Best Place to Meditate on Art
Buddhist Temple
When this old world starts getting you down, or when you just need a place to hear yourself think, retreat to the quiet and dimly lit Buddhist temple tucked into the second floor of the Nelson's east wing. Compiled from centuries-old Chinese temples, the space is built to resemble a single temple, complete with an enormous wall painting made of watercolor on clay and a soaring ceiling of carved and painted wood. At the foot of the wall are ceramic sculptures of animal, human and spiritual figures recovered from ancient tombs. Wooden benches let you sit long and meditate hard upon the lifesize bodhisattvas standing on pedestals along the east and west walls. The most spectacular piece is the enormous "Water and Moon, Guanyin Bodhisattva," carved of wood, that greets you when you enter. Before you depart, stand in front of it again to be captured in its placid but piercing gaze. Then spend the rest of your day -- and life -- figuring out what it means.
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