Face to face with the absent Buddha

the long version

"There are no images of the Buddha in early Buddhist art. Instead, signs like a tree, a wheel, a seat and footprints seem to point to his presence. This so-called Buddhist aniconic art has been explained by a prohibition against images of the Buddha or by a doctrine that made it inappropriate to depict the body of the Buddha. It has also been explained by the practice of different meditational exercises." "This study rejects such explanations. Instead, early art in Buddhist cultic places was a common art shared by Buddhists, Jains and others as well. This study emphasizes the transformation Buddhist aniconic art underwent from auspicious signs belonging to a shared sacred Indian culture to aniconic compositions representing the Buddha in a narrative context."--Jacket.