2. Bodhisattva (again)
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 5:44PM
[chuck] in Art, Dharma, Philadelphia Museum of Art, bodhisattva

Another unidentified bodhisattva. From the Song Dynasty (960-1279); wood with traces of paint and gilt decoration. 

"Bodhisattvas are beings who are dedicated to the universal awakening, or enlightenment, of everyone. They exist as guides and providers of succor to suffering beings, and offer everyone an approach to meaningful life. A bodhisattva, carrying out the work of buddhas, vows not to personally settle into the salvation of final buddhahood until he or she can assist all beings throughout the vast reaches of time and space to fully realize this liberated experience."

-Taigen Dan Leighton
Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression

[NOTE: Those who are visiting Bodhisattva Week for the first time can find some context here].

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