Artwork Details

Title
Vajrabhairava Mandala
Dimensions
32 1/4 × 19 1/2 × 1/4 in.
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Ngor Ewam Choden Monastery, Tsang Province, Central Tibet
Classification(s)
scroll painting paintings
Date
ca. 1515-1535
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art
Object number
C2005.16.40
HAR Number
65463
Published references
*Brauen, Martin. Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. New York: Rubin Museum of Art; Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2009. Plate 33; Pp. 142-143. * Jackson, David P. The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Painting. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2010. Fig. 5.32, 8.15; Pp. 94-95, 199, 201, 203* Galerie Koller, Zurich. Auktion 85/3. 20/21. November 1992, no. 10.

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Meditation

Concepts

A contemplative practice in which a person uses concentration and visualization to achieve aims such as transforming the mind and generating feelings of compassion. Techniques include focusing on breathing or visualizing oneself as a deity.

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Tantrism

Concepts

A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today. 

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Divine

Concepts

Buddhist practitioners in some traditions believe that cutting through ordinary perceptions that keep us in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, known as samsara, can create a powerful and enhanced divine identity that leads to enlightenment.

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Mandala

Figure Type

A geometrically shaped tool used for meditation and visualization in Buddhist practice. It is a representation of the palace of a deity and the Buddhist conception of the cosmos.

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Tibetan Regions

Region

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.

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