Find out about different kinds of art inspired by Buddhism. Richly illustrated, with useful overviews of the origins of Buddhism, Buddhist sects, and similar aspects of the religion.

At World Religions in Art, the world's major religions--Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism--serve as lenses through which artistic production is examined in terms of its subject matter, sources of inspiration, meaning,...

This lesson plan--for social studies or an art class studying the culture of India--features great clip art examples, resources for teachers, and a glossary of vocabulary words.

Over the centuries, two main branches of Buddhism emerged: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Read a description of each of these forms of Buddhism.

Over the centuries, two main branches of Buddhism emerged: a transmission that traveled to Southeast Asia, and a transmission that evolved in East Asia. A further offshoot of the northern transmission also developed. All three branches:...

Buddhism is one of the world's great religions, and has deeply influenced the character and evolution of Asian civilization over the past 2,500 years. It is based on the teachings of a historical figure, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived...

Buddhism was officially transmitted to Japan in 525, when the monarch of the Korean kingdom of Baekje sent a mission to Japan with gifts, including an image of the Buddha, several ritual objects, and sacred texts. Buddhism's journey from...

Buddhism would revolutionize many aspects of Japanese life including music, dance, a new writing system, and above all, elaborate Buddhist art. View a picture of a Buddhist sculpture and read a brief history of Buddhism in Japan.

Buddhism originated in what is today modern India, where it grew into an organized religion practiced by monks, nuns, and lay people. Read a brief history of this religion in this article.

Buddhism was introduced into Tibet from India and China beginning in the 600s. Over the succeeding centuries, Buddhism became the dominant cultural form in Tibet, exerting a powerful influence not only over religion, but also over...

Buddhism became the official religion of one of Korea's early kingdoms in 372, after a priest arrived from China with Buddhist images and scriptures. From the time of its introduction it had the enthusiastic support of the rulers and the...

A collection of Buddhist art, primarily sculpture, with short descriptions.

An examination of the aesthetic tradition of Buddhist art in India, China, and Japan, with examples pulled from the Smithsonian galleries devoted to the art of Asia.

Lesson plan for explaining the path to enlightenment known in Buddhism as the Eightfold Path.

Life of the Buddha told through a series of art objects. Accompanying essay clarifies episodes in the Buddha's life story.

Learn about the history of China: their beliefs, arts, philosophies, medicine, and political evolution.

Worship and power struggles, enlightenment and suicide-the 2300 caves and niches filled with Buddhist art at Longmen in China has witnessed it all.The steep limestone cliffs extend for almost a mile and contain approximately 110,000...

A wonderful site that includes over 6000 photos taken by British officials and tourists. You can create your own picture album and send it to a friend. Clicking on "Places" will show you a map of where the photographers traveled.

This area is designed for students learning about Silk Road people, culture, history, art, religion and language. Nowadays, we know much about life on the Silk Road thanks to archaeologists and explorers. The objects people leave behind...

A survey of three Buddhist temples in the Mustang district of Tibet. Includes words of a Tibetan prayer as well as an audio file, details about Mustang, explanations of Tibetan art, and images of paintings found in the temples.

Artifacts reveal much about the Forbidden City, buried deep inside Beijing, and the life and reign of Chinese Emperor Qianlong, born in the Forbidden City and ruler from the mid- to late-eighteenth century. An online companion to a past...

Over the centuries four religious movements in Tibet evolved into the four religious orders of Tibetan Buddhism. These orders are all based on Buddhism from India, but they have different founders and lineages of teachers, prefer...

Penden Lhamo is one of the more wrathful female deities of Buddhism. Among her many roles, she is the special protector of the city of Lhasa, the Gelukpa Order, and the Dalai Lamas of Tibet. She was invited to Tibet in around the...

The vajra (Tibetan: Dorjie) and bell (Sanskrit: ghanta; Tibetan: drilbu) are the most important ritual objects of Tibetan Buddhism. Most every lama has a pair and knows how to use them. They represent "method" (vajra) and "wisdom"...