1. Bodhisattva (again)
Monday, June 24, 2013 at 8:20AM
[chuck] in Art, Dharma, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, bodhisattva

[NOTE: To free up some time to work on my book (see Lower Mekong Market Chain), I have decided to offer another week of bodhisattvas. You can always use a few more of these].

The Asian wing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art contains numerous stunning examples of Buddhist iconography. I took a lot of pictures of bodhisattvas when I was there (see Bodhisattvas) - couldn't help myself. As a way of sharing some of these images, I have decided to make this Bodhisattva Week. The unidentified bodhisattva shown above is from Tang Dynasty (618-907) China; wood with traces of paint.

Everyday, the Four Bodhisattva Vows are chanted in Buddhist temples around the world:

Beings are numberless, I vow to free them.

Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them.

Dharma gates are boundless, I vow to enter them.

The awakened way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it. 

These vows are a tall order. Good thing there are so many bodhisattva guides out there to help us actualize them. 

Article originally appeared on thus i have seen (http://thusihaveseen.squarespace.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.