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The Way of Buddha
An Age of Enlightenment
Buddhism was introduced to China from the Indian subcontinent along trade routes across Central Asia. When Buddhism reached China it encountered two philosophies, Confucianism and Daoism. For the first time, the Chinese were confronted with a foreign system of thought, with a dynamic religion promising eternal bliss and salvation that was so immediate in its appeal that it soon began to have an impact on people from all strata of society. Over several centuries sculptural styles were developed that mixed foreign with Chinese qualities. During the formative phase of Buddhist culture and art in China, the Buddha was generally depicted standing or seated in contexts deriving from indigenous systems of belief.
The paradox of Buddhist and all religious art is that the journey is within, but art is an outward thing; carved stone, lacquered wood, painted paper, poured metal. These materials must somehow take a shape that tells us about the journey within. And so we try to "read" the images; there must be clues here in paint and stone about the Way. The men and women for whom these images were made could read them as if they were books. We have to accept our distance, however, as we move through the exhibition and take the journey, each of us will find our way.
"The brightest truth is without image. Yet if there were no image there would be no possibility for the truth to manifest itself. The highest principle is without words. Yet if there were no words how could the principle be known?"
-- inscription from Chinese Buddha figure dated 746 CE
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