Crowned Buddha, Thailand, Lopburi, c. 1250–1300, copper alloy, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Michael Phillips and Juliana Maio, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia. International in scope, this exhibition examines key concepts of Buddhist thought and practice through sculptures, paintings, textiles, and ritual objects. Incorporating 180 masterpieces of pan-Asian Buddhist art, Realms of the Dharma begins with the religion’s origins in India in the 5th century BCE and follows its spread through Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and East Asia. Drawn from LACMA’s permanent collection, with several significant loans from private collections, the exhibition explores the life of the Buddha, the role of the bodhisattva or Buddhist savior, Buddhist cosmology, and such key concepts as dharma, karma, nirvana, mantra, mudra, and mandala. The show will focus on art associated with such key phases of Buddhism as Theravada (early monastic Buddhism), Mahayana (the “Great Vehicle”), Vajrayana (the “Diamond Vehicle”—tantric or esoteric Buddhism), and Chan (Zen).

As part of the museum’s effort to share its permanent collection with audiences around the globe, a version of this exhibition was on view at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, in 2018, Las Huellas de Buda (The Footsteps of the Buddha). The exhibition is curated by Stephen Little, Florence & Harry Sloan Curator and Department Head of Chinese & Korean and South & Southeast Asian Art, and is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essays by Little and Tushara Bindu Gude, LACMA’s former Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art.

“Realms of the Dharma presents an exciting opportunity for visitors to learn about the Buddhist religion, cosmology, and practice through works of art,” said Stephen Little, Florence & Harry Sloan Curator and Department Head of Chinese & Korean and South & Southeast Asian Art. “The exhibition explores the key concepts underlying this religion’s historical development and the reasons for its widespread popularity across Asia.” Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director said, "Following our recent exhibition Mapping the Infinite, which looked at cosmologies across cultures, Realms of the Dharma continues LACMA's commitment to presenting stories, perspectives, and ancestries that are deeply connected to the people of L.A. County. We've made that a cornerstone of the museum's approach to studying and sharing the collection with our vast public.”.

Exhibition Organization

Realms of the Dharma is divided into two sections. The first section tells the story of Buddhism’s birth and growth in and around the Indian subcontinent. The second section follows Buddhism as it travels beyond India to Sri Lanka, Myanmar [Burma], Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kashmir, Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan.

Exhibition Highlights

Buddha Shakyamuni, India, Uttar Pradesh, late 6th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of the Michael J. Connell Foundation. © Museum Associates/LACMA

From the late 6th century, the north Indian image of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, with its serene countenance, embodies the style of the late Gupta dynasty (320–600), a balance of elegant form and inner spirituality. Although the Gupta rulers were Hindu, they actively patronized Buddhism. This Buddha embodies two ideals basic to Buddhism, the perfect yogi and the universal ruler. He possesses the yogi's supple body and contemplative gaze, and the ruler's strong shoulders, firm body, and webbed hands and feet. Time-honored traditions of portrayal connect the Buddha's human form with nature; his long eyes are shaped like fish, his curls like snail shells, and the profile of his left shoulder and arm like the trunk of an elephant. Following the invasion of northern India by Islamic rulers from Afghanistan in the 12th century, this sculpture was long preserved in a Tibetan monastery.

The Bodhisattva Maitreya, India, Bihar, Gaya District, 11th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, from the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase. © Museum Associates/LACMA

In Buddhism, Maitreya first appears as a bodhisattva—a fully enlightened being who was prophesied to become the Buddha of the next cosmic eon, or kalpa, after the end of the current universe. Until that time it is thought that Maitreya exists as a bodhisattva, but will eventually descend to earth from the heaven where he currently resides, undergo his final rebirth, and become a Buddha. In the 11th century schist The Bodhisattva Maitreya, the figure can be identified as Maitreya by the presence of a miniature stupa (reliquary) in his headdress. Maitreya's name means “The Benevolent One."

The Cosmic Buddha Vairochana, China, c. 1600, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Richard and Ruth Dickes. © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Cosmic Buddha Vairochana is a rare painting from China of the primordial Buddha Vairochana, a central figure of the Five Cosmic Buddhas of the Mahayana and Vajrayana pantheons. The veneration of Vairochana first flourished in China during the Tang dynasty (618–906), and worship of this Cosmic Buddha soon spread to Korea and Japan. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni was believed to be a manifestation of Vairochana, who exists beyond time and space. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this work—in addition to its remarkable state of preservation— are the large numbers of smaller Buddhist and Daoist figures, among which are the guardians of the four cardinal directions and Dizang (Kshitigarbha or Earth Matrix), Bodhisattva of the Underworld.

The Buddhist Deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, Tibet, c. 15th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, from the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase. © Museum Associates/LACMA

The vibrant The Buddhist Deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi depicts the embrace of the deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, symbolizing the two essential elements of Buddhist belief and practice: compassion (male) and wisdom (female). Chakrasamvara is the central deity of the Chakrasamvara Tantra, a text composed in the late 8th or early 9th century in India, the main purpose of which is to provide a path to spiritual awakening and enlightenment through the meditation on the deity Heruka Chakrasamvara in union with Vajravarahi. The tantra outlines rituals, philosophies, and practices designed to cultivate enlightened states of mind by uniting the principles of bliss (right method) and emptiness (wisdom).

The Mahasiddha (Great Adept), Naropa (956-1040), Central or Eastern Tibet, 15th-16th century. Gilt copper alloy with paint and silver. Gift of the 2001 Collectors Committee (M.2001.45) © Museum Associates/LACMA

Votive Stupa, Cambodia, 12th-13th century. Copper alloy. Gift of Anna Bing Arnold (M.87.243). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Two Addorsed Tree Dryads, India, Madhya Pradesh, Sanchi, Stupa I, 50 BCE-50 CE. Sandstone. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch (M.85.2.1). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Memorial Statue of a Deified Queen, Indonesia, Eastern Java, 14th-15th century. Volcanic stone. Gift of Mr. Jerry Heymann (M.81.273). © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, India, Bihar, Kurkihar, circa 900. Patinated copper alloy. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.81.8.3). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Chintamani Lokeshvara, Nepal, circa 1500. ;Wood with paint. Gift of Anna Bing Arnold (M.84.93). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Dancing Vajravarahi/Vajrayogini, Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery (?), c. 15th century. Gilt copper alloy inlaid with gemstones; traces of paint. Purchased by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Board of Trustees in honor of Dr. Pratapaditya Pal, Senior Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 1970–95 (AC1996.4.1). © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Mahasiddha (Great Adept) Chandragomin, Bangladesh, 12th century. Black schist. Gift of Paul F. Walter (AC1992.208.2). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Brahmanrupa Mahakala (Tibetan: Gonpo Bramzehi), c. 15th century. Central Tibet (Sakyapa Monastery). Silver inlaid with turquoise; traces of paint. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, from the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, purchased with funds provided by the Jane and Justin Dart Foundation. © Museum Associates/LACMA

Couchant Deer, 7th–8th century, Thailand, Mon-Dvaravati. Sandstone. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Buddhist Goddess Mahashri Tara and Companions, Nepal, 10th century. Gilt copper alloy with gemstones and traces of paint. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.79.9.4). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Kunga Tashi and Incidents from His Life (Abbot of Sakya Monastery, 1688-1711), Central Tibet, Tsang Valley, a Sakyapa Monastery, circa 1675-1700. Mineral pigments and gold on cotton cloth. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.83.105.16). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Karma Amitayus, From a Mandala of the Ninefold Amitayus, Central Tibet, Phanyul Valley (?), circa 1170-1189. Mineral pigments and gold on cotton cloth. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.84.32.5). © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Buddhist Goddess Tara, Indonesia, Central Java, late 9th-10th century. Copper alloy. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.73.4.13). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Buddha Shakyamuni, India, Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam, 11th century. Granulite. Gift of Mr. Anthony A. Manheim (M.80.227) © Museum Associates/LACMA

Bishamonten, Kamakura period, c. 1250, Japan. Wood, crystal, traces of polychromy and gilding. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of the 2002 Collectors Committee. © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Bodhisattva Manjushri (Dharmachakra Manjushri), Nepal, 11th century. Unalloyed copper inlaid with rubies. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.75.4.19).© Museum Associates/LACMA

The Buddhist Goddess Green (Shyama) Tara, India, Bihar, Patna District, 9th century. Biotite schist. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.76.2.30) © Museum Associates/LACMA

Thunderbolt (Vajra; Tibetan: Dorje), Eastern Tibet, 18th century. Gilt copper alloy inlaid with gemstones, Indian Art Special Purpose Fund (M.81.4) © Museum Associates/LACMA

Yama and Yami, Eastern Tibet, Kham region, circa 1675-1725. Mineral pigments and gold on cotton cloth. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Zimmerman (M.71.78). © Museum Associates/LACMA

Head of a Bodhisattva, Pakistan, Gandhara region, 2nd-3rd century. Gray schist with traces of red devotional paint. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.71.1.45). © Museum Associates/LACMA

The Mahasiddha (Great Adept) Vanaratna (1384-1468) Receiving Abhishekha (Initiation) from White (Sita) Tara, Nepal, Patan, Pintu Bahi, dated 1469. Mineral pigments on cotton cloth. From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.77.19.3). © Museum Associates/LACMA

May 11, 2025–July 12, 2026