Related Guides
Background Sources
- Digital Dictionary of Buddhism This link opens in a new window A compilation of terms, texts, schools, persons, etc. found in Buddhist canonical sources. Also includes vocabulary from Neo-Confucian texts, as well as other philosophical and historical sources.
- "Buddhism—Image as Icon, Image as Art," in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts, Buddhism is characterized by considerable geographical and doctrinal diversity, but one feature shared by its many disparate strands is an emphasis on the ritual importance of images. These images constitute the core of the category of “Buddhist art” as it is commonly understood, but there is a significant difference between how such objects are viewed by Buddhist practitioners and how they are viewed by art historians and scholars of religion. This chapter investigates the role and
- "Buddhist Art and Architecture in East Asia," in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism The production of Buddhist images and architectural sites mirrors, in many ways, the transmission of Buddhism to China and beyond, as well as its further development in East Asia.
- A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture This companion presents new critical views on crucial aspects of the large and varied field of Asian art and architectural history. The essays collected here provide scholars and the pubic with an opportunity to engage with the field in all its diversity - from coinage to monastic spaces to imperial commissions and beyond. Regions and topics covered include Korea, Japan, China, several regions of Southeast Asia, South Asia, global and colonial interactions, as well as art and architecture in the UK and UK diasporas.
- "Buddhist Deities and Figures," in Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery Buddhist art, iconography, and symbolism are both deceptively simple and highly complex due to the geographic spread of the religion and the many different schools of Buddhism that evolved over time.
