如同道教与儒家思想,佛教跟随17世纪下半叶大陆地区汉人移民渡海来台的高峰而传入台湾。以今日严格挑剔的艺术鉴赏标准来看,传统台湾庙宇里面祭拜的佛像,其艺术性并非评断其重要性的主要因素。换言之,台湾长期以来佛教艺术的发展一直处于弱势的状态。直到近几十年来,情况才有所改观。这个变化来自于两个主要的因素:其一是宗教,其二是经济。在台湾,佛教获得长足的发展,并且没有受到大陆“文革”导致大批佛像尽毁的浩 Like Taoism and Confucianism, Buddhism came to Taiwan along with the peak of Chinese immigrants coming to Taiwan in the second half of the 17th century. Judging by today’s critique of artistic appreciation standards, the artistic nature of the statues of worshiping in traditional Taiwanese temples is not a major factor in judging the importance of statues. In other words, the development of the art of Buddhism in Taiwan has long been in a state of weakness. Only in recent decades has the situation changed. This change comes from two main factors: one is religion, and the other is economy. In Taiwan, Buddhism has made great strides and has not been affected by the “Cultural Revolution”