Buddhist art & culture is a huge topic with an enormous range of material available for discussion. Buddhist art refers to the rich and diverse representations of religious images, sculpture, dance, visual mythology, and symbols deriving from the various Buddhist communities found around the world. Buddhist culture is exemplified through Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music and Buddhist cuisine. It is not known what the role of the image was in Early Buddhism, although many surviving images can be found because their symbolic or representative nature was not clearly explained in early texts. Among the earliest and most common symbols of Buddhism are the stupa, Dharma wheel, and the lotus flower. The dharma wheel, traditionally represented with eight spokes, can have a variety of meanings. It initially only meant royalty, but started to be used in a Buddhist context on the Pillars of Ashoka during the 3rd century BC. The Dharma wheel is generally seen as referring to the historical process of teaching the buddhadharma; the eight spokes refer to the Noble Eightfold Path. The lotus, as well, can have several meanings, often referring to the inherently pure potential of the mind. Other early symbols include the Trisula, a symbol used since around the 2nd century BC that combine the lotus, the vajra diamond rod and a symbolization of the three jewels. This valuable book is the perfect introductory text for all those intrigued by this splendid aesthetic tradition. It is also an essential resource for all who seek to understand Buddhist art as teaching.
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