Rubin Museum of Art

Gender

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.

Art 42 Spiral 11

The Red Yogini, Vajrayogini

Tibet, 19th century

Lhasa, Tibet, 2006

Yogini Nairatmya

Tibet, 17th century

Nepal, Dated by inscription, 1822

Bhutan, possibly Punakha Dzong, Mid-19th century

Tibet, 20th century

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 15th century

Two-sided Festival Banner of Varunani and Varahi

Nepal, 17th or 18th century

Tara Protecting from the Eight Fears

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears

Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Tara, as a Great Yogini, After a Set of Paintings “Twenty-seven Tantric Deities” designed by Situ Panchen (1700-1774)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Tibet, 18th century

Nepal, dated by inscription, 1694

Nepal, 18th century

Shri Devi, Dorje Rabtenma

Tibet, 15th century

Shiva and Parvati

Nepal, 13th century

Pelden Lhamo Dusolma

Bhutan, 19th century

Mandala of Vajrayogini

Tibet, 19th century

Makzor Gyelmo, Queen Who Repels Armies

Tibet or Mongolia, 19th century

Machik Labdron (1055-1153)

Western Tibet or Western Himalayas, ca. 16th century

Machik Labdron (1055-1153)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Machik Labdron (1055-1153)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Lotus Goddess, Lakshmi

Nepal, 17th century

Nepal, 17th or 18th century

Kashmir, India, 10th century

Green Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears

Tibet or Mongolia, 19th century

Goddess Shri or Lakshmi

Nepal, 18th century

Tibet, 15th century

Tibet, 17th century

Tibet, 13th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 15th century

Tibet, ca. 18th century

Himalayan, ca. 17th century

Tibet, 19th century

Green Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears

Bhutan, 19th century

Green Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears-Drowning

Central Tibet, 19th century

Five Female Buddhas; Text and Illuminations of the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Intermediate State (Bardo)

Tibet, ca. 15th century

Eight Female Bodhisattvas; Text and Illuminations of the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Intermediate State (Bardo)

Tibet, ca. 15th century

The founder of the Algorithmic Justice League shares how human bias shapes machine learning

Scholarly Perspectives Activism Personal Perspectives Technology Magazine

A Capacity to Change

A Tibetan immigrant writer reflects on their gender transition

Personal Perspectives Magazine

A Manual for the Momentary: DIY Rituals from Reimagine End of Life

Step-by-step instructions toward healing, resilience, and action

Environment Activism Healing How-tos Magazine

A Stunning Spectacle of Astonishing Things Happening

The renowned theater and opera director Peter Sellars discusses his passion for bringing a two-thousand-year-old Buddhist sutra to the stage

Female Power Buddhism Contemporary Art Forms Interviews Magazine

Pleasure, Power, and Sexual Liberation

A conversation on how we can use this cultural moment as an opportunity to liberate our collective conditioning around power, pleasure, gender, sexuality, and consent.

Buddhist Perspectives Activism Interviews

Dao of the Dominatrix

Female empowerment guru Kasia Urbaniak is helping women expand their power and find their voice

Female Power Magazine

Hear Me Roar: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about #MeToo

How embracing the rising feminine can help bring our world into healthy balance

Female Power Buddhist Perspectives Interviews Magazine

The Liberation of Tara

An illustrated story about the beloved Buddhist deity

Creative Writing Female Power Magazine

The Future of Responsibility

How can individuals, working with or within institutions, can take responsibility as we move into a new cultural era?

Fluid Depictions of Gender and Identity in Himalayan Art

Deities beyond the binaries of gender

Traditional Himalayan Art Buddhism Hinduism

Learn the Lexicon

Discover the work of punk rocker and artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge

Contemporary Art Forms