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Samantabhadra: The Primordial Buddha of the Nyi...

If you search for Samantabhadra, you will quickly run into a puzzle: the name belongs to two quite different figures in Buddhism. One is a great bodhisattva of practice and...

The Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra): What the Great...

On the walls of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries across the Indo-Tibetan region, you will often find one striking image: a great wheel, gripped by a fierce figure, with a...

Nepali Handicrafts: A Guide to the Crafts of Nepal

Search for Nepali handicrafts and you will find everything from bronze deities to painted scrolls to singing bowls. That range is real: Nepal's craft traditions span metalwork, painting, wood carving,...

Buddha Head Statues: What the Features Mean

A Buddha statue is never just a likeness. Across Buddhist art, the way the Buddha is shown follows shared conventions, and Wikipedia's article on the Buddha in art notes that...

Jade Buddha Statues: Nephrite, Jadeite and What...

A jade Buddha statue joins two things people have long valued: a beautiful ornamental stone and the image of the Buddha. If you are weighing a purchase, it helps to...

Nataraja (Natraj): The Meaning of Shiva's Cosmi...

A four-armed figure dancing inside a ring of fire: that is Nataraja, Shiva as the Lord of the Dance, and every detail of the pose carries meaning. Here is what...