
Magic Mirror with Image of the Buddha Amida
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
This mirror, a Buddhist icon, conceals an image of the Buddha Amida (Sanskrit: Amitābha) emanating forty-eight rays of light, one for each of the vows he made as a bodhisattva. The image is only revealed under special lighting conditions. The back of the mirror bears the six-character phrase “Namu Amida Butsu” (Hail the name of Amida Buddha). Mirrors of this type are called “magic mirrors,” or makyō in Japanese. Made in China from very early on, they also became popular in Japan for both religious and secular use.
Asian Art
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.