According to tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha (Indian, c. 563-483 BC) was a prince who attained enlightenment and whose teachings gave birth to Buddhism. Western audiences today recognize certain iconographic elements--distended earlobes, monk's robes, a certain coiffure--as belonging to the buddha. Yet depictions vary widely across countries and cultures, revealing regional differences in religious belief. For example, the earliest buddha images, from Pakistan, depict the narrative of the Enlightened One's life, whereas later images from Thailand portray a crowned and bejeweled buddha. This great variety of interpretations represents a rich inheritance that enhances our understanding of the cultures that created such devotional objects. In this book, Nancy Tingley explores the breadth of Buddhist belief as elucidated through the many depictions of buddhas, from the first millennium to modern times.
