Tibetan Mandalas Arts And Traditions

Tibetan Mandalas, Arts and Traditions pays homage to the rich history and culture of the Himalayan region, in particular that of Tibet and the Bon tradition, bringing their heritage into conversation with a modern, global society. Written by leading experts in the field, including Samten Karmay and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, this book delves into Tibet's past and its present, looking at how its traditions may interact with the future, exploring the place of meditation and yoga in modern medicine, and considering the role of rituals into today's world. All proceeds from this book go to the TISE Himalayan International School (THIS), based in Siliguri, India.

According to Tibetan Buddhism the mandala is a representation of the microcosm and macrocosm. The Kalachakra mandala the special subject of this study is especially important to Tibet's present Dalai Lama. This book presents in pictures and text the traditions, techniques and artistry that go into completing the mandala and a considered evaluation of its spiritual significance. Meticulously rendered photographs show the various stages in creation of the mandala and its power as a spiritual symbol and work of art.

Tibetan Mandalas, Arts and Traditions pays homage to the rich history and culture of the Himalayan region, in particular that of Tibet and the Bon tradition, bringing their heritage into conversation with a modern, global society. Written by leading experts in the field, including Samten Karmay and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, this book delves into Tibet's past and its present, looking at how its traditions may interact with the future, exploring the place of meditation and yoga in modern medicine, and considering the role of rituals into today's world. All proceeds from this book go to the TISE Himalayan International School (THIS), based in Siliguri, India.

The first broad study of Japanese mandalas to appear in a Western language, this volume interprets mandalas as sanctified realms where identification between the human and the sacred occurs. The author investigates eighth- to seventeenth-century paintings from three traditions: Esoteric Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and the kami-worshipping (Shinto) tradition. It is generally recognized that many of these mandalas are connected with texts and images from India and the Himalayas. A pioneering theme of this study is that, in addition to the South Asian connections, certain paradigmatic Japanese mandalas reflect pre-Buddhist Chinese concepts, including geographical concepts. In convincing and lucid prose, ten Grotenhuis chronicles an intermingling of visual, doctrinal, ritual, and literary elements in these mandalas that has come to be seen as characteristic of the Japanese religious tradition as a whole. This beautifully illustrated work begins in the first millennium B.C.E. in China with an introduction to the Book of Documents and ends in present-day Japan at the sacred site of Kumano. Ten Grotenhuis focuses on the Diamond and Womb World mandalas of Esoteric Buddhist tradition, on the Taima mandala and other related mandalas from the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, and on mandalas associated with the kami-worshipping sites of Kasuga and Kumano. She identifies specific sacred places in Japan with sacred places in India and with Buddhist cosmic diagrams. Through these identifications, the realm of the buddhas is identified with the realms of the kami and of human beings, and Japanese geographical areas are identified with Buddhist sacred geography. Explaining why certain fundamental Japanese mandalas look the way they do and how certain visual forms came to embody the sacred, ten Grotenhuis presents works that show a complex mixture of Indian Buddhist elements, pre-Buddhist Chinese elements, Chinese Buddhist elements, and indigenous Japanese elements.

Everyone’s heard of mandalas; now we have a uniquely rich history and explanation of their history and meaning. This book is a history of the genesis and development of the mandala from the fifth and sixth centuries, when the mandala first appeared in India, to the eleventh century, when the Kalacakratantra appeared just before the disappearance of Buddhism in India. The 600 years of Indian esoteric Buddhism that concluded the 1,700-year history of Indian Buddhism could be said to have been the history of the development of the mandala. (The Kalacakratantra integrated earlier mandala theories into a single system and established a monumental system unprecedented in the history of esoteric Buddhism. It was thus the culmination of the development of Indian Buddhism over a period of 1,700 years.) The analysis is at the micro level and includes numerous illustrations and charts. Particular attention is paid to proper names, mudras, and mantras that have been overlooked by scholars in philosophy and doctrine, and the author tackles issues that cannot be explained solely from a historical viewpoint, such as geometric patterns, the arrangement of deities, the colors, and their meaning in Buddhist doctrine.

Mandalas are sacred symbolic images traditionally used as meditational aids in Buddhism and Hinduism. This kit provides everyone from the beginner to the professional artist with the materials and know-how to create beautiful mandalas to aid meditation, relaxation and personal growth, as well as for use in prayers and healing rituals. Sand mandalas are scattered once they have been made, symbolizing life's impermanence. Many people find the dismantling and scattering ceremony very moving. templates and a base of constructing sand mandalas. The accompanying book gives all the background history and spiritual aid the reader needs. This step-by-step guide to creating sand mandalas, from preparatory meditation to scattering, is based on traditional methods used in Tibetan Buddhism and other cultures. Make Your Own Sand Mandala provides a wealth of history, tradition, spirituality and art, while reminding us that life is as beautiful and transitory as a sand mandala.

Now back in print comes this stunning visual introduction to the artistic and spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism--the Kalachakra Sand Mandala. "Spiritual vision communicated by art and ritual."--"Tricycle." 36 color photos. 199 b&w photos.

Exhibition catalog, Co-pub. with Asia Society Gall & Tibet House.