Tibet
18th-19th century
This instrument is used in tantric rituals performed in charnel, or funerary, grounds and is played as an offering to wrathful deities. Its sound is said to be pleasing to wrathful deities but terrifying to evil spirits.
Tibet
18th-19th century
Buddhist practitioners who engage in the practice of “cutting the ego” (chod) use implements such as this during their meditation and rituals. Traditionally, they would engage in this practice at charnel grounds, places where dead bodies decompose or are eaten by vultures, to facilitate their experiences.These yogis visualize, while reciting verses and mantras of the tantric ritual, that they dismantle their ego. They blow the trumpet to summon spirits and other beings inhabiting the charnel ground and offer them their visualized cut-up body as an offering. They also rhythmically rotate the drum to beat it at appropriate moments of their ritual, which aids in transforming their perceptions.
This instrument is used in tantric rituals performed in charnel, or funerary, grounds and is played as an offering to wrathful deities. Its sound is said to be pleasing to wrathful deities but terrifying to evil spirits.
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.
The end of this life marked by the cessation of bodily functions followed by decay. According to Buddhism, after death consciousness transitions to an intermediate state known as the bardo before embarking on another life.
The idea that everything is temporary, constantly changing, and moving through stages of development, decay, and dissolution. Impermanence is a reminder to avoid strong attachments and focus on the present moment.
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.
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC
Your gateway to Himalayan art and its insights, with stories and news from the Rubin.