Art

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