The gentle face of the Buddha is respected and loved across the world. However, this famous image has mysterious origins, and didn’t appear as an artistic theme until centuries after the Buddha’s death.
Where did the Buddha’s image come from? Buddhistdoor International has invited Jeffrey Martin to present and explore this puzzle in his five-part article series.
Jeffrey Martin is reading for an MA in Buddhist Studies at Newport University, Wales. He serves as co-editor of Buddhist Art News and studied thangkas at Tsering Art School, Shechen Monastery, Nepal. He has been an ESL instructor since 1988 and is teaching at a university on the Arabian Peninsula. His current research interest is in the role of art in early Buddhism.
This is the story of the absent Buddha. What answers do our ancient pieces of Buddhist art hold to this age-old mystery?
Articles
· Part One: The Missing Buddha
· Part Two: The Traditional View
