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Buddhism

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Gyeongju, South Korea

Seokguram Grotto

Visiting this grotto is symbolic of a spiritual journey into Nirvana.
Shanghai, China

Longhua Temple

A temple complex has existed on this site since the third century.
A worn statue of a Japanese monk picks his nose.
Kawagoe, Japan

Five Hundred Arhats

Hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples meditating, napping, sneezing, and picking their noses.
Itakura, Japan

Thousand-Armed Insect Goddess of Mercy

A bizarre statue of a Buddhist goddess made from 20,000 insects.
A massive seated Buddha is carved into a rock face.
Tianshui, China

Bingling Temple

A hidden Buddhist gem accessible only by boat.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Gandantegchinlen Monastery

Established hundreds of years ago, Gandan remains the premier Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
Visakhapatnam, India

Thotlakonda

These hilltop ruins of a forgotten Buddhist monastery flourished in Antiquity from trade with the Roman Empire.
The ancient well that leads to hell.
Kyoto, Japan

Rokudō Chin’nōji Temple

It is believed that this Buddhist temple stands right on the gateway to the underworld.
Buddhist guardian deities.
Tokyo, Japan

Shibamata Taishakuten's Sculpture Gallery

A hidden gallery exhibits intricate, decades-old Buddhist reliefs.
Japanese stag beetle (Prosopocoilus inclinatus).
Kamakura, Japan

‘Insect Mound’

Nestled among the bamboos in a temple complex, this art installation serves as a unique memorial to insects.
Soquel, California

Land of Medicine Buddha

A Buddhist retreat built on more than 100 acres of California Redwood forest.
Choijin Lama
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Choijin Lama Monastery

The monastery survived the Communist revolution in Mongolia as a religious museum.
Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.
funeral art

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.
Marco Ferrarese February 24, 2023
monks

At a Festival in Bhutan, Some Dancers Bare All to Ward Off Evil Spirits

One of the many traditional dances at the annual Jambay Lhakhang Drup involves performers in masks—and nothing else.
Erika Fatland January 11, 2023
Mahakal Mandir
Darjeeling, India

Mahakal Mandir

At this unique temple in Darjeeling, Hindu and Buddhist practices co-exist harmoniously.
Losel dolls on display at the museum.
Sidhpur, India

Losel Doll Museum

The art and tradition of Tibetan costumes are preserved through these dolls made by Buddhist monks.
Pagoda Frontal view
Germantown, Maryland

Zen College Pagoda

One of only two sites in the United States containing the remains of Buddha.
Kyoto, Japan

Gokōshiyui Amidabutu

This statue of Buddha has a distinctive hairstyle meant to represent an unfathomably long period of meditation.