[Buddha-l] LA County Museum exhibit of art: The Way of the Elders

[JKirkpatrick]

If there are any art lovers on this list, which I rather doubt
but just in case, please see this LA County Museum website on the
Way of the Elders:
http://lacma.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/highlights-of-the-way-of-th
e-elders/
 
The page opens with a wonderful image of the walking Buddha, a
rarely seen sculptural concept (in India anyway) except in Burma,
and sometimes in Thailand.
My guess as to why is that the southeast Asians developed sitting
and walking meditation beyond what the Indians practised--Indian
iconography of Buddha emphasises the sitting posture. Walking
meditation is as important in SE Asian Buddhism as sitting.  In
Bagan, northern Burma, there are wonderful carved wooden figures
of the walking Buddha in several of the big famous pagodas.