Northern Frontiers of Buddhism

by Benoy K. Behl

One of the seeming miracles in the story of man is the spread of ideas, across the barriers of formidable mountains, vast oceans and national boundaries. The warm acceptance of concepts from distant lands goes to underline the deep similarity of human nature and aspirations everywhere. One of the greatest examples of the dissemination of philosophic and artistic ideas is the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent to the many countries of Asia. (We must remember that these ideas spread entirely without the use of the sword. Buddhism has a great vision of the eternal harmony of the world. This faith, with its message of compassion, spread far and wide and shaped the culture of a continent. This is a culture of peace and gentleness which continues, even in the midst of the materialistic world of today. 

Benoy K. Behl is an art-historian, film –maker, and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 34 years. He as taken over 36,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage, his exhibitions have been warmly received in 32 countries around the world and he has been invited to lecture by most of the important universities and museums around the world, which have departments of Asian art.