Drawing together objects from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the western reaches of Central Asia—regions connected in the sixth century A.D. through trade, military conquest, and the diffusion of Buddhism—the exhibition illuminates a remarkable moment of artistic exchange.

This exhibition singles out two periods when the Buddhist Tibetan tradition drew from outside influences to develop new vocabularies of form. It includes five loans and eighteen objects drawn from department holdings.

The Museum displays work drawn from the Burke Collection, the most comprehensive private holding of Japanese art in the West

This exhibition presents a rich display of images of the divine from premodern China, ranging from serene, monochrome Buddhist paintings to raucous, colorful sculptures of popular deities.

At the core of Esoteric Buddhism is the idea that one can attain Buddhahood during a single lifetime. To achieve this goal, practitioners meditate upon cosmic diagrams known as mandalas in conjunction with performing hand gestures (mudras) and voicing sacred formulas (mantras). Due to their potency and complexity, initiates must perform these exercises with the guidance of a teacher.