ASIA FEATURES
Buddhism
-
Buddhism & the Life of the Buddha
The legends associated with the major events of the Buddha's life, given here in condensed form, are based on a number of sources. Among the most important is the Buddhacarita or 'The Acts of the Buddha', the first full length biography of the Buddha written by an Indian poet called Ashvaghosha in the 1st century AD.
-
Buddhist Pilgrimage
In the centuries since the Buddha's death, pilgrims have travelled from every part of Asia to visit sacred sites in India, the heartland of Buddhism. For those pilgrims who were unable to make the journey to India, pilgrimage centres in other countries developed at sites associated with Buddhism.
-
Buddhist Cave Temple Sculpture
This Buddha's head, which dates to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577 AD) is currently on display in Gallery 47e alongside other examples of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, and is one of several pieces in the V&A's collection thought to have originated from a Buddhist cave temple in China.
-
Buddhist Community Views on Objects in the Collection
From April to September 2006, seven advisory groups were held with members of different faith community groups. The aims of these were to consult with the communities that the V&A collections were relevant to and see what reactions they had about the V&A collections.
More on Buddhist Community Views on Objects in the Collection
-
Iconography of the Buddha
The image of the Buddha is distinguished in various different ways. The Buddha is usually shown in a stylised pose or asana. Also important are the 32 lakshanas or special bodily features, which are listed here, together with other iconic representations.
-
The Wheel of Rebirth
The Wheel of Rebirth enshrines the main Buddhist teachings on Karma, the laws of spiritual cause and effect. Discover how scroll paintings of this sort were used to help spread the understanding of Buddha's teachings and try an activity which helps to explain the concept of Karma and rebirth.
-
Buddhism: Art & Design and Religious Education
This resource suggests different approaches to using the V&A's collection of Buddhist objects for supporting teaching and learning in Religious Education and Art & Design at Key Stage 3. Included are classroom based activities and activities that can be carried out at the museum to engage students in learning about Buddhist art. These could also be adapted for different key stages and subjects, especially History, Citizenship and Literacy.
-
Buddhism Reading Lists
Click on a region to view a list of titles relating to Buddhism and Buddhist art, including architecture, painting, sculpture and carving.