Buddhism

In the 1600s, the Arakan empire's capital, Mrauk U, had 160,000 inhabitants. The 200-foot spire of Ratanabon temple attests to eclipsed glories.

The Hidden City of Myanmar

The ancient kingdom of Mrauk U welcomed Buddhists and Muslims. Now efforts to uncover its mysteries are threatened by ethnic hostilities

Detail of the Korean Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Gwaneum bosal) crafted in the Goryeo period, ca. 1220 to 1285.

Rare, Centuries-Old Korean Buddhist Masterpiece Goes on View

Sealed and hidden within the sculpture were sacred texts and symbolic objects

Wat Phra Dhammakaya

Six of Thailand’s Most Magnificent Temples

It should come as no surprise that Thailand is a country of temples, given the significant role that Buddhism plays in its culture

Young Yoshiko Hide Kishi moved with her family to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center; "It's important to educated people about what happened," she recently told Smithsonian curators.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told

Image of the 12th-century Buddha statue

Crime-Fighting Art Expert Helps Bring Stolen Buddha Statue Back to India

The statue comes home 57 years ago after being stolen

The Freer Buddha undergoes a CT scan at the National Museum of Natural History. "He wouldn't relax his legs," Donna Strahan recalls with a laugh.

How Science is Peeling Back the Layers of Ancient Lacquer Sculptures

These rare Buddhist artworks were found to contain traces of bone and blood

Two celestial beings, China, Kucha, Kizil, Cave 224 or 205, 6th century CE

New Sackler Buddhist Exhibition Doubles the Immersive Experiences

Film of Sri Lankan site joins popular shrine room as part of three-year exhibition and we finally learn why one Buddha’s hair is blue

Eleven Persian qanats are being preserved by Unesco.

Unesco Names New World Heritage Sites

Rock art, irrigation and education add to the organization's growing list of sites worthy of protection

Five Things to Know About the Diamond Sutra, the World’s Oldest Dated Printed Book

Printed over 1,100 years ago, a Chinese copy of the Diamond Sutra at the British Library is one of the most intriguing documents in the world

Xian'er, the robot monk, with its creator, Buddhist monk Master Xianfan.

A Robot Monk Is Spreading Buddhist Teachings in China

An adorable robot serves up automated mantras

The hidden significance of the illustrations found on "The Cosmic Buddha," an iconic masterpiece from the collections of the Freer Gallery, is now being revealed thanks to 3D technology.

Curators Discover New Details in the Etchings on a 6th-Century Chinese Sculpture

A headless figure, cloaked in a robe covered with complex illustrations, is now better understood thanks to 3D technology

How many curls can you count?

A Buddha in Japan Is Missing Half of Its Curls

What happened to the Buddha of Nara's famous 'do?

One of the colossal Buddha statues, before it was destroyed.

Planned Afghan Cultural Center Will Honor Ancient Statues Destroyed by the Taliban

The winning design will memorialize two ancient Buddha statues demolished in 2001

A Buddhist monk prays in a temple. Scientists recently discovered the mummified body of a Buddhist monk some say is in a long-term trance.

Is This Mummy Dead…Or Meditating?

Some Buddhists claim this well-preserved monk is in a deep meditative state

The "Tibetan Book of Buddhist Proportions" Show Exactly How to Draw the Buddha

Representations of the Buddha are highly particular

Monks celebrating Full Moon Day light thousands of small oil lamps around a pagoda in Pindaya, a small town near Inle Lake.

Photos: Burma's Sacred Sites

Take a trip through this emerging destination with beautiful photos submitted to our annual photo contest

Lumbini in Nepal, identified as the Buddha’s birthplace

Archeologists Think They’ve Unearthed the Buddha’s Nativity Site

Legend has it that the Buddha's mother, Queen Maya Devi, birthed her son at Lumbini while clutching the branch of a tree at that temple's garden

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Opening Saturday: "Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan"

International conservators have been concerned about Pagan's restorations since 1996, when Burma's ruling junta began cutting corners by whitewashing interior walls , using concrete as mortar and constructing temples, some from the ground up, with new pink brick .

Sacred and Profaned

Misguided restorations of the exquisite Buddhist shrines of Pagan in Burma may do more harm than good

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Kung Fu U.

At schools near Shaolin, the famous Buddhist temple, students from all over china vie to be the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan

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