Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
(Dir.: Arturo Béjar, United States, 2021, 77 min.)
Immerse yourself in the hypnotic music of composer Philip Glass while exploring artworks from the exhibition Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. With Glass’s mesmerizing music as the soundtrack, the film takes a contemplative look at Buddhist sculptures and paintings as well as the complete Tibetan shrine room at the heart of the exhibition. In an interview for this film, Glass discusses the centrality of practice and the role of attention in his life and work. The Philip Glass Ensemble performs excerpts from several of his signature compositions, all filmed in New York for this project. Lead Sponsor: The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.
Art in Practice: Encountering the Buddha features works by Philip Glass that were recorded in September 2021. The film includes footage of the exhibition Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia (National Museum of Asian Art, 2017–22), an interview with Philip Glass, and a script by Andrew Sterman that connects the music with the art by bringing in his perspectives as a practitioner.
Learn more about the artworks shown in the film by exploring the Learning Lab:
https://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/7RuGD1CABVpQ3snS
Works by Philip Glass featured in the film (in the order played):
“Chinese Invade” from Kundun: Music from the Original Soundtrack (1997)
“Funeral” from Akhnaten (1982–83)
“That Place” from Powaqqatsi (1988)
“The Needle” from Monsters of Grace (1998)
“Act III, Conclusion” from Satyagraha (1979)
(Dir.: Arturo Béjar, United States, 2021, 77 min.)
Immerse yourself in the hypnotic music of composer Philip Glass while exploring artworks from the exhibition Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. With Glass’s mesmerizing music as the soundtrack, the film takes a contemplative look at Buddhist sculptures and paintings as well as the complete Tibetan shrine room at the heart of the exhibition. In an interview for this film, Glass discusses the centrality of practice and the role of attention in his life and work. The Philip Glass Ensemble performs excerpts from several of his signature compositions, all filmed in New York for this project. Lead Sponsor: The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.
Art in Practice: Encountering the Buddha features works by Philip Glass that were recorded in September 2021. The film includes footage of the exhibition Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia (National Museum of Asian Art, 2017–22), an interview with Philip Glass, and a script by Andrew Sterman that connects the music with the art by bringing in his perspectives as a practitioner.
Learn more about the artworks shown in the film by exploring the Learning Lab:
https://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/7RuGD1CABVpQ3snS
Works by Philip Glass featured in the film (in the order played):
“Chinese Invade” from Kundun: Music from the Original Soundtrack (1997)
“Funeral” from Akhnaten (1982–83)
“That Place” from Powaqqatsi (1988)
“The Needle” from Monsters of Grace (1998)
“Act III, Conclusion” from Satyagraha (1979)
