[Buddha-l] review of Shiva exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum

[Dan Lusthaus]

A very nice review of an exhibition on Siva (ok, this is Hinduism, not 
Buddhism, but still of interest) in today's NYT. I reproduce the beginning 
below, followed by a link to the rest of the review -- pictures included 
there.
Dan

Basking in the Presence of an Ever-Changing God
by HOLLAND COTTER
Published: July 7, 2011

Hindu sculptures are no ordinary things. They're cosmic implosions, 
concentrations of spiritual energy so dense as to turn physics inside out. 
They funnel light from other universes into our mundane world. And they do 
so consciously, with intent.

A consecrated image in a temple, or on a home altar, doesn't just depict a 
god; when you engage with it, it is the god, listening to you, looking at 
you, ready to serve and ready to be served. And as a resident V.I.P., it 
rates five-star treatment: gourmet meals, couture clothes, baths and 
foot-rubs on demand and, in the case of portable sculptures and paintings, 
regular fresh-air outings.

How do we know what makes gods happy? Because they're like us. They're 
pleasure-pusses. They're moody. They're conflicted.

They fall in and out of love. They act generous, then are withholding.

They preach peace but are usually armed to the teeth. They embark on big 
feel-good social projects, like creating the world, then have doubts, 
regrets, urges to trash their work and start again. We have every reason to 
approach them with wariness, mixed with love.

Love, ultimately, wins the day in the exhibition "Vishnu: Hinduism's 
Blue-Skinned Savior" at the Brooklyn Museum, though it takes a while to 
radiate its full devotional glow over a show that is gratifyingly large but 
also dauntingly crowded with ideas and information....

[the rest, including photos, at
http://tinyurl.com/3hxubkx ]