Art

  • Dharani Sutra of the Heart of the Perfection of Insight
  • The Descent of Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Begins Teaching
  • Hotei, One of the Gods of Good Fortune, with Child
  • Head of a Lokeshvara
  • Great Stupa at Sanchi
  • Head of a Monk
  • Head of the Buddha
  • Stupa
  • Portrait of the Abbot Ennin
  • Buddha Shakyamuni From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Machig Labdrön
  • The Four Pleasures of Nan Shenglu (detail)
  • Ushnishavijaya
  • The Descent of Buddha Amida
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Buddha Shakyamuni and the Earth-Touching Gesture
  • The Arhats Bakula, Rahula, Cudapanthaka, and Pindola From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Shaka Nyorai, the Historical Buddha
  • Budai
  • Plaque Showing the Buddha Teaching
  • Votive Stela Depicting Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
  • Large Votive Stupa
  • State Oracle Garment
  • Buddhist Votive Tablet
  • The Layman Huashang and Two Lokapalas From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Stela Showing Scenes from the Life of the Buddha
  • Empress Jito, from the series “Parody of the Ogura Version of ‘One Hundred Poets, One Hundred Poems’ ”
  • Printing Block for a Prayer from the Text “Embodiment of the Three Jewels” by Jatson Nyingpo (1585–1656)
  • The Bodhisattva of Compassion Sitting in Meditation
  • Thangka of the Twenty-One Taras
  • Shyamatara, Green Tara
  • Yakshi, Nymph with Lotus Flowers, fragment of a baluster
  • The Transcendent Buddha Akshobhya
  • Shakyamuni Enters Nirvana
  • Pancha Raksha Manuscript
  • Female Monkey with Her Young
  • Buddha Shakyamuni Sheltered by the Serpent-King
  • Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion in the Posture of Royal Ease
  • The Prophecy of the Buddha Dipankara
  • Monastic Rules for Monks
  • Padmasambhava
  • Ceremonial Dagger Featuring the God of Death
  • Head of a Buddha
  • Bust of a Luohan
  • Seated Bodhisattva
  • Portrait of the Zen Priest Gemmon Doyu
  • Padmasambhava with his 25 Tibetan Pupils From a series of 7 thangkas
  • The Ascetic Milarepa
  • Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • The Death of the Buddha
  • Taima Mandala, the Buddha Amida’s Paradise
  • Monumental Head of a Bodhisattva
  • Sitatara, White Tara
  • Standing Tara
  • The Arhats Vanavasin, Angaja, Kalika, and Ajita From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Buddha Shakyamuni with Scenes from his Life
  • Gazelle
  • Vase with Lotus Vines and the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Buddha Shakyamuni at the Moment of his Awakening
  • Prince Siddhartha’s Wedding
  • Buddha Shakyamuni Tames the Wild Elephant Nalagiri
  • Standing Bodhisattva
  • Buddha Shakyamuni Attains Awakening Under the Bodhi Tree
  • Standing Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Standing Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Buddha Vairocana
  • Praying Priest
  • Votive Stela with Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Half-length Portrait of the Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma
  • Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
  • The Arhats Panthaka, Gopaka, Nagasena, and Abheda From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Head of a Bodhisattva
  • Relief of the Five Transcendent Buddhas
  • Bodhidharma Crosses the Yangtze River on a Reed
  • Dharmatala and two lokapalas From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Stupa
  • Guhyamanjuvajra
  • Gendün Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai Lama (1476–1542)
  • Jambhala, the God of Wealth
  • Buddha Maitreya
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Leaving for Homelessness
  • Standing Buddha
  • The Four Excursions
  • Dakini Vasya-Vajravarahi
  • Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom
  • Hotei
  • Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
  • Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, as the Patron of fishermen
  • Amida Nyorai, Buddha of the Western Paradise
  • Travel Shrine
  • Six Persimmons
  • The Three Buddhas Dipankara, Shakyamuni, and Maitreya
  • Vajradhara, the Primordial Buddha
  • Dharmapala Yama
  • Buddhist Monk
  • Buddha Shakyamuni as a Newborn Infant
  • Mara’s Daughters Tempt the Buddha
  • Excerpt from the Lotus Sutra
  • Sakya Pandita (1182–1252)
  • The Bodhisattva of Compassion as the Bringer of Sons
  • Standing Buddha Amida
  • The 4th Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso (1589–1617)
  • Standing Monk with Hands Folded
  • Bodhidharma
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Standing Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Buddha Shakyamuni Invokes the Earth Goddess as his Witness
  • Rectangular Coin
  • The Buddha’s Parinirvana
  • Baisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha
  • Mahasiddha Virupa
  • Buddhist Votive Tablet
  • The Buddha Invokes the Earth Goddess as his Witness
  • The Arhats Kanakavasta, Vajriputra, Kanaka Bharadvaja, and Bhadra From a series of 7 thangkas with Buddha Shakyamuni and the 18 arhats
  • Shyamatara, Green Tara
  • Buddha Shakyamuni Meditating Under the Bodhi Tree
  • Seated Bodhisattva
  • Buddhist Pocket-sized Prayer Altar
  • Vijaya Stupa
  • Green Tara (Shyama Tara)
  • Jizo Bosatsu, Bodhisattva in the Guise of a Monk
  • Buddhist Votive Stela of the Yan Family
  • Buddha Shakyamuni 
  • Zen Priest in a Golden Wrap
  • Head of the Buddha
  • Buddha Dipankara, the Buddha of the Past
  • Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Padmasambhava with his 25 Tibetan Pupils From a series of 7 thangkas
  • Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
  • Buddhist Monastic Rules from the Pali Canon
  • The Prophecy of the Wise Asita
Stela Showing Scenes from the Life of the Buddha

Stela Showing Scenes from the Life of the Buddha

Buddhist art from Gandhara is renowned for its numerous narrative representations of events in the life of Buddha Shakyamuni. 

The topmost, slightly damaged scene shows the Buddha miraculously pacifying a raging elephant sent to kill him by his jealous cousin Devadatta. Below that is a conversion scene. An unidentified bodhisattva is shown in the bottom section.