Some historic Buddhist artifacts

My last post mentioned a travelling show of Buddhist artifacts, this one will offer a few images from the Glenbow museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

There is much more to see than these few images, and the Glenbow also offers insight into Alberta and Canadian history, so well worth a visit.

This is an image of a walking Buddha from Sukothai Thailand from the 14th or 15th century. The Sukothai kingdom flourished between 1250 – 1450 A.D. in what is now known as Thailand.

This statue of a Bodhisattva is from  the Western region of Tibet, and is from the 11th or 12th century. Bodhisattva means Buddha to be.

This statue of The Buddha is from the Gupta period in India, approximately the 5th century A.D.

Mahachakra Vajrapani, one of the protectors of Lhasa the holy city in Tibet. There is some question where this image was created, as the style could be from Mongolia, Tibet or China in the 18th century.

A Jodo Shinshu Buddhist shrine from Kyoto Japan. This was crafted in the 1930s.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures, and one day get a chance to see them in person.

The Glenbow Museum website.

Daily Prompt: Second Time Around

Tell us about a book you can read again and again without getting bored — what is it that speaks to you?

Actually there are many books I have read several times. Some are fiction, others biographical, some science fiction, a few history, and some from other genres. The most recent one is Daily Buddhist Devotions by Venerable K Sri Dhammananda. These are not prayers to Buddha, in the way that Christians pray to God. These are to short devotional studies to help us focus our mind, gain knowledge and develop insight into solving our problems. The following quote from the introduction of the book, will explain why I keep returning to it. It is a priceless book, in two ways. First the knowledge I gain is worth more than I could afford, and the book itself has no price, it’s free. For more information on this book and others please visit: http://www.budaedu.org or visit my post on The Buddhist Educational Foundation.

“Many of our problems are caused by the mind itself. Therefore, the mind alone is able to solve them with proper understanding. When the mind is properly settled by constantly thinking of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, it can help us to overcome our sense helplessness, fear of evil spirits, and loneliness. As a result self confidence is restored. This, in short, is what is meant by taking ‘refuge’ in the Buddha.” Page XIV Daily Buddhist Devotions.

This book has helped me on days I seek more knowledge about life. I have used it to develop my spiritual practice into a daily routine, exercising my spiritual muscles much like a person works out their physical muscles at the gym. It has given me knowledge about specific problems, that I have faced in my life, or guided me towards where I might find more information.

 

More second time reads here:

I would like to introduce you to:

I would like to introduce you to The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.

They are a Buddhist foundation based in Taipei, Taiwan. Their goal is to promote the Buddha Dharma and to make the teachings freely available to the general public. They don’t favour any one school or sect over another, and all are afforded equal respect. They offer both printed books and e-books, in the following languages: Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Nepali, Sinhalese. Spanish, Thai, Tibetan, and Vietnamese.

Website link to the English homepage.

Metta