Buddhist art, if there is such a thing, is perhaps too important to be left to art historians

The Western category of “Art” asks us to appreciate the craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty of religious artifacts, but in doing so it deemphasizes their intended meanings and uses. In this essay, Bernard Fauré encourages us to look beyond the “art” (or even “anthropology”) of “Buddhist art” to see, if we can, its “aura.”