Buddhism
Q&A for people practicing or interested in Buddhist philosophy, teaching, and practice
Latest Questions
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What is the meaning of the ball and walking stick in Buddha images?
For example, in the picture below the Buddha has a walking stick in one hand and a white ball in the other hand. [![enter image description here][1]][1] This statue is another example with the stick and the ball: [![enter image description here][2]][2] What is the meaning, the symbolism, of those tw...
For example, in the picture below the Buddha has a walking stick in one hand and a white ball in the other hand.
This statue is another example with the stick and the ball:
What is the meaning, the symbolism, of those two objects?
This statue is another example with the stick and the ball:
What is the meaning, the symbolism, of those two objects?
Andrea
(371 rep)
Apr 24, 2025, 06:22 PM
• Last activity: Apr 25, 2025, 06:54 AM
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Visual representations of the Tripitaka
Are there visual representations of the Tripitaka? Its threefold division suggests a correspondence of vinaya to "body", sutta to "soul", abhidhamma to "mind", a rather broad correspondence that could be linked to many "threefold divisions" of symbolic language. So I am asking for artistic works tha...
Are there visual representations of the Tripitaka? Its threefold division suggests a correspondence of vinaya to "body", sutta to "soul", abhidhamma to "mind", a rather broad correspondence that could be linked to many "threefold divisions" of symbolic language.
So I am asking for artistic works that focus explicitly on the Tripitaka, especially in Tibetan art.
So I am asking for artistic works that focus explicitly on the Tripitaka, especially in Tibetan art.
exp8j
(109 rep)
Nov 12, 2024, 06:11 AM
1
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5
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Street art interpretation in predominantly Buddhist country
I have wanted to ask someone who is not familiar with a Buddhist culture how they might interpret this street art, which is generating controversy in a predominantly Buddhist country. [![Graffiti][1]][1] [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/WiKwN.jpg
I have wanted to ask someone who is not familiar with a Buddhist culture how they might interpret this street art, which is generating controversy in a predominantly Buddhist country.
Sandah Aung
(111 rep)
Apr 6, 2020, 06:08 AM
• Last activity: Sep 19, 2024, 01:49 AM
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5
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Buddha statue of European/white likeness?
Do Buddha statues exist that portray Buddha as a person of white or European likeness? Where would I find them? (Not sure what other than "white" or "European" to call it; you are free to correct me.) If not, why not? (I would like to explain in a few words why I am asking that question, but find it...
Do Buddha statues exist that portray Buddha as a person of white or European likeness? Where would I find them?
(Not sure what other than "white" or "European" to call it; you are free to correct me.)
If not, why not?
(I would like to explain in a few words why I am asking that question, but find it difficult to pin down the right words. It has something to do with the feeling of familiarity or likeness, and just plain fun of entertaining the idea that the Buddha can look like all the other people that are typically around me all day long. Plus, whatever drives people to make cover versions of songs, just seen as a "cover version" of the typical Buddha statue.)
EDIT: Replaced the word "caucasian" with "white", because this should be less offensive.
Madoc
(139 rep)
Sep 28, 2016, 10:39 AM
• Last activity: Mar 18, 2024, 03:28 PM
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Why is an emaciated Buddha rarely represented in art?
Surely The Buddha appeared quite emaciated when he realized full enlightenment. Why is an emaciated Buddha rarely represented in art?
Surely The Buddha appeared quite emaciated when he realized full enlightenment. Why is an emaciated Buddha rarely represented in art?
PaPa
(1005 rep)
Jan 21, 2015, 02:20 PM
• Last activity: Nov 14, 2023, 05:18 PM
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what is memesis from a buddhist perspective?
What is the Buddhist view regarding [mimesis][1]? Mimesis is imitation of nature. How might a Buddhist explain it? > At first glance, mimesis seems to be a stylizing of reality in which > the ordinary features of our world are brought into focus by a certain > exaggeration, the relationship of the i...
What is the Buddhist view regarding mimesis ? Mimesis is imitation of nature. How might a Buddhist explain it?
> At first glance, mimesis seems to be a stylizing of reality in which
> the ordinary features of our world are brought into focus by a certain
> exaggeration, the relationship of the imitation to the object it
> imitates being something like the relationship of dancing to walking.
> Imitation always involves selecting something from the continuum of
> experience, thus giving boundaries to what really has no beginning or
> end.
