Just Published: Buddhism and the Senses
The five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—are central to the way we understand our lives and the world around us. According to different Buddhist practices and histories, the senses can be either good or bad for our spiritual journey. Why are some sensations construed as wrong, or even dangerous? When are these same sensations encouraged? Our new publication Buddhism and the Senses: A Guide to the Good and Bad considers how Buddhist texts and artworks from around the world view sensory experiences. The essays in this book present each of the five senses from two viewpoints—the negative and the positive.
Edited by Robert DeCaroli and Donald S. Lopez Jr., this volume takes a new direction in Buddhist scholarship by foregrounding sensory experience and practice. The essays shift our understanding of Buddhism from the conceptual to the material or practical, from the idealized to the human, from the abstract to the grounded, and from the mind to the body.
Much of Buddhist literature is devoted to overcoming the worldly attachment that dooms us to rebirth in samsara. Many sources condemn sensual pleasure, suggesting that it typically leads to physical and mental pain. However, in other texts, such as the Lotus Sutra, the senses offer knowledge, clear observation, and the ability to teach the Dharma. Given such ambiguity, this volume opens discourse on the senses across Buddhist traditions.
The concept for this book sprang from a groundbreaking exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art, Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia. In this exhibition, the museum departed from tradition and incorporated sensory experiences into the galleries. To experience some of this exhibition’s dynamic approach, explore our virtual Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room.
After the exhibition closed in 2022, a group of experts met to continue the conversation about the senses and Buddhism. Buddhism and the Senses includes essays by Debra Diamond, Robert DeCaroli, Melody Rod-ari, Kurtis R. Schaeffer, Donald S. Lopez Jr., Lina Verchery, John S. Strong, James Robson, D. Max Moerman, Bryan J. Cuevas, and Reiko Ohnuma.
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Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia
View the Exhibition(October 14, 2017–February 6, 2022)
Buddhism—and the art it inspired—helped shape the cultures of Asia. Today, its extraordinary art is a source of beauty and contemplation for audiences across the world. Encountering the Buddha brings together more than two hundred artworks, spanning two millennia, to explore Asia’s rich Buddhist heritage. They represent diverse schools that arose from the Buddha’s teachings.
