Art, Imagery & Symbols
 Click to enlarge |
IMAGES OF ENLIGHTENMENT: Tibetan Art in Practice by Jonathan Landaw and Andy Weber 264 pp., 32 color photos, 13 line drawings, 6 diagrams. #IMEN2E - list price $ 24.95 Our Price $17.46 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion One of the most striking aspects of Tibetan Buddhism is its wealth of visual imagery. Ranging from the tranquility of a serenely poised meditator to the dynamic energy of apparently wrathful figures, this vivid and diverse imagery often leaves Western observers as puzzled as they are fascinated. Who are these figures and what do they mean? More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
LABRANG: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery at the Crossroads of Four Civilizations by Paul Kocot Nietupski, photos from the Griebenow Archives, 1921-1949 160 pp., 9" x 8" high, 36 color and 100 b&w photos, illustrations. #LA - list price $ 24.95 Our Price $17.46 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion Labrang Monastery, located in northeast Tibet at the strategic intersection of four major Asian civilizations--Tibetan, Mongolian, Chinese, and Muslim--was one of the largest Buddhist monastic universities. In the early twentieth century, it housed several thousand monks. Labrang was also a gathering point for numerous annual religious festivals, supported an active regional marketplace where Chinese artisans rubbed shoulders with Hui merchants and nomadic Tibetan highlanders, and was the seat of a Tibetan power base that strove to maintain regional autonomy through the shifting alliances and bloody conflicts that took place between 1700 and 1950. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BUDDHIST TANTRA by Rob Preece 276 pp., 18 line drawings, 7 diagrams. #PSBUTA - list price $ 18.95 Our Price $13.27 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion This book masterfully succeeds in clarifying the nature of tantric practice. In contrast to the approaches of conventional religion, tantra does not attempt to soothe the turmoil of existence with consoling promises of heaven and salvation. The tantric practitioner chooses to confront the bewildering and chaotic forces of fear, aggression, desire, aphand pride, and to work with them in such a way that they are channeled into creative expression, loving relationships, and wisely engaged forms of life. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
SACRED GROUND: Jamgon Kongtrul on "Pilgrimage and Sacred Geography" by Ngawang Zangpo. A Tsadra Foundation Series book. 260 pp., 15 b&w photos, cloth. #SAGR - list price $ 24.95 Our Price $17.46 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion Sacred Ground describes two journeys: a journey outward to specific pilgrimage places in Eastern Tibet; and a journey inward, to the sacred world of tantra, accessible through contemplation and meditation. It sheds light on Himalayan Buddhists' concepts of sacred land, places of pilgrimage in tantric Buddhism, and how pilgrimage is undertaken. It enhances our appreciation of the world and its sacred aspect everywhere first and foremost, wherever we sit now. On the basis of a judicious choice of rare Tibetan texts, translated here for the first time, correlating inner and outer pilgrimage, this book is of considerable value to the Buddhist practitioner. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
SPIRIT OF TIBET: Portrait of a Culture in Exile photographs and text by Alison Wright, foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama 200 pages, 180 color photos, 9.5" x 10" wide. #SPTI - list price $ 34.95 Our Price $24.47 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion This visually stunning, full-color portrait of Tibetan life in exile displays the spirit of Tibetan refugees living in the beautiful mountain settings of northern India. It shows how Tibetans have preserved the best of their unique culture and identity. Aided by their Buddhist faith, the Tibetan people have rebuilt productive lives for themselves, and live today in thriving communities with a strong sense of purpose: to preserve and maintain the ancient Buddhist tradition which forms the core of Tibetan culture. In this sense, Tibetan refugees have managed more than mere survival: they have created a Tibet in exile that is in many ways more truly Tibetan than their occupied homeland. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
TIBETAN THANGKA PAINTING: Methods and Materials by David Jackson and Janice Jackson 202 pp., 8.25 x 11, lavishly illustrated. #TITH2E - list price $ 39.95 Our Price $27.97 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion Tibetan Thangka Painting is the only detailed description of the techniques and principles of the sacred art of Tibetan scroll painting. It is the distillation of research carried out over a period of ten years, collected during five journeys to Nepal and India, and compiled from some twenty traditional painters. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE WHEEL OF TIME SAND MANDALA: Visual Scripture of Tibetan Buddhism by Barry Bryant, in cooperation with Namgyal Monastery 268 pp., 8 x 8, 36 color, 199 b&w photos, 30 line drawings. #WHTISA - list price $ 44.95 Our Price $31.47 (you save 30%) Published by Snow Lion Here is a stunning visual introduction to the artistic and spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. According to the monks who create it, the Kalachakra Sand Mandala, also known as the Wheel of Time, imparts peace and healing to all beings and to the planet. Remarkable not only for its profound beauty but also for the intricate process of its construction--a delicate sifting of colored sands into elaborate patterns and symbols rich in meaning--the mandala serves as a visual scripture and vital key to understanding the essential teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. This lavishly illustrated volume captures each stage of the mandala's construction, the serene joy and painstaking discipline of the monks, and the fascinating history behind its symbolism. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
BENEFITS AND PRACTICES RELATED TO STATUES & STUPAS Part 3: Essential Advice for Filling Statues and Stupas by Shalkar Melong, commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Spiralbound, 148 pp. #BEPR3 - $ 27.99 Leaving a statue empty is like offering nothing to the buddhas and can create obstacles. Therefore, it is important to put something inside the statue, even a few mantras and some incense. This book contains instructions for properly filling and consecrating statues and stupas of any size. It includes the root text of Shalkar Melong, translated with commentary by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which provides detailed instructions for filling larger holy objects. Also included are the Sung Drub and Rab Nä ceremonies for consecrating your holy object. | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE BUDDHIST MANDALA COLORING KIT--12 Notecards #BUMACO - $ 19.95 This terrific kit contains everything you need to create personalized mandala notecards: 10 quality coloring pencils, 12 mandala notecards to color, with envelopes for mailing--and a 40-page full-color book with instructions on simple meditations to do when working with each mandala. A good value. Makes a great gift--for a friend, a child, or yourself--with hours of creative enjoyment. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
BUDDHIST PAINTINGS COLORING BOOK by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco 8.5" x 11". 44 pp. #BUPACO - $ 7.95 Here you'll find 22 beautiful images to color, all based on paintings in the Asian Art Museum collection. The original artworks are shown in color on the inside cover! You can follow the colors used in the original artworks, or choose your own colors. Each coloring page is blank on the back, so you can frame your work if you wish. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
DREAM YOGA VISUALIZATION CARD SET created by the Ligmincha Institute, under the direction of Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Spiral-bound flipcard set. #DRYOVI - $ 24.95 The Dream Yoga Visualization Card Set is designed to be used as a companion to the best-selling book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The card set provides the essential points of the Dream Yoga practice, as well as beautiful meditation images to support and inspire the practitioner during each stage of the practice. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TIBETAN SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS by Robert Beer 400 pp., line art throughout, 9" x 12", cloth. #SYMOTI - $ 75.00 For artists, designers, or anyone interested in Tibetan art, this is an exhaustive reference to the variety of symbols found throughout Tibetan art--in line drawings, paintings, thangkas, and ritual objects. Hundreds of Robert Beer's drawings depict animals, flowers, plants, teachers, mudras, dragons, offerings, geometric borders, etc. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
ENDLESS PATH: Awakening Within the Buddhist Imagination: Jataka Tales, Zen Practice, and Daily Life by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Richard Wehrman 266 pp., paper. #ENPAAW - $ 19.95 The jataka tales—stories of the Buddha's past lives (in both human and animal form)—were first said to have been told by the Buddha himself twenty-five hundred years ago and remain, even today, one of the oldest and most traditional aspects of the Buddhist canon. From this wealth of spiritual folklore Rafe Martin has chosen ten tales that illustrate the ideals of the Buddhist paramitas, or "perfections" of character: giving, morality, forbearance, vitality, focused meditation, wisdom, skillful means, resolve, strength, and knowledge. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE FEMALE BUDDHAS: Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art by Glenn Mullin with Jeff J. Watt 232 pp., 112 color photos, 8.5" x 11", cloth. #FEBUCL - $ 39.95 Any visitor to a Tibetan temple will be impressed by the large number of female images that appear in wall frescos and tangka paintings, as well as in the form of sculptures and other mediums. This strong role of the feminine in Tibetan mystical art is common to the chapels of monasteries and nunneries alike as well as communal meditation hermitages and stands in sharp contrast to the predominance of male images seen in the temples of most other Buddhist countries. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
THE HANDBOOK OF TIBETAN BUDDHIST SYMBOLS by Robert Beer 256 pp. #HATIBU - $ 29.95 The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols is an illustrated reference to the rich tradition of Tibetan art, including line drawings, painting, thangkas, and ritual objects. This compact, concise handbook contains an extensive array of symbols and motifs, accompanied by succint explanations--landscapes, mudras, deities, plants, gurus, dragons, etc. Great for artists, designers, and anyone interested in Buddhist iconography. Contents drawn largely from Robert Beer's The Encyclopedia of Tibean Symbols and Motifs. | |
 Click to enlarge |
KALACHAKRA MANDALA NOTEBOOK Measures about 8.5" x 8.5". #NOKAMA - $ 11.95 This beautiful notebook includes 150 unlined pages for you to take notes on teachings, jot down your thoughts, or even sketch. These notebooks are handcrafted in the U.S.A. and are made from environmentally friendly paper. About the cover image: More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
TARA'S COLORING BOOK by Andy Weber & Nigel Wellings 12 line drawings, 10" x 13". #TACOBO - $ 14.95 A book of twelve exquisite line drawings of famous Tibetan icons--Buddha, Chenrezig, Tara, Manjushri and others, with instructions on how to color the drawings. Hours of enjoyment, ornate enough to be framed as a wall hanging. More ... | |
 Click to enlarge |
TIBETAN AMULETS by Tadeusz Skorupski, preface by Per Kvaerne 126 pp., with over 200 drawings. #TIAMTA - $ 25.00 This book provides a systematic study of the Tibetan charms and amulets, mantras and cakras that have afforded their wearers protection for centuries, and which remain a living tradition today. Drawing from indigenous works of the 19th century, the author illustrates and explains 109 amulets and their accompanying mantras, as well as 102 cakras, primarily associated with the Nyingma-pa and Bon traditions. The author also employs the amulets and cakras to reveal details of the myriad gods, demons and other supernatural beings--many incorporated into Buddhism from earlier belief systems--that comprise the Tibetan pantheon. More ... | |