Inside Bhutan to find Buddha

The Honolulu Academy of Arts' "Dragon's Gift" displays exotic objects from a remote nation

John Johnston loved nothing more than a grueling journey, and this one, he'd heard, would prove to be the mother of them all.

During his three years in Bhutan, the assistant curator for the Honolulu Academy of Arts' monumental exhibit "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan" trekked mountaintops and river valleys to visit 13 of 20 districts in search of the country's religious art.

This particular journey was to a temple 14,000 feet up a mountain, at a site so remote that few Bhutanese -- let alone foreigners -- ever visited.

On each trek, Johnston was accompanied by an official from the country's Department of Culture and a monk of the Official Monastic Body, and neither was looking forward to the journey. For Johnston, however, the hike would be another opportunity to prove that his foreigner's constitution was as hardy as those of his native companions.

"I always carried my own bags," Johnston says laconically.

But most important, "I loved spending hours and hours in the forest to prepare for seeing sacred works -- there was no better way than being in all that pristine nature."

The piece Johnston was hoping to examine was a large bronze sculpture of a Buddha created in the 15th century. The academy had selected it from the Department of Culture's photographic archives as one of the pieces to be considered for the exhibit.

"That was one of the hardest hikes I ever did," Johnston says. "I had a slight case of bronchitis, and the hike took us up to the tree line. We hiked for seven hours straight, and it was demanding -- we climbed holding onto one tree and then climbing to the next."

When Johnston and company finally arrived, they were told by caretakers of the statue that the head lama had not given authorization to show the piece. After spending a miserable night on the floor amid scurrying rats, the group left, disheartened.

But Johnston never forgot about the piece.

Six months later the Department of Culture planned an official visit to the site, and Johnston was authorized to see the work. This time, he was led to a dimly lighted corner and finally set his eyes on the prize.

"It wasn't one of the main treasures. It was off to the side, and it was dusty. But I could tell it was really special," he recalls.

The piece was indeed worthy of Johnston's unwavering consideration. When visitors enter "The Dragon's Gift," that bronze Buddha is the first image they'll see. "I always felt it was worth that extra effort," he says.

But while he was gratified to secure the work, there was one thing Johnston simply could not abide.

"I left the monastery while there was still daylight and scampered down the mountain in the dark with my flashlight," he says. "There wasn't any way I would be spending the night with the rats."

'The Dragon's Gift' "The Sacred Arts of Bhutan" features more than 110 pieces, most never seen outside Bhutan. » On exhibit: Tuesday to May 23 » Place: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. » Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays; 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays » Admission: $20 (includes $10 museum entrance fee) general; $15 seniors, students and military; free for academy members and children » Call: 532-8700 or visit honoluluacademy.org Symposium » Buddhism and Buddhist art: Features scholars, curators and conservators who put together "The Dragon's Gift," 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Doris Duke Theatre, $25, free to academy members and students. Register at www.honoluluacademy.org.

CORRECTION ***DATE*** Special admission is in effect for the Honolulu Academy of Arts' "Bhutan: The Dragon's Gift" exhibition. The cost is $20 (includes $10 museum entrance fee) general; $15 seniors, students and military; and free for members and children under 12. Originally, this story listed the museum's regular admission prices.