两千多年来，人们创造卓越的艺术作品来体现佛教思想的基本方面。随着佛教实践从印度传播到东亚及其他地区，佛教思想得到了发展和演变。《如何欣赏佛教艺术》通过研究60件具有开创性的作品，将这种复杂的视觉传统介绍给普通读者。本书从印度佛陀形象的起源开始，接着探讨了佛教艺术在亚洲各地传播时的发展，它传达了佛教哲学跨越文化界限对艺术作品和实践的影响。

在中国、喜马拉雅山、日本、韩国、南亚和东南亚地区出产的文物、雕塑和绘画作品，有助于深入了解丰富多彩的佛教意象、制作者的精湛技艺，以及它们产生的社会和政治环境。这些艺术品的精美照片、地图和主要佛教神灵的词汇表为读者提供了一个引人入胜的，可以增长见识的环境，无论他们是否熟悉佛教，都能更好地了解与该宗教的实践和表现有关的艺术。

An indispensable introduction to the evolution of Buddhist imagery from its origins in India through its spread to China, Japan, and South Asia

For more than 2,000 years, sublime works of art have been created to embody essential aspects of Buddhist thought, which developed and evolved as its practice spread from India to East Asia and beyond. How to Read Buddhist Art introduces this complex visual tradition to a general audience by examining sixty seminal works. Beginning with the origins of representations of the Buddha in India, and moving on to address the development of Buddhist art as the religion spread across Asia, this book conveys how Buddhist philosophy affected artistic works and practice across cultural boundaries.

Reliquaries, sculptures, and paintings produced in China, the Himalayas, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia provide insight into the rich iconography of Buddhism, the technical virtuosity of their makers, and the social and political climate in which they were created. Beautiful photographs of the artworks, maps, and a glossary of the major Buddhist deities offer an engaging and informative setting in which readers—regardless of their familiarity with Buddhism—

can better understand the art related to the religion’s practices and representations.