There won't, almost by definition, be much of a noise made about it, but London is about to play host to its biggest-ever festival of Buddhist culture. Films, dances and discussions will open the doors on a religion – or is it a philosophy? – that may have attracted its share of followers in the capital, but whose quiet ways remain largely opaque to the general public.
The Many Faces of Buddhism season will be given extra impetus by the opening next week of the Victoria and Albert Museum's first-ever gallery of Buddhist sculpture. It is no coincidence. Both the festival and the gallery owe their existence to the Robert H.N. Ho Foundation, a Hong Kong philanthropic organisation founded in 2005 and committed both to the spread of Chinese arts and culture, and to the wider dissemination of Buddhist thought.
Ho is in London with his son, Robert Y.C. Ho, to observe the final touches being applied to the museum's light-filled gallery, which stands next to the John Madejski Garden. The preponderance of philanthropists' names is a telling indicator of the reliance of even internationally renowned museums such as the V&A on private investment to fulfil their plans.
Ho is soft-spoken and seemingly modest in his aims: he wants to give people a greater understanding of Buddhist ways and traditions, particularly inspiring young people to take up meditation. But there are wider ambitions at work too: helping people to “achieve peace, not just with themselves but also in society at large”. This is an artistic programme with an unashamedly broader social scope.