Greeks.

Standing Buddha - Afghanistan c. 6th Century CE

Images of Truth
This serene figure of the Buddha is a definitive image of Gandharan sculpture.

Mon Buddha Head, 7/8th Century, Burma/Myanmar

Images of Truth
Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death. 

Frieze fragment of figures beside a chakra (wheel)

Images of Truth
A fragment relief from Southeast India, accompanied by an excerpt from Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma 

Standing Buddha, 7/9th Century from Sumatra or Southern Thailand

Images of Truth
The symbolism of the standing Buddha raises the question: If there is no ‘I’, then who am I doing this practice for?

Bust of Padmapani 'Holder of the Lotus'

Images of Truth
The immovable lotus on which the Buddha sits can restore peace to any situation.

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Further reading

Chanouyu by Maria V.A. Eckhart | with commentary by Michael Haggiag

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Extract | The Four Noble Truths by Ajahn Sumedho | Part III

Book Extract
Ajahn Sumedho explains how to let go when suffering arises through the contemplation of the Four Noble Truths.