The wiki page also says "presentation of the self", so maybe it refers to formality in public. Perhaps it has many meanings. The feeling of catharsis comes about as a result. This seems more like fiction (drama), although the philosopher is quoted "drama is imitation of action". Regardless, I am primarily trying to understand the role of mimesis in *regular* life. Is it just faking and self-deception?
nacre
(1901 rep)
Jul 20, 2023, 03:07 PM
• Last activity: Sep 8, 2023, 02:15 PM
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What is spiritual aspect of art in Buddhism?
The Tibetan monks draw elaborate and intricate sand mandalas, as well as very complex thangka paintings. There is calligraphy in Zen Buddhism. I want to ask what is the spiritual aspect of art that these monks are working towards. No such art is practiced in Theravada Buddhism. How does art help us...
The Tibetan monks draw elaborate and intricate sand mandalas, as well as very complex thangka paintings. There is calligraphy in Zen Buddhism. I want to ask what is the spiritual aspect of art that these monks are working towards. No such art is practiced in Theravada Buddhism. How does art help us move toward Nirvana? Where does art fit in the four noble truths and the eight fold path?
The White Cloud
(2400 rep)
Jun 16, 2023, 03:04 PM
• Last activity: Jun 28, 2023, 06:18 PM
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About the Buddha tasting vinegar
**The Vinegar Tasters** is a very interesting subject in Chinese art. It depicts Confucius, the Buddha and Laozi tasting vinegar. [![enter image description here][1]][1] A common interpretation is the following: > Confucius is depicted with a sour face, because in confucionism life is "sour", that's...
**The Vinegar Tasters** is a very interesting subject in Chinese art. It depicts Confucius, the Buddha and Laozi tasting vinegar.
A common interpretation is the following:
> Confucius is depicted with a sour face, because in confucionism life is "sour", that's why we need rules etc. The Buddha is depicted with a bitter face, because the Buddha saw life as full of suffering etc, while Laozi is depicted smiling, because the vinegar is sweet to him, because he understands "the perfect nature of vinegar".
Despite the point of view of the Buddha (that life is full of *dukkha*), he understood that vinegar is vinegar, just as Laozi; and, knowing that, why would he have a bitter face? Is this depiction raising the image of Laozi and daoism and mistreating buddhism as pessimistic? Or is it more like a "Buddha sees the vinegar as it is" thing while Laozi sees it as sweet and thus "lying to himself"?
A common interpretation is the following:
> Confucius is depicted with a sour face, because in confucionism life is "sour", that's why we need rules etc. The Buddha is depicted with a bitter face, because the Buddha saw life as full of suffering etc, while Laozi is depicted smiling, because the vinegar is sweet to him, because he understands "the perfect nature of vinegar".
Despite the point of view of the Buddha (that life is full of *dukkha*), he understood that vinegar is vinegar, just as Laozi; and, knowing that, why would he have a bitter face? Is this depiction raising the image of Laozi and daoism and mistreating buddhism as pessimistic? Or is it more like a "Buddha sees the vinegar as it is" thing while Laozi sees it as sweet and thus "lying to himself"?
Ergative Man
(179 rep)
Aug 13, 2022, 07:17 PM
• Last activity: Aug 15, 2022, 03:21 PM
3
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4
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Can an art career distract from the Buddhist path?
I have aspired to be an artist since adolescence. I saw a Studio Ghibli movie and wanted to create that same magical feeling in others. However more recently, I think I have may have aspired only to create nothing more than escapism, rather than content that truly helps anyone. I don't feel that I a...
I have aspired to be an artist since adolescence. I saw a Studio Ghibli movie and wanted to create that same magical feeling in others. However more recently, I think I have may have aspired only to create nothing more than escapism, rather than content that truly helps anyone. I don't feel that I am doing more to contribute to the world than farmers, doctors, and the like. Additionally, much of the work I aspire to is largely inspired by nerdy things that I obsess over, or things that make me feel a certain way that I want to replicate. But that is self-serving, and not a display of my compassion.
Many people want to be artists, however we are drowning in a complete excess of artistic media. Artists today compete heavily for the economy of people's attention spans. We exonerate film auteurs like Hitchcock, Miyazaki, Spielberg etc., but those people had to compete with many others
I still feel the desire to create work that is personal, expressive and cathartic. I want to create art that connects me to like minds. However, I feel that my artistic pursuits could be more passionate. And that can be hard when you feel a need to mold your work to the demands of social media.
user3299074
(31 rep)
May 15, 2022, 09:51 PM
• Last activity: May 19, 2022, 08:04 PM
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8
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Buddhist view on Art and being an Artist
I am wondering what is the buddhist view on Art and especially being an Artist? Meaning someone who creates something with an aesthetic quality that may or may not reflect the reality and express thoughts, feelings ideas etc. As I try to study the basics of buddhism I am encountering this strange co...
