Search Buddhist Channel

Beginning May 7, the Getty Research Institute will show Buddhist artwork in the show ‘Cave Temples of Dunhuang’

By Alexandra Wolfe, WSJ, Apr 29, 2016

Los Angeles, CA (USA) -- For six centuries, nearly 500 caves filled with troves of art sat practically untouched along China’s Silk Road. Little known outside China, they contained thousands of Buddhist sculptures and manuscripts and acres of murals.

<< A view of the interior of cave 285, created in the Western Wei Dynasty (535-556 C.E.) Photo: Dunhuang Academy

On May 7, the new exhibit “Cave Temples of Dunhuang” at the Getty Center in Los Angeles will display artworks and replicas of three caves, selected from hundreds hewed out of cliffs from the fourth to the 14th centuries near Dunhuang, a city more than 1,200 miles west of Beijing at the edge of the Gobi Desert.

Merchants and other travelers created the caves as safe places to rest and meditate along a trade route skirting the desert, part of an ancient network that linked China with Mediterranean and Indian civilizations. Over the centuries, artisans added their own handiwork, leaving behind images and inscriptions that experts can now date by the styles of dress they depict. The exhibit includes objects that Buddhists used for prayer and meditation and to gain karmic merit.

Thanks to the dry weather, an uncanny amount of artwork remains intact. Foreign explorers visited the caves in the early 1900s and sent many objects to European, Indian, Japanese and American collections. Many works in the Getty exhibition are on loan from museums in Europe. Despite the exports overseas, thousands of silk and paper manuscripts remained within the walls of the caves.

The Chinese government finally opened the caves to the public in 1980. For more than 25 years, the Getty and the Dunhuang Research Academy, devoted to the caves’ upkeep, have collaborated to preserve their contents. Under high ceilings—some over 40 feet—colorful murals illustrate Buddhist sermons and stories. Among the objects in the show is a wood block print displaying an important Buddhist sermon, the Diamond Sutra, aimed at dispelling the illusory nature of the material world.

Co-curator Marcia Reed thinks that the exhibition, which ends Sept. 4, will find a ready audience in California, where she sees new interest in meditation and Buddhism.

Since the 1950s, artists from the Dunhuang Research Academy have created replica caves, painting on huge pieces of paper. In this exhibit, the replicas were mounted on wooden supports and erected at the Getty’s entrance.

At the desert site, the Getty has helped researchers use fences and screens to protect the caves, which once were considered great displays of wealth. Ms. Reed loosely compares them to Beverly Hills mansions or Medici palaces in Italy. “It is Buddhist glamour,” she jokes.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP