Religion has been the impetus behind the greatest art traditions of the world. Buddhism is no different. The life of the Buddha, with its spectacular event of Enlightement, forms the cornerstone of the vast edifice of Buddhist art; it informs a tradition thatt is more than a thousand and five hundred years old. To encomp this whole living tradition is a challenging tast - one that Buddhist Art: In Praise of the Divine does with academic finesse and urance. Exploring the expression of art in the three different dimensions of architecture, sculpture, and painting, the book journeys through time, themes, and the grand structure of Buddhism to portray a unique world - a world at once simple and esoteric, grand and humble, sombre and cheerful. In doing so, Buddhist Art becomes nothing less than a pictorial chronicle of an awe- inspiring artistic tradition. Religion has been the impetus behind the greatest art traditions of the world. Buddhism is no different. The life of the Buddha, with its spectacular event of Enlightement, forms the cornerstone of the vast edifice of Buddhist art; it informs a tradition thatt is more than a thousand and five hundred years old. To encomp this whole living tradition is a challenging tast - one that Buddhist Art: In Praise of the Divine does with academic finesse and urance. Exploring the expression of art in the three different dimensions of architecture, sculpture, and painting, the book journeys through time, themes, and the grand structure of Buddhism to portray a unique world - a world at once simple and esoteric, grand and humble, sombre and cheerful. In doing so, Buddhist Art becomes nothing less than a pictorial chronicle of an awe- inspiring artistic tradition.