Dances of the Luminous Bardo
Joseph Houseal
6 January 2017
A most amazing mural is painted on a six-meter-high cylinder on the second floor of Dungtse Lhakhang in Paro, Bhutan. The temple was designed by
Invisible Twice: A Lost Dance Mural
Joseph Houseal
9 December 2016
The organization I direct, Core of Culture, which had already worked with Tantric Buddhist monks in other parts of the Himalayas, was invited to undertake
An Illuminating Exhibition on the Transmission of Buddhist Art at the Palace Museum in Beijing
Guoying Stacy Zhang
25 November 2016
The transmission of Buddhist art from India to China is a fascinating topic. Indeed, how did pious and profound art, along with a complex belief
The Buddhist Roots of Japanese Flower Arrangement
Meher McArthur
28 October 2016
One of the most widely practiced of all Japanese art forms is ikebana, or flower arrangement. The word “ikebana” literally means “living flowers,” suggesting that while
Connecting the Spirit with Love Through Authentic Art
Tiffani Gyatso
21 October 2016
Spirit is without name, without form. Spirit does not occupy a specific place, but is everywhere at the same time. Spirit is beyond of the
Buddhism and Creative Writing, Part Two
David Brazier
21 October 2016
James Sanford and his colleagues in their wonderful volume Flowing Traces (Sanford et al 1992, p.3) point out that “Buddhism’s beginnings in Japan had the arts at
The Hanging Sculptures of the Little Western Paradise
Guoying Stacy Zhang
14 October 2016
Qianfo’an (千佛庵), the Temple of One Thousand Buddhas, better known as Xiaoxitian (小西天) or the Little Western Paradise, is located in present-day Xi County, Linfen
Cosmic Contemplations: A Glimpse of Japan’s Rare Star Mandalas
Meher McArthur
2 September 2016
Japan’s esoteric Buddhist traditions boast a rich and diverse array of imagery, ranging from figures of individual deities to elaborate mandalas depicting specific deity families
Buddhism and Creative Writing, Part One
David Brazier
26 August 2016
The exploration of the relationship between creative writing—especially poetry—and Dharma practice carries with it a multitude of questions. Can such writing be considered a part of
Curating the Shwedagon Pagoda Museum in Myanmar
Heidi Tan
29 July 2016
The pagodas of Myanmar are tangible, physical expressions of the vast accumulations of merit (Burmese: kutho, also known as hpon) by the Buddhist communities that support
Visions from the Zen Mind: Zen Paintings and Calligraphy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Meher McArthur
8 July 2016
A fuzzy-furred gibbon seated on a rugged boulder reaches an arm out over a rushing river and tries to scoop up the reflection of the
When Dance Transforms
Joseph Houseal
24 June 2016
Dance is the most ephemeral of the arts. Capturing the art of movement in a still photograph is an art in itself. To represent the