Eternal Transience, Enlightened Wisdom 如來一相

Eternal Transience, Enlightened Wisdom: Masterpieces of Buddhist Art contextualises thirty-three bronze statues and thangkas of deities and gurus in Tibetan Buddhism from Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia dating from the 6th–19th century.

From an art historical perspective, these Himalayan masterpieces reflect an array of aesthetic and artistic traditions from neighbouring regions across the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the artworks’ iconography and material culture. Emphasis is placed on how the figures’ gestures and accompanying objects have been understood in the context of Tibetan Buddhism as symbols of wisdom and compassion within the context of religious art.

As part of Buddhism’s eternal journey from India to the Himalayas, China and Japan, the religious icons and objects of daily religious practice remain a testament to the shifting cultures that have engaged with Buddhism over the millennia. Acknowledging such a state of transience highlights the enlightened wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism as portrayed through the various artworks.

「如來一相：佛教藝術藏珍」展出藏傳佛教藝術品，包括銅像及唐卡。展品源自6至19世紀西藏、尼泊爾、巴基斯坦，甚至遠及蒙古。藝術史上，藏傳佛教藝術興於喜馬拉雅山脈一帶，承襲了印度次大陸及中亞地區的美學和工藝傳統。

是次展覽以圖像學及物質文化角度分析藝術品。作為宗教藝術，展品具象徵意義，如造像的手印、所持的法器，在藏傳佛教的語境，正展示諸佛菩薩的悲智雙運，以大威神力，度有情眾生。

佛法從印度傳至喜馬拉雅山脈，藏傳教派漸成，及後傳至漢土、東洋。當中歷經王朝更迭，寺廟興衰，僧眾流徙，用以傳法的圖像、器物也隨時地流變。如是觀之，藏傳佛教藝術形相無定，菩提一相恆無相，可見緣起性空之佛理。

Luo Wenhua

Luo Wenhua is a research fellow at the Palace Museum in Beijing and the director of the Research Center for Tibetan Buddhist Heritage. His primary area of research is Tibetan art history and the history of the Qing court.

羅文華

故宮博物院研究員、故宮藏傳佛教文物研究所所長，主要研究西藏美術史、清代宮廷史。