I am wondering what is the buddhist view on Art and especially being an Artist? Meaning someone who creates something with an aesthetic quality that may or may not reflect the reality and express thoughts, feelings ideas etc.
As I try to study the basics of buddhism I am encountering this strange conflict when, for example (in my case filmmaking), you like to create a fictional stories, character and even entire worlds, universes.. and that often leads you away from the actual reality. Of course all the thoughts, concepts, stories, songs, plays, paintings, movies etc. in most cases have some symbolic, deeper meaning that does not changed much from the early times. They are rather variations of the "big" questions, pain, love, suffering, live and such and therefore can have the ability to enrich the viewer, provoke thinking and feeling or any other response.
But the creation process takes a huge amount of energy, and a lot of thinking about. I am not sure if that's such a good thing in the end...
Mejzlosh
(131 rep)
Dec 6, 2014, 11:16 PM
• Last activity: Feb 13, 2022, 05:47 PM
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Where are the main collections of digitized Buddhist art online?
I have found the [himalayanart.org](https://www.himalayanart.org/items/34832) website, which has the kind of art I am looking for, things like religious paintings, mandalas, etc. Where are the most digitized high-res buddhist art records kept online?
I have found the [himalayanart.org](https://www.himalayanart.org/items/34832) website, which has the kind of art I am looking for, things like religious paintings, mandalas, etc. Where are the most digitized high-res buddhist art records kept online?
Lance Pollard
(760 rep)
Jan 13, 2022, 04:42 PM
• Last activity: Jan 14, 2022, 02:02 PM
4
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Ancient Indian sites, where Jataka stories are illustrated through sculpture and painting?
I know that many Jataka stories are illustrated, through sculpture and painting, in ancient Indian sites like Sanchi, Bharhut, Ajanta etc. I have found some of them in various books and websites. What I need is a comprehensive list of such illustrations. Can anyone please help me?
I know that many Jataka stories are illustrated, through sculpture and painting, in ancient Indian sites like Sanchi, Bharhut, Ajanta etc. I have found some of them in various books and websites. What I need is a comprehensive list of such illustrations. Can anyone please help me?
Soumen
(644 rep)
Sep 21, 2018, 01:09 PM
• Last activity: Aug 22, 2020, 03:02 AM
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2
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Does depicting Jesus as an Arahant show that Buddhism is inclusive and compassionate?
I came across a book about the 500 Arahants, and it briefly mentioned that Jesus is depicted as an Arahant in a particular temple in China. After spending some time Googling, I found out that it's actually true! The Qiongzhu Temple (筇竹寺) in Kunming has an Arahant Hall containing Arahant-Jesus, along...
I came across a book about the 500 Arahants, and it briefly mentioned that Jesus is depicted as an Arahant in a particular temple in China. After spending some time Googling, I found out that it's actually true! The Qiongzhu Temple (筇竹寺) in Kunming has an Arahant Hall containing Arahant-Jesus, along with some other Western figures. Here's a [photo](https://img.91ddcc.com/14569013682359.jpg) of it.
I'm perplexed as to why there is such depiction, and whether it can be considered a good idea. I read some news/articles about the temple, which used the reasoning that it shows the compassion and inclusiveness of Buddhism. There maybe an alternative explanation, unfortunately I have never been to the place, so this is the only one I could find on the Internet.
*My question is*: Is it true that making an 'Arahant-Jesus" shows that Buddhism is compassionate and inclusive? If not, is such depiction valid/acceptable in Mahayana or any other school of Buddhism?
I hope the title is not too ridiculous. Thank you :D
viptrongproz98
(388 rep)
Aug 21, 2020, 03:43 PM
• Last activity: Aug 21, 2020, 04:32 PM
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Is there poetry in Pali, and where can I read it, in translation and in original?
Is there poetry in Pali, and where can I read it, in translation and in original? If so, who are the most important Pali poets, and is anyone still writing in it?
Is there poetry in Pali, and where can I read it, in translation and in original? If so, who are the most important Pali poets, and is anyone still writing in it?
user2512
Jul 24, 2020, 01:10 AM
• Last activity: Jul 24, 2020, 02:44 AM
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Why does the Buddha appear androgynous in some depictions?
