Artwork Details

Title
Chakrasamvara with Consort Vajravarahi
Dimensions
34 × 24 1/8 in. (estimated)
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
Classification(s)
paintings
Date
19th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
Object number
F1997.7.2
Currently On View
at Frank Museum of Art, traveling exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art, until December 12, 2024
HAR Number
99
Published references
*Glenn H. Mullin. Buddha in Paradise: A Celebration in Himalayan Art. (New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2007). Fig. 42; pp. 94-96.* Jackson, Roger, "The Strange Root of Tantra," Review of "The Cakrasamvara Tantra (The Discourse of Sri Heruka): A Study and Annotated Translation" by David B. Gray, Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, Shambhala Sun Foundation, Spring 2008 (p. 69)

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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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Ritual

Concepts

Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.

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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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Tantric Deities

Figure Type

Tantric deities personify various enlightened qualities and are the focus of esoteric religious practices (tantras) that aim to swiftly and radically transform one’s understanding of reality.

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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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