Meaning and function of Buddhist principles evince sovereignty over aesthetics in “The Circle of Bliss” at the Columbus Museum of Art’s Buddhist meditational exhibit which runs through May 9.
The exhibit showcases 158 works of Buddhist art from collections all over the world. The artwork traveled from countries such as Nepal, India, Mongolia and the Chinese territory of Tibet.
“We are bringing together for the first time spectacular works of Buddhist art from 40 museums, and even if you don’t know anything about Buddhism, you should see the show because of the beauty of the works,” said Dina Bangdel, exhibit co-curator and Ohio State College of the Arts program manager.
The artwork conveys the four noble truths of Buddhism: truth of suffering, origin of suffering, path of suffering and the cessation of suffering.
“Tantric Buddhism is the methodology of trying to attain enlightenment in this lifetime through vigorous mental disruption,” said John Huntington, an OSU history of art professor and faculty co-curator.
This type of Buddhism integrates the transformation of the mind, speech and body through intense mental concentration, use of hand gestures called “mudra” and chanting of mantras as channeling sound syllables.
“You do things and think things out of the ordinary. It’s like watching an X-ray of yourself. You meditate on becoming the deity,” Huntington said.
These deities take male and female forms, which Buddhist art uses to illustrate the transformation into enlightenment.
“Many tantric objects show the male and female deities in sexual union, and this is often misunderstood,” Bangdel said. “In this context, it is a subtle metaphor, where the male symbolizes compassion and the female symbolizes wisdom, and their resultant union to bliss of enlightenment.”
The complexity of Buddhist art is explained in detail within the exhibit through its symbolic language. The exhibit is a narrative walk through the origins of Buddhism from the journey of Prince Siddhartha and his quest for enlightenment.
“One image explains how Buddha achieves victory over death by defeating the Army of Maura, or egoistic cravings, which shows that everything is illusory, everything is temporary and nothing is reality,” Huntington said.
The exhibit is divided into 13 sections; each section has a specific path of progression. The purpose is to show the meaning and purpose of the art and how contemporary cultures of Nepal and Tibet understand the symbolism.
“The pathways focus on the complex teachings of the ‘Circle of Bliss’ or Chakrasamvara practice,” Bangdel said. “This type of thematic-laden show has not been done before.”
The intricate designs of the artwork and the sexual imagery help explain the complex teachings of Buddhism in a visual format. The tantra method emphasizes the mentor relationship where the teacher is equal to a Buddha.
“Tantric Buddhism is the highest and most complicated teachings of Buddhism, in which the goal is to gain enlightenment and become a Buddha in this lifetime,” Bangdel said. “The path is very effective but also very dangerous ,and the proper environment and initiation is necessary.”
Complex religion and splendid crafts of artistic achievement blend vividly for an exhibit that aims to educate.
“Students should go see the exhibit because some of the greatest scholars and philosophers have developed these philosophies on how you can become an altruistic person, rid of egoistic craving and desiring to help others,” Huntington said.
