Activity
Background Information
Arts of the Islamic World
Islam has been an important cultural force in much of Asia for more than five hundred years, and in some parts for more than a thousand. Today, far more Muslims live in other parts of Asia than in the Arab areas of Asia such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Background Information
Peaceful and Wrathful Deities
The vast Tibetan pantheon includes numerous peaceful and wrathful deities, who guide and protect believers on their paths to enlightenment. Among the images of peaceful deities are those of buddhas and bodhisattvas, great teachers, and high monks. Wrathful deities, such as the guardian deities, use their power to protect Buddhism and to destroy the three major obstacles to enlightenment: anger, greed, and ignorance.
Video
Secrets of the Stupa
Jeffrey Durham, Assistant Curator of Himalayan Art at the Asian Art Museum discusses the secrets of the Svayambhu Stupa in the Asian Art Museum’s collection.
Video
The Rama Epic Live Performance
An introduction to the Rama epic produced for the Asian Art Museum by filmmaker and cultural historian Benoy K. Behl, featuring performances from across South and Southeast Asia.
Activity
Create a Floating Mandala
Video
The Stupa
A short documentary on The Stupa, a hemispherical mound that represents the burial mound of the Buddha.
Activity
Create Your Own Mandala
Experience the quiet, meditative act yourself when you create your own mandala, a geometric meditation map.
Background Information
Tibetan Thangka Painting (Sacred Pictures)
In Tibet, religious paintings come in several forms, including wall paintings, thangkas (sacred pictures that can be rolled up), and miniatures for ritual purposes or for placement in household shrines.