Reflections of the Buddha - The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts

Living Things: Buddhist Art in a Building by Tadao Andō
I would like to think of [the Pulitzer] as . . . a space to inspire
visitors and even expand their consciousness. I wanted to create
a very stimulating place, where works of art are not exhibited
merely as specimens but can speak to us as living things.
Tadao Andō, 2000 1
Reflections of the Buddha presents twenty-two extraordinary
works of Buddhist art dating from the second century ce
with three works of contemporary art that resonate with
Buddhist themes. All are placed in dialogue with The
Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, the building designed by
the Japanese architect Tadao Andō, which opened in 2001.
Andō’s philosophy about architecture aligns with some
aspects of Buddhist ethics and aesthetics, which may
have contributed to his use of simple geometry, modest
materials, and natural light. The end result is a space that
animates art, and where art enlivens space. In designing
the Pulitzer, Andō worked with two artists, Ellsworth
Kelly and Richard Serra, from whom Emily Pulitzer commissioned
art for the site: “As a collaboration between
architecture and art right from the first stage of planning,”
Andō wrote nine years after the building opened,
“this was an exceptional task, a pursuit of what I believe
to be an ideal art museum.” 2 Reflections of the Buddha continues
this reciprocal relationship between art and
architecture in its selection and placement of Buddhist
art in Andō’s spaces, allowing for an approach to exhibition
narrative that is less historical and more analogous
to poetry than to prose.
The Buddhist works in Reflections of the Buddha
once served in their original context as aids toward or
visual expressions of the indescribable state of enlightenment
or awakening (Nirvāna), the spiritual insight or
awareness that frees a person from the cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth (samsāra), a concept central to
Buddhism. Nirvāna refers not only to the state of an enlightened
person after death, but also to the state of
mind “free of defilements,” grasped while alive.
Buddhism, one of the great religions of the
world, is derived from the teachings of its founder, an
Indian prince named Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived during
the fifth century BCE. After witnessing a corpse and
people suffering from frailty and illness, Siddhārtha, at
age twenty-nine, became deeply melancholic and renounced
his wealth. He wandered as an ascetic for six
years, until one night he meditated on existence.
Siddhārtha realized that all things are conditional and
impermanent and in a state of constant change; all
things are unsatisfying, since any pleasure — physical or
psychological — is fleeting; and all phenomena lack a
permanent self or soul, the realization of which leads
to selfless, loving kindness and compassion for others.
Francesca Herndon-Consagra
Through such insights he reached enlightenment. In
later traditions, Siddhārtha became known as the Buddha
Śākyamuni (sage of the Śākya clan), who became one
of many past and future Buddhas (Awakened Ones).
The Buddhist works in Reflections of the Buddha
are extraordinarily diverse. Coming from Afghanistan,
China, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan,
and Tibet, they primarily represent two traditions of
Buddhism that developed in northern India and spread
throughout Asia: Mahāyāna (‘Great vehicle’), which began
to flourish in the first century ce, and Vajrayāna
(‘Diamond vehicle’), which evolved just prior to the sixth
century ce. Vajrayāna is often seen as a branch of
Mahāyāna, partially because both believe that many
Buddhas and bodhisattvas (enlightened beings who have
postponed Nirvāna to aid others in achieving it) exist in
countless worlds. They are also united in an expansive
and optimistic concept that all conscious beings have
inherent Buddha natures and are therefore capable of
achieving Nirvāna. Yet each tradition emphasizes a different
journey to Buddhahood. Mahāyāna’s takes many eons
to complete, while Vajrayāna’s emphasizes Tantric rituals
and techniques transmitted from master to disciple that
offer the possibility of reaching Buddhahood within a
single lifetime. The varied works in the exhibition display
figures (from Śākyamuni himself to his various celestial
counterparts and an array of bodhisattvas) that provide
believers with exemplars of fully realized states. These
works inspired Buddhists throughout Asia to travel the
path toward Nirvāna.
The title of this exhibition refers back to a
Tibetan elaboration on the legendary origin of all images
of Śākyamuni: An artist was sent to render an image of
Śākyamuni, but he could not bear to gaze directly at his
brilliance. He could work only from a reflection that
Śākyamuni cast on the surface of a pool. 3 Reflections of the
Buddha develops the metaphor of this legend by showing
how Buddhism has been reflected over the centuries in
different cultures across Asia. The exhibition also considers
how Buddhists use art as a way to seek reflections of
the Buddha within themselves, and how reflections from
the Pulitzer’s water garden enhance Buddhist concepts
and the experience of art in the building. 4
Part I:
Transformative Functions of the Art
The artworks in Reflections of the Buddha originally served
transformative functions by virtue of their distinctive
abilities to embody and represent Buddhist meaning and
experience. The artists sought to capture Nirvāna and