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Buddhism was founded in the sixth century BCE. With the support of royal houses and propagation of the Buddhist clergy in India, the religion spread slowly via land and sea routes east to China, Korea, and Japan as well as south to Sri Lanka and areas in Southeast Asia to eventually form one of the core components of spiritual life in Asia. At different times and places, Buddhism would mix with local cultures to yield a rich diversity of appearances.

The realism of Gandharan sculptures in ancient India and the thin body-clinging robes of Gupta sculptures both would have a far-ranging influence on Buddhist sculptures produced in various countries around Asia. Furthermore, each place would add elements of its own interpretation, giving rise to various sculptural forms featuring unique regional characteristics. Moreover, in addition to traditional Buddha and bodhisattva (“enlightened being”) sculptures with one head and two arms, multiple-headed and multiple-armed esoteric (“secret”) bodhisattva sculptures began to appear starting from the sixth and seventh centuries CE. This section of the exhibit deals mostly with gilt bronze sculptures, and it also features those made of stone and wood. These sculptures not only convey the religious content of Buddhism, but they are also beautiful works of art in their own right.

Light of the Buddha Illuminating All

In response to different Buddhist beliefs, there was not only the historical Buddha Shakyamuni but actually many Buddhas in Mahayana Buddhism, for example--such as Maitreya, Amitabha, and Bhaisajyaguru, representing the Future, Pure Land, and Medicine Buddhas. In order to be more approachable to believers, the production of Buddhist sculptures in various regions took on features of the people living there, in addition to retaining the unique physical characteristics of the Buddha, such as the head protuberance, white tuft of hair between the eyebrows, and kasaya Buddhist robes.

Incarnations of Compassion

The belief system of Avalokitesvara (the bodhisattva of compassion known as Kuan-yin in Chinese) is particularly rich and can be divided into two major categories: esoteric (“secret”) and exoteric (“revealed”). Among them, the earliest to form imagery is probably the exoteric Avalokitesvara system, in which the bodhisattva wears a jeweled crown featuring manifestations of the Buddha and holds a lotus blossom. What followed were esoteric variations of Avalokitesvara with one head and many arms, or multiple heads and multiple arms. Avalokitesvara beliefs also merged with local cultures, creating forms that departed from classical or scriptural norms, such as the Avalokitesvara of fertility.

The Infinite Power of Buddhism

The mixing of Hinduism and Buddhism along with folk beliefs in India that took place during the sixth and seventh centuries CE gradually gave rise to esoteric Buddhism, combining the three secret practices of body, speech, and mind. Unlike in exoteric Buddhism, esoteric sculptures often feature deities with many heads and arms to symbolize their infinite powers. In addition, a reverence for female deities also led to the rise in female form of many bodhisattva sculptures, for example.