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This volume explores the relation of Buddhism to Greek cosmology, its contacts with West Asia, and parallels to Christianity. The interpretation of Adibuddha as a theistic concept has been elucidated Buddhist period of Classical Afghanistan, a new identification of the colossi of Bamiyan, and the 108 symbols on the feet of the Buddhas are the way on the physical and divine planes. Several Khotanese panels, murals and icons have been identified anew on the six Annals of the kingdom in Tibetan. The role of the Suvarnabhasa-sutra in the polity of Central Asia and thence in East Asia had been discussed. The Lotus sutra was transmitted to China and Japan and become a dominant underpinning of their political and religious culture. The mind-group of East Asian art is a general survey of the aesthetic principles evolved in this region. The walling up of the Library cave of Tunhuang was due to a fundamentalist threat, the artistic journey of fourteen centuries of Japanese Buddhism is presented. Silent letters in Tibetan orthography and the ambulatory of the Tabo cella are discussed. Buddhism in Mongolia gave a splendid art and rich literature to the people. Ajanta as the aesthesis of beauty and beyond the thirtythree koti deities, Tantras as transcendence and tumescence, the cousin cultures of India and Iran, Chandi Sukuh as a political statement, the Indonesian word Candi as an architectural term, identification of Buddhist bronzes of Java, and Central Asia as the Path of Sutras (and not as the Silk Route), and other studies enrich our understanding of the art and thought, polity and civilization of the countries of Asia.

This volume of 477 pages is a collection of the research papers of Prof. Lokesh Chandra written over the last fifteen years on the evolution of Buddhist thought and its spread over vast areas of Asia.

Areas of interest: Buddhism, history of art, philosophy and the general history of various countries (India, Afghanistan, Iran, central Asia, China, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Cambodia, Indonesia), and Cultural globalism.