Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

A Millennium of Buddhist History – Promoting Buddhism through Culture

Text | Venerable Ru Chang

In his early diaries, the Venerable Master Hsing Yun expressed a wish to promote the Dharma through culture by building a world-class Buddhist art museum. Over the past decade, the museum has collaborated with cultural institutions worldwide, showcasing top-tier artworks and relics, fulfilling the Master's vision despite initial skepticism.

In 2016, in collaboration with the Beijing Palace Museum, they launched the "Buddha’s Light in the Forbidden City: Selected Buddhist Art Collections of the Palace Museum " exhibition.

Pic | Buddha’s Light in the Forbidden City: Selected Buddhist Art Collections of the Palace Museum

In 2018, a partnership with Durham University in the UK resulted in the "Walking with the Buddha: Discovering the Natal Landscape of the Buddha" exhibition.

Pic | Walking with the Buddha: Discovering the Natal Landscape of the Buddha

In 2019, a collaboration with the National Palace Museum in Taiwan led to the "Animal: National Palace Museum New Media Art Exhibition”.

Pic | Animal: National Palace Museum New Media Art Exhibition

In 2021, the "Buddhist Maritime Silk Road: New Media Art  Exhibition" was jointly curated with partners from the United States, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Australia.

Pic |  Buddhist Maritime Silk Road: New Media Art Exhibition

Exhibition of National Treasures and Diverse Connection

Buddha Museum was named in honor of the Buddha, initially centered its exhibition planning around "Buddhist Art" and "Buddhist Culture." In 2011, the museum signed a Two-Phase Five-Year Cooperation Agreement. With Art Exhibition China, leading to annual cross-border exhibitions showcasing Chinese Buddhist art and significant unearthed artifacts.

Phase One 

The five national treasure exhibitions are thoughtfully arranged to correspond with the five cardinal points—east, west, south, north, and center—on the map of China, showcasing Buddhist art relics from all regions. Each artifact embodies history with its own story. This well-conceived approach is truly extraordinary.

• East- 

The inaugural exhibition, " Return of a Thousand Years: Buddhist Sculptures of Longxing Temple in Qingzhou, Shandong Exhibition" in 2012, featuring fifty statues from the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, each over 1,500 years old, displayed in Taiwan for the first time. 

• West- 

The “Light Shines on the Universe - Buddhist Art Along the Silk Roads” exhibition showcases rare artifacts from sixteen museums, making it Taiwan's most comprehensive Silk Road exhibit.

• South-
  The “Auspicious Radiance of the Seven Jewels - An Exhibition of Buddhist Art in Southern China” is a global first, covering 1,500 years from the Han to Ming dynasties.

• North-
  The “Meeting in the Dharma - Ming and Qing Water and Land Dharma Service Paintings” exhibition highlights the evolution of these artworks in northern China.

• Center-
  “Buddha's Light in the Forbidden City Buddhist Art Collection of the Palace Museum” features the finest Buddhist artworks from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Phase Two

The museum systematically showcases Buddhist art from caves and underground chambers. Notable exhibitions include "The Light of Longmen Buddha," featuring 67 artworks, and the "Awakening Above the Sea" collection from the Shanghai Museum, launched in 2020. Over the past decade, the museum has presented diverse exhibitions, including Buddhist art, traditional crafts, and modern art. The recent “The National Treasures – A Close Look at Taiwan’s Traditional Crafts” was the first major display of Taiwan’s weaving, embroidery, carvings, sculpture, painting, bamboo crafts, and ceramics together, guided by the Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Heritage Bureau.

The latest exhibition, "The Art of the Lotus Sutra," is a collaboration between the Buddha Museum and the National Palace Museum. The Lotus Sutra, an early Mahayana scripture compiled in India around the 1st century, has profoundly influenced East Asian culture. This exhibition highlights the remarkable artistic achievements inspired by the Lotus Sutra over more than a thousand years.

Have a glimpse of it https://artsandculture.google.com/story/AAWhMUulqqqshA and plan to visit! 

Through global exchanges, Master Hsing Yun has emphasized traditional Chinese culture, respected heritage, and upheld the principle of bringing joy. Buddhist art remains people-centered, highlighting the deep connection between art and religion.

To promote Buddhism through culture, we will continue our efforts and strive to do our best.