buddhist statues

Lying on his side, Buddha drifts off to a blissful sleep. Carving crocodile wood by hand, Bali's Gung Gus paints the this lovely signature sculpture in beautiful colors, detailing radiant blossoms on the flowing robe.

"Madhubani paintings are in fact a simplistic manifestation of the philosophical heights achieved by Indian civilization for the universal power of love, longing and peace – the quest of all beings," the artist explains, adding, “To achieve a state of inner peace is an inspiration for all. Through meditation, Lord Buddha attained inner peace, which inspired him to work for world peace. The end of greed, hatred and delusion is the state of Nirvana, which describes the Buddhist path and spiritual goal to mark the soteriological release from rebirth in the world.”

In this World Peace Project painting by Bharti, within a gray realm of absence, Buddha is depicted as a meditating silhouette adorned with a sacred lotus flower and turquoise. The lack of interruptions in the background highlights the sole importance of one's self in achieving nirvana, because worldly objects cloud the mind.

Bharti Dayal created this painting to celebrate the path of Nirvana in the quest for peace.

Artist Rawat Vongla of Thailand works in acrylic on canvas to create this original composition, which features the Greco-Buddhist representation of Buddha. The Hellenistic influence on images of Buddha can be seen in the idealistic realism of the figures, the draped clothing so typical of Greek statues, and the curled hair which is representative of the Mediterranean. Vongla uses a muted palette of purple, rose, blue and green to create a dream-like feeling.

Inspired by the hundreds of Buddha statues placed around Java's famous Borobudur Temple, Ida Bagus Lawa Bargawa's hand paints this wall hanging using batik. The Balinese artisan uses a wax resist process and colorful dyes to create the design, which glows against a deep red backdrop.