The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs


Book Description

For artists, designers, and all with an interest in Buddhist and Tibetan art, this is the first exhaustive reference to the seemingly infinite variety of symbols found throughout Tibetan art in line drawings, paintings, and ritual objects. Hundreds of the author's line drawings depict all the major Tibetan symbols and motifs—landscapes, deities, animals, plants, gurus, mudras (ritual hand gestures), dragons, and other mythic creatures—ranging from complex mythological scenes to small, simple ornaments.




The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols


Book Description

Based on the author's previous publication The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, this handbook contains an array of symbols and motifs, accompanied by succinct explanations. It provides treatment of the essential Tibetan religious figures, themes and motifs, both secular and religious.




Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism


Book Description




Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangkas


Book Description

The thangka is a way for Tibetan Buddhist monks to bring the life and teachings of the Buddha to the people through the visual medium of paint. These paintings were rolled up and taken on journeys, used as traveling altars, or hung when certain deitieswere honored. Meulenbeld takes us through 37 thangkas that present a pictorial journey of the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama, and the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. 37 color plates. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.




The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs


Book Description

This study of the sacred art of Tibet is the result of eight years of brush drawing, and a lifetime spent researching and reflecting upon the inner and often hidden meanings and origins encapsulated in this complex iconographical tradition. Several thousand individual drawings arranged as a series of 170 pages illustrate the many variations in style, lineages and individual expression of these objects. The text interweaves the origins, meanings and functions of these symbols, derived from India, Tibet and China, into a comprehensive tapestry within a Buddhist conceptual framework.




The Art of Awakening


Book Description

A presentation on the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment, through the lens of an artist's eye and experience. The sacred arts play an essential, intrinsic role in Tibetan Buddhist practice. Here, one of the great practitioners and master artists of our time presents a guide to the Tibetan Buddhist path, from preliminary practices through enlightenment, from the artist's perspective. With profound wisdom, he shows how visual representations of the sacred in paintings, sculptures, mandalas, and stupas can be an essential support to practice throughout the path. This work, based on the author's landmark Tibetan text, The Path to Liberation, includes basic Buddhist teachings and practices, clearly pointing out the relevance of these for both the sacred artist and the practitioner, along with an overview of the history and iconography of Buddhist art.




Tibetan Thangka Painting


Book Description

Describes the techniques of the sacred art of Tibetan scroll painting.




Deities of Tibetan Buddhism


Book Description

An extraordinary encyclopedia of Buddhist icons. Illustrating the Rin 'byung brgya rtsa, the Nar thang brgya rtsa, and the Vajravali, the book is based on a collection of over five hundred images of Tibetan deities. The images, presented in the book at full scale, were originally created by a master artist in the early nineteenth century to serve as initiation cards (tsakli). The original tsakli were woodblock prints, hand colored at the request of a Ch'ing Dynasty nobleman who had received the initiations. Such cards are used in ceremonies to introduce the practitioner to the deity and his or her practice. The paintings are housed in the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is also an indispensable reference tool for Tibetologists, students of Mahayana Buddhism, and museum curators. Its extensive supplementary materials include English translations of the basic invocation texts; the associated visualization with descriptions of the deities' postures, attributes, and colors; and the dharanis and mantras used in their invocation. Co-editor Martin Willson spent more than a decade translating and documenting this work. He has provided detailed explanations of technical terms, enlightening explanatory notes, and glossaries documenting the discrepancies in the depictions. The extensive pictorial index, featuring drawings and text by Robert Beer, explains the symbolic meaning behind the deities' implements and adornments. The cross-referenced indices for Tibetan, Sanskrit, Mongolian, and English names and terms provide quick access to vast amounts of information. Co-editor Martin Brauen and the technical staff of the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich have documented the relationship between this and other sets of initiation cards that exist elsewhere, as well as detailing the construction materials and methods involved in producing this set. Deities of Tibetan Buddhism is a reference book without peer, essential for any serious student of Tibetan and East Asian art and religion.




Angels and Archangels


Book Description

Learn to call on the divine assistance of angelic forces to shape your life and accelerate your spiritual practice in this in-depth guide from Damien Echols. “The ultimate goal of working with angels is to become one ourselves. That’s what people actually are—unconscious angels.” —Damien Echols “Angels do not belong to any one single religion, system, or dogma,” teaches Damien Echols. “They are almost pure energy—the very substance the cosmos is made of. They’re also incredibly willing to work with us if asked.” With Angels and Archangels, this bestselling author presents an essential resource for understanding what angels are, how they make themselves available, and magickal practices to invoke their power to transform your life. For the magician—or anyone seeking to enlist helping forces on the path of awakening—invoking angels and archangels gives you access to incredible potential for manifestation, healing, and spiritual growth. In this lucid and information-packed guide, Damien shares his unique understanding and experience of magickal practices refined in the crucible of his wrongful death row imprisonment. Here you’ll discover: • A clear presentation of angels and archangels as they have been honored in mystical traditions for thousands of years • The names and qualities of individual angels and archangels, as associated with the elements, the Zodiac, the Tree of Life, and the Tarot • Foundational practices and meditations for building your skills with magick • How to call on angels for blessing, protection, invocation, the creation of talismans and sigils, and more • Advanced angel magick rituals, including the Rose Cross, the Celestial Lotus, and the Shem Operation • The Holy Guardian Angel—the key contact for stepping into your true nature beyond ego consciousness “When working with angels and archangels,” says Damien, “I’ve come to realize that they don’t carry out the tasks we charge them with just because we ask them to—they do it because they perceive the divine within us.” Angels and Archangels is an essential resource for every magickal library, an invitation by one of the most exciting modern teachers of the art to discover the enormous potential waiting for your call.




Tibetan Thakgka Painting


Book Description

This book is the only detailed description of the techniques and principles of the sacred art of Tibetan scroll painting.