Discover Buddhism

“I betake myself to the Buddha. I betake myself to the Dharma. I betake myself to the Sangha.” – This threefold invocation is what Buddhists recite when wishing to express their connection to the Buddha, to his teachings and to the community of those who follow the enlightened one. Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are considered the pillars of Buddhism and are also called “the three jewels”.

Within a forty square metre area, the IKAT presents for the first time objects of religious studies drawn from its own museum collection for educational purposes and items on loan from the Marburg collection. The exhibits will be supplemented by accompanying texts to-gether with photographs of India, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka. 

The exhibition examines the life and teachings of the Buddha, provides insights into the life practices among Buddhist monks and nuns and illustrates religiosity among lay devotees. A map of the world provides information on the diffusion of Buddhism and indicates important places of Buddhist worship. At the end of the tour, the differences between Tibetan Bud-dhism and Zen-Buddhism make clear the various forms of Buddhist traditions. 

Didactic materials invite the visitors to themselves actively participate. The exhibition is par-ticularly suitable for teaching purposes, from elementary school to the sixth form.