Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
19th century
This relaxed posture is commonly associated with regal leisure.
Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
19th century
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.
In Buddhism gender is considered more fluid compared to some other religions. Certain traditions emphasize the importance of all genders in achieving enlightenment. The feminine is considered an embodiment of wisdom and the masculine is an embodiment of method.
Female bodhisattvas and tantric deities embody specific enlightened qualities such as wisdom, power, and protection, and can be peaceful or wrathful in appearance.
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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