This sculpture of the Buddha represents him in a form believed to be modeled on the first image of Buddha Shakyamuni. That image was created at the bequest of the Indian king Udhyana and depicts the Buddha when he descended from the Realm of the Thirty-three Gods, after teaching his mother there, to continue his teaching in the human realm. This type of standing Buddha image was very popular in Central Asia and China and subsequently in Tibet.

Artwork Details

Title
Copy of the Sandalwood Buddha (rgya nag gi tsandan jo bo)
Dimensions
8 3/4 × 4 1/8 × 3 in.
Medium
Gilt copper alloy
Origin
Tibet
Classification(s)
sculpture
Date
18th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of John and Berthe Ford
Object number
C2005.9.1
HAR Number
65406
Published references
*Jackson, David P. The Place of Provenance: Regional Styles in Tibetan Painting. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2012. Fig. 8.18. Pp. 173, 175.* Van Alphen, J. Collection Highlights: Rubin Museum of Art. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2014. Pp. 248-249* Debreczeny, Karl. The Black Hat Eccentric: Artistic Visions of the Tenth Karmapa. New York: The Rubin Museum of Art, 2012, p. 286. (Fig. 10.8)

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Storytelling

Concepts

A vehicle for the preservation and transmission of knowledge. The Buddha’s teachings were originally passed down through oral transmission and storytelling, and stories of the Buddha’s past lives are considered an important source of inspiration and guidance.

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Liberation

Concepts

The central goal of Buddhism is the liberation of all beings from suffering and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, known as samsara, through applying the teachings of the Buddha.

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Figure Type

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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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