Photo Evert Elzinga

Buddha’s Life opened by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

On Saturday 15 September 2018, the exhibition  Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present was opened by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He did this by participating in a dialogue about Compassion & Technology, moderated by Christa Meindersma (the Netherlands, DialogueWorks) – Founder & Chair Himalaya Initiative for Culture and Society. The Dalai Lama spoke with youngsters, technology innovators and scholars, including Faculty Members of content partner SingularityU the Netherlands. And also with the robot AV1. The dialogue, organised by De Nieuwe Kerk and SingularityU, was the ceremonial opening of the exhibition.

Now on view: Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present 
Ancient and modern are spectacularly combined in the exhibition Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present at De Nieuwe Kerk. You can admire a wealth of thousand-year old objects and contemporary art by artists including Ai Weiwei and Yoko Ono. The earliest object dates from the third century AD, the latest from 2018. A few works have been created especially for this exhibition.

The ancient works of art recount the life of the Buddha. Born a wealthy prince in the fifth century BC, he chose at the age of 29 to renounce his royal lifestyle and devote himself to spiritual development. The various phases in his life – his birth, insight, enlightenment, first discourse and death – symbolise Buddhist beliefs and form the narrative of this exhibition.

Here you can read more about the exhibition.

Book your tickets online
Buddha’s Life, Path to the Present will run at De Nieuwe Kerk until 3 February 2019, every day from 10 am to 5 pm (closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). Tickets are online available on our website.