TSZ SHAN MONASTERY Buddhist Art Museum—the first Buddhist art museum in Hong Kong—opened to the public in May 2019. The museum collection encompasses 100 Buddhist statues on permanent display and forty-three ancient manuscripts exhibited in rotation. They are housed in the base area of the Guan Yin Statue of the Tsz Shan Monastery (1), that occupies some 24,000 square feet, in a carefully monitored environment of lighting, temperature, humidity and air quality. As discussed in an accompanying article, the Buddhist Art Museum is an integral part of the Guan Yin Statue and the Tsz Shan Monastery. Each object in the museum collection is more than a work of art, but rather, an embodiment of Buddhist history and wisdom. Along with other Buddhist treasures assembled for the consecration of the Guan Yin Statue, the museum collection comprises the Buddhist relics that validate the religious efficacy of the monastery.
Over the past eighteen years of planning and building the Tsz Shan Monastery, the Buddhist Art Museum is another endeavour of the Li Ka Shing Foundation to further the Buddhist teachings of Clarity, Compassion and Action.2 The artefacts in the museum collection were either donated by Mr Li personally to the foundation, or were directly acquired by the foundation (2). The selection process was informed by a committee of local and international experts. While rarity and aesthetics were important considerations, the intention behind putting together the collection was to illustrate how Buddhism thrived in different cultures across space and time, and to manifest Buddhist teachings in a tangible and artistic way.
Read the full article in PDF on Academia: https://www.academia.edu/43467201/Highlights_From_The_Tsz_Shan_Monastery_Buddhist_Art_Museum
More about Arts of Asia, July to August 2020 issue: