Eastern Tibet or Mongolia
19th century
This is the gesture of the Buddha calling the earth to witness his awakening.
Eastern Tibet or Mongolia
19th century
This is the gesture of the Buddha calling the earth to witness his awakening.
Also known as vajra position, this posture is associated with meditation.
A state of “waking up” from illusion and seeing the true nature of reality. Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment while meditating under the bodhi tree. Buddhist teaching explains that the accumulation of merit and wisdom are essential for achieving enlightenment, also known as awakening.
The antidote to ignorance, with the highest form of wisdom being an understanding of the true nature of reality and all phenomena. In Buddhism studying the nature of interdependence and emptiness is considered an important step for attaining wisdom.
A state of “waking up” from illusion and seeing the true nature of reality. Buddha Shakyamuni attained awakening while meditating under the bodhi tree. Buddhist teaching explains that the accumulation of merit and wisdom are essential for achieving awakening, also known as enlightenment.
An awakened being who understands the true nature of reality and is free from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. While there are many buddhas, Siddhartha Gautama is the historical Buddha, whose teachings became the foundation of Buddhism.
Mongolians have been widely active in the Tibetan Buddhist world, playing a key role in Tibetan culture, politics, and relations with China. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire—the largest contiguous empire in world history—facilitated the spread of Tibetan visual culture.
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
The Wuzhu Muqin’s harmonious relationship with nature has allowed the ecologically fragile grasslands to survive for thousands of years, while the grasslands in turn have helped to preserve the distinctive traditions of nomadic life by sustaining herds. However, since the mid-20 century, much of the grasslands have been reduced to desert by overcultivation of fragile soils, overgrazing, poor governmental management, and meager irrigation. As the fertile natural environment disappears, so does the culture it supports. Hence, these nomads’ traditional way might not survive another generation.
Born in 1970 into a poor herdsman’s family in the steppes (semi-arid grasslands) of Mongolia, A Yin is a self-taught freelance photographer. In 1998 he began documenting the vanishing nomadic tribes in the Wuzhu Muqin under the working title Mongolian, setting up a self-funded commercial studio for his work. Yin continues to follow the traditional lifestyle of a Mongolian herdsman while also pursuing his photographic mission to document the disappearing steppes and the lifestyle they support.
—Mongolia is considered to be one of the few highly remote places remaining in the world, yet the forces of globalization are quickly changing the traditional way of life for the descendents of Chinggis Khan. The need for economic development is rapidly changing the face of Mongolia; horses are being replaced with motorcycles and herders are struggling to deal with grassland degradation. Severe sandstorms are destroying the environment and, as a result, my own culture. As a Mongolian photographer, it is very important for me to document these crucial times and share these stories with the world.
A Yin
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