Buddhism in China: An Enduring Legacy on View at the Smithsonian

SMITHSONIAN (BLOG)
Posted by Leah Binkovitz

Known as the transmitter of Chan, or Zen Buddhism, the Chinese monk, Bodhidharma, was said to have a volatile temperament. Portrait of Bodhidharma. Fourteenth century, ink on silk. Courtesy the Freer Gallery of Art.

Though Buddhism was not native to China, curator Stephen Allee says it wasn’t a hard sell. “It’s a religion of salvation, and so it had great popularity and appeal,” he says. As curator of the Freer Gallery‘s new exhibit, “Enlightened Beings: Buddhism in Chinese Painting,” Allee points out that missionaries and traders traveled across the Silk Road in the first century BCE, and over the centuries, they gained a court audience, making Buddhism an integral part of Chinese culture. The exhibit’s 27 works, ranging from the 11th century to the 19th century, tell the story of both Buddhist thought and its adoption in a new land.[link]

The Freer Gallery of Art | Smithsonian Institution: "Enlightened Beings: Buddhism in Chinese Painting," (Ends February 24, 2013), Jefferson Drive at 12th Street, SW, Questions? Call (202)-633.4880 or visit www.asia.si.edu