Artwork Details

Title
Buddha Amitabha in the Pure Realm of Sukhavati
Dimensions
49 1/4 x 36 3/8 x 2 1/4 in. (125.1 x 92.4 x 5.7 cm)
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Central Tibet
Classification(s)
paintings
Date
19th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
Object number
F1997.6.3
HAR Number
85
Published references
* Karen Lucic. Embodying Compassion in Buddhist Art: Image, Pilgrimage, Practice. (Poughkeepsie, New York: The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, 2015). Cat. 1; Pp. 49-50.*Glenn H. Mullin. Buddha in Paradise: A Celebration in Himalayan Art. (New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2007). Fig. 3; Pp. 18-19.* Sutra of the Amitabha Buddha. (Taiwan: The Lotus's Institute of Buddhist Meditation, 2012/13).* Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, Shambhala Sun Foundation, Vol. 7, No. 2, Winter 2008 (Cover Image)* Rob Linrothe and Jeff Watt. Demonic Divine in Himalayan Art and Beyond. (New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2004). Fig. 1.30; Pp. 24, 28.* Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A.F. Thurman. Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art and Wisdom of Compassion. (New York: Tibet House, 1999). Cat. 169; Pp. 427-428.

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Visualization

Concepts

A meditation technique primarily used in tantric practice that involves imagining a deity in one’s mind or imagining oneself becoming a deity and carrying out various activities. Such techniques are intended to help a practitioner transform ordinary perception and achieve enlightened qualities.

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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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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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Buddhas

Figure Type

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.

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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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