Message from mmac

I went to the Pacific Asia Museum on a Friday in which they are free to the public the last Friday of every month. I was very impressed with their diverse collection of Buddhist art from various countries such as India, China, Korea, Japan, Burma, Vietnam, and Tibet. Walking through and seeing the various statues and sculptures of Buddha allows one to not only trace the spread of Buddhism in Asia but allows one to notice the differences in the representation of Buddha throughout various geographical locations in Asia. For example, one might notice that the image of Buddha in India is much thinner than the image of a plumper Buddha in China.
Although different cultures might have different visual representations of the Buddha, the core teachings of Buddhism are similar throughout all cultures. The Buddha taught his followers that following the Noble Eightfold Path would lead them out of their cycle of endless rebirth and suffering. The branches of the Noble Eightfold Path are having the right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration through meditation. By practicing the Eightfold Path, a follower of Buddhism can reach enlightenment known as nirvana.
Another interesting exhibit at the museum was the exhibit entitled: Jade, Silk and Porcelain: the Materials of Asian Art. Out of the three art forms, my favorite was the porcelain dishware in the collection. Porcelain was first made in China in the 6th and 7th centuries AD from porcelain clay known as kaolin, found in the Gaoling Mountains of southeastern China. Chinese potters mixed the kaolin clay with a powder ground from a stone called baidunzi, a rock that contains feldspar, a glassy mineral. It is fired at very high temperatures above, which causes the surface of the clay to melt and become smooth as glass. The beauty of the porcelain comes from the purity of the whiteness that is produces. A high quality porcelain is one that is thin, white, and when held up to the light, is transparent. To show off the beauty of the porcelain itself, many porcelain objects were left unpainted. The Chinese traded porcelain and guarded the secrets of making porcelain from outsiders.
When the Italians saw porcelain objects, they thought the ceramics were make from ground up seashells and named it porcellana or "little female pig," the Italian name for small white cowrie shells. Porcelains were first used by the Imperial court and only the purest, whiteness, and most transparent porcelains were beautiful enough for the emperors. Later, porcelain was exported west and was painted with cobalt blue. Porcelain is just one example of the delicate art that the Chinese created. Silk and Jade are two other forms of art which expresses the Chinese’s attention to detail and patience in their craft.