19 September 2024 Met exhibit on Mandalas opens

"Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet, an exhibition that will showcase a wide range of Himalayan Buddhist devotional art. Scheduled to open on 19 September, the exhibition will feature more than 100 items, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, costumes, weapons, musical instruments, and various ritual objects, primarily dating from the 11th–15th centuries. The exhibition will also include a contemporary installation by Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol, commissioned by the museum specifically for this event and to be displayed in the atrium of the museum’s Robert Lehman Wing."

Buddhist Door Global

A mandala is a graphic representation.

Here's an example on their page about a talk on the 22nd.

Here's a review 10/9/24

Museum photos 2

These are panels from a stupa from dating from 200 BCE to 400 CE From Bharhut Great Stupa and Piprahwa stupa. This art is later than the Ashoka pillars (260 BCE), and later than the Sanchi Stupa No. 2 (2nd century BCE). 

The exhibit has borrowed from many museums to bring this exhibit together. You can check out the large print explanations. If you can go see the exhibition in person, it's fantastic. 

Macalania: The audio section starts here. The protective naga. A tree, perhaps were the buddha was enlightened?

Mountain Climbers!

Yaksha

The yaksha is giving life to plant life. This mythology is pre-Buddha. Sources of luck and prosperity. The area of India is reliant the monsoons. Rain clouds are life giving. The monks appropriate the role of rainmakers to boost their power and role in society. 

The goddess of abundance...

 

All these relief rocks come from stupas:

Museum photos

 Maitreya

Mahavairocana.

Partying with the Buddha?

There are stone faces of an ancient ornate stupa. This one has Maculinda, a theme of quite a few relics on this exhibit, Tree & Serpent, at the Met. Awesome show.

This one is a presentation of the Buddha's crown. 

The wheel of the Dharma was turned when:

The Blessed One then asked again, “Kaundinya, did you understand? did you understand?”

Kaundinya replied, “Blessed One, I understood.  I understood.”

“Since venerable Kaundinya has understood the Dharma, he shall now be known as Ajnatakaundinya - the Kaundinya who understood.” (source)

Recent Buddhism information, found things

 

Review of Met show in Washington Post.

Oakland Buddha

"You can see that with this deep divide now in the United States based on ignorance. Delusion is a cause of suffering. If you could get rid of that, that will alleviate suffering in many forms." Matthieu Ricard in New York Times.

Diamond Sutra read

The White Temple - Chiang Rai, Thailand (Reddit)