In quite a few depictions of the Buddha in artwork, he appears androgynous. Does this represent something significant in terms of a Buddhist message or ideal, or is this just an artistic style? [![Example One][1]][1s] [![Example Two][2]][2s] [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/v5dpcm.jpg [1s]: https://i.ssta...
In quite a few depictions of the Buddha in artwork, he appears androgynous.
Does this represent something significant in terms of a Buddhist message or ideal, or is this just an artistic style?
Robin111
(9612 rep)
Jun 21, 2014, 11:53 AM
• Last activity: Jul 16, 2020, 01:32 AM
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Did the Buddha discourage antropomorphic representations of himself?
The first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha appeared centuries after his death (see [this related question][1]). Buddhist art then was "aniconic", insofar as the Buddha was only represented through symbols such as the [Buddha's footprint][2] or the [Dharma wheel][3]. In [the Wikipedia ar...
The first anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha appeared centuries after his death (see this related question ). Buddhist art then was "aniconic", insofar as the Buddha was only represented through symbols such as the Buddha's footprint or the Dharma wheel . In the Wikipedia article on Greco-Buddhism , there is a hint as to why this might be so:
> [The] reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, and the sophisticated development of aniconic symbols to avoid it (even in narrative scenes where other human figures would appear), seem to be connected to one of the Buddha’s sayings, reported in the Digha Nikaya , that discouraged representations of himself after the extinction of his body.
This assertion isn't, however, accompanied by a reference to the relevant portion of the Digha Nikaya, and it is contradicted in Donald Lopez's latest book, *From Stone to Flesh: A Short History of the Buddha* (University of Chicago Press, 2013):
>[N]o proscriptions against making images of the Buddha have been located in what scholars would regard as an early Buddhist text, nor have any prescriptions for his representation been found.
Is there actual textual basis for the claim that the Buddha discouraged antropomorphic representations of himself (in the Digha Nikaya or other early Buddhist texts)?
user611
Aug 7, 2014, 03:22 AM
• Last activity: Jul 22, 2019, 11:11 AM
8
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3
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Theravada Buddhism and Art
In Mahayana Buddhism we can see various artistic expressions: Thangka and Songs of Milarepa in Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese and Japanese art also were influenced heavily by Buddhism. Is there any forms of art practiced by Theravada monks? Do you know of any monks who were painters or poets?
In Mahayana Buddhism we can see various artistic expressions: Thangka and Songs of Milarepa in Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese and Japanese art also were influenced heavily by Buddhism. Is there any forms of art practiced by Theravada monks? Do you know of any monks who were painters or poets?
asolodoff
(475 rep)
Aug 5, 2014, 05:07 PM
• Last activity: Jul 22, 2019, 11:09 AM
0
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1
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Need to know more about this art
This was a birthday gift I received a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out where it came from, what the images mean, and about how old it is. It's at least a hundred years old. [![wall art scroll][1]][1] [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/q8fQb.jpg
This was a birthday gift I received a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out where it came from, what the images mean, and about how old it is. It's at least a hundred years old. 
BeePot
(11 rep)
Jan 17, 2019, 09:46 AM
• Last activity: Jan 20, 2019, 01:08 PM
7
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3
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What is the reasoning for making a buddhist statue out of gold?
The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon, is the world's largest solid gold statue. What is the justification for such a statue? By justification I mean, what reasons would the Buddhists who created/use the statue give to explain why keeping gold (often seen as a sign o...
The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon, is the world's largest solid gold statue.
What is the justification for such a statue? By justification I mean, what reasons would the Buddhists who created/use the statue give to explain why keeping gold (often seen as a sign of wealth and power) as a statue is right; as opposed to using the money from melting it down and selling it to buy meals for the homeless or others in need.
user70
(1815 rep)
Jul 1, 2014, 02:09 AM
• Last activity: Jun 4, 2018, 08:51 AM
1
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2
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Possible to attain happiness without support, through art?
Is it possible to attain happiness without support, through art, not overt meditation? I'm not really an *expert* on any art, but take the question (somewhat) seriously.
Is it possible to attain happiness without support, through art, not overt meditation?
I'm not really an *expert* on any art, but take the question (somewhat) seriously.
user2512
Aug 17, 2017, 05:08 AM
• Last activity: Aug 18, 2017, 03:06 AM
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