Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia
Sri Lanka: Anuradhapura period, Buddha Shakyamuni in Meditation, 5th–6th century, dolomite, Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Iuliana and Mark Philips
- DATE:
- TIME:
- 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
- SPEAKER:
- Museum Educator
Find tranquility with a restorative tour focused on the exhibition Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia. Join a Museum educator for a journey through sacred Buddhist objects from the 1st century BCE to the 20th century CE.
EVENT DETAILS
- Fee:
- Free with museum admission.
- Details:
- Space is limited to 15 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up at the Information Desk when the Museum opens.
- Location:
- Meets in Entrance Gallery
Related Events
Special Events:
A Night in Focus: Benevolent Beings
Explore the Museum’s beloved South and Southeast Asian collection as we celebrate the opening of the exhibition Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia. Join us for an interactive evening in the galleries featuring spotlight tours, live music, a sound bath and meditative art-making activities. MORE INFO
Family, Youth & Teens:
Tranquil Tote Bags: Mindful Crafting
Design your own tote bag inspired by motifs in the exhibition Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia with artist Rachel Curry. Using printing techniques, create a bag and adorn it with decorations of your own. MORE INFO
Films & Performances:
Pather Panchali (1955), NR
With the release in 1955 of Satyajit Ray’s debut, Pather Panchali, an eloquent and important new cinematic voice made itself heard all over the world. A depiction of rural Bengali life in a style inspired by Italian neorealism, this naturalistic but poetic evocation of a number of years in the life of a family introduces us to both little Apu and, just as essentially, the women who will help shape him: his independent older sister, Durga; his harried mother, Sarbajaya, who, with her husband away, must hold the family together; and his kindly and mischievous elderly "auntie," Indir—vivid, multifaceted characters all. With resplendent photography informed by its young protagonist’s perpetual sense of discovery, Pather Panchali is an immersive cinematic experience and a film of elemental power. MORE INFO
Films & Performances:
Aparajito (1956), NR
Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother. This tenderly expressive, often heart-wrenching film not only extends but also spiritually deepens the tale of Apu. MORE INFO
Films & Performances:
Apur Sansar (1959), NR
This extraordinary final chapter brings our protagonist’s journey full circle. Apu is now in his early twenties, out of college and hoping to live as a writer. Alongside his professional ambitions, the film charts his romantic awakening, which occurs as the result of a most unlikely turn of events, and his eventual, fraught fatherhood. Featuring Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore in star-making performances and demonstrating Ray’s ever more impressive skills as a crafter of pure cinematic imagery, Apur Sansar is a moving conclusion to this monumental trilogy. MORE INFO
Lectures:
The Buddha's Compassion and the Garden of Eden
A major Buddhist pilgrimage site is a hilltop in Sri Lanka where the Buddha impressed his footprint, a symbol of the Buddha’s compassion for Sri Lankans who appealed for a tangible object of devotion. Christians and Muslims, however, believed that the footprint belonged to Adam and drew the conclusion that ancient Ceylon must have been the Garden of Eden. The famous Tree of Knowledge in Genesis 2:9 was therefore not an apple or fig tree, but a tropical banana plant, and the island’s first inhabitants were the world’s first Christians. Dr. Stadtner’s illustrated presentation traces the myths enveloping Adam’s Peak, revealing how different civilizations commingle and how "historical truth" evolves over time. MORE INFO
Tours & Talks:
Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia
Find tranquility with a restorative tour focused on the exhibition Benevolent Beings: Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from South and Southeast Asia. Join a Museum educator for a journey through sacred Buddhist objects from the 1st century BCE to the 20th century CE. MORE INFO