MFA: III

This is one of the statues in the Buddhist Temple Room I showed you back on Saturday. That scary guy is Bishamonten - the God of War and Warriors. He holds a pagoda in his hand, and here is why:

The small pagoda he often carries symbolizes the divine treasure house. He is both a protector of and dispenser of its treasure -- he shares the pagoda's vast treasures with only "the worthy." In Japan, as a member of the Four Heavenly Kings, he is called Tamonten (Listens to Many Teachings), and in this capacity he protects the places where Buddha preaches and listens always to Buddha's teachings.

Learn more here, and don't let this guy's grumpy face scare you - make sure you stop in and say hi to him next time you're at the MFA!

MFA: II

Cute scene from the MFA yesterday!

MFA

This is my favorite place in the Museum of Fine Arts. It's the Buddhist Temple Room, and I could sit there for hours. The MFA is currently under construction, so a number of their collections are not being shown in their entirety...but not in the Asian collection! The Buddhas haven't gone anywhere, so head on up there and check them out.