Amitabha at Padmaloka: new painting by Aloka

Aryapala, manager of the FWBO's Padmaloka Retreat Centre in Norfolk, UK, has written with news of their new and very beautiful Amitabha painting -

"As Buddhism establishes itself in the west it will develop its own form of iconography - just as happened throughout Buddhist Asia.

Padmaloka has a special relationship with Aloka, a Buddhist artist who used to live in the Padmaloka community. Aloka thinks this development of a western Buddhist art will probably take 200 years or more. He is one of the people who are starting this process, drawing on more than 30 years experience as a Buddhist and an artist to produce images that can inspire, challenge and transform us. We have commissioned Aloka to produce a series of Buddha and Bodhisattva images for our shrine room.

"The most recent painting Aloka has just completed is a wonderfully rich 12ft by 6ft image of the red Buddha, Amitabha, that we have hung on the western wall of the shrine room.

"Thank you to all who helped contribute to the purchasing of this inspiring painting. On a meditation Order practice retreat in November, we will ritually unveil the new painting. The retreat is offered on a dana basis and all donations for this retreat go toward the next painting that we will commission from Aloka".

Note: Click the image above for a larger version.  

All Aloka images Copyright Padmaloka.