Rubin Museum of Art

Tantrism

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. 

Art 196 Spiral 6

The Red Yogini, Vajrayogini

Tibet, 19th century

Yogambara with Consort Jnana Dakini

Nepal, 15th century

Painting of large seated figure with colorful robes surrounded by smaller figures above and below mounted on vertical strip of golden patterned fabric.

Treasure Revealer Terdak Lingpa (1646–1714)

Mindroling monastery, Tsang Province, Central Tibet, early 18th century

Wrathful Offerings

Tibet, 19th century

Wrathful Offerings

Mongolia, 19th century

Yaksha General Anila

China, First half of the 15th century

Yama Dharmaraja with Consort Yami

Tibet, 18th century

Yogini Nairatmya

Tibet, 17th century

Tibet, 18th century

Probably Urga or Dolonor, Mongolia, ca. late 19th century

Vajra, Bell and Case

Bhutan, 20th century

Inner Mongolia, 19th century

Mongolia, ca. 19th century

Vajrabhairava Mandala

Ngor Ewam Choden Monastery, Tsang Province, Central Tibet, ca. 1515-1535

Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

Mongolia, 18th - 19th century

Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

China, second half of the 15th century

Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

Central Tibet, late 18th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 16th century

Vajradhara and the Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, late 18th-early 19th century

Vajradhara with consort

Tibet, 14th century

Vajradhara with Eighty-Five Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)

Western Tibet, 15th century

Vajrakilaya of the Eight Pronouncements

Tibet, 18th century

Karnali Basin, Northwestern Nepal, 13th-14th century

Tibet, 18th century

Vajrapani Trampling Snakes

Eastern India or Western Tibet, 10th-11th century

Nepal, 14th century

Tibet, 19th century

Central Tibet, 13th century

Tibet, 16th century

Himalayan, 17th - 18th century

Nepal, Dated by inscription, 1822

Bhutan, possibly Punakha Dzong, Mid-19th century

Tibet, 20th century

Tibet, 19th century

Tibet, 17th century

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 17th century

White Chakrasamvara, From Situ’s set of Twenty-seven Tutelary Deities

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, late 18th century

Tsangnyon Heruka (1452-1507)

Tsang or Ngari Province, Tibet, 16th-17th century

Tibet, 15th or 16th century

Tibet, 17th century

Vairochana, from a Set of Initiation Cards (Tsakali)

Tibet, ca. 14th century

Vaishravana, King of the Northern Direction

Tibet, 15th century

Vaishravana Retinue Figure

Tibet, 16th century

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

Three-Bladed Ritual Peg (kila, purba)

Tibet, ca. 17th century

Three Mahasiddhas, Kamala, Suvarnadvipa, Viraya

Tibet, ca. 17th century

Three Tantric Goddesses

Nepal, 18th century

Tibetan Amethyst Prayer Beads

Tibet, 19th century

Tiger Riding Mahakala

Central Tibet, Early 19th century

Senge Dradok, one of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 18th century

Nepal, 15th century

Nepal, 18th century

Nepal, Dated by inscription 1796

Tibet, dated 1864

Six-armed Mahakala

Mongolia, 18th century

Six-Armed Mahakala

Tibet, 18th century

Six-Armed White Mahakala

Central Tibet, late 18th – early 19th century

Nepal, ca. 18th century

Skull cup with Base

Tibet, 18th - 20th century

Smashana Adipati, Lords of the Charnel Ground

Tibet, 15th century

Red-and-Black-Faced Yamari, "Blazing Razor of Extreme Repelling"

Tibet, ca. late 17th century

Red Avalokiteshvara

Tibet, 19th century

Red Avalokiteshvara, also known as Bunga Dya, and Macchendranath

Nepal, Dated by inscription 1842

Ritual Bone Apron

Tibet/Nepal, 18th - 19th century

Ritual Cabinet (Torgam)

Tibet, 19th century

Ritual dagger (kila, purba)

Tibet, 17th century

China, 1403-1424

Ritual Peg (purba)

Tibet, 17th century

Rock Crystal Prayer Beads

Tibet, Date unknown

Rudraksha Prayer Beads

Tibet, 19th century

Rudraksha Prayer Beads

Tibet, Date unknown

Inner Mongolia, 19th century

Sarvavid Vairochana

China (or Eastern Tibet), ca. 19th century

Sarvavid Vairochana Mandala

Tibet, 17th century

Tibet, 19th century

Protector Begtse Chen

Mongolia, late 18th - early 19th century

Queen of the World, Sipai Gyelmo

China, 20th century

Tibet, 15th century

Rahula and His Assembly

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Ratnasambhava, from a Set of Initiation Cards (Tsakali)

Tibet, ca. 14th century

Raven-headed Mahakala

Bhutan, early to mid-19th century

Nine-deity Hevajra Mandala

Central Tibet, 16th century

Nine-deity Mandala of Two-armed Hevajra

Tsang Provence, Central Tibet, 15th century

Nine Deity Offering

Mongolia, 19th century

Orgyen Dorje Chang, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Padma Karpo (1527-1592) and Scenes from His Life

Bhutan, 18th century

Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 15th century

Tibet, 18th century

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Tibet or Bhutan, 18th or 19th century

Tibet, 19th century

Padmasambhava and the Eight Great Mahasiddhas

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Padmasambhava (Following a set of the Great Adepts designed by Situ Panchen)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Padmasambhava with Consorts

Nepal, 15th - 16th century

Padmasambhava with Lineage Teachers

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Panjaranatha Mahakala

Tibet, 15th century

Panjaranatha Mahakala

Tibet, ca. 16th-17th century

Panjarnatha Mahakala

Central Tibet, early 18th century, ca. 1720

Panjarnatha Mahakala

Tibet, 18th century

Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo

Tibet, 18th century

Peking glass prayer beads

China, late 19th century

Pema Gyelpo, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Eastern Tibet, early 20th century

Nepal, 17th century

Tibet, 19th century

Manjushrikirti, King of Shambhala, From a set of previous incarnations of the Panchen Lamas

Du Jinsheng Silk Factory, Maojiabu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ca. 1922-1937

India, 12th century

Mold for Clay Image (tsatsa) of Vajrapani

Himalayan Region, ca. 19th century

King of Shambhala, (From a Pelpung set of The Kalkin Kings of Shambhala)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 18th century

Kurukulla, Goddess of Power

Tibet, 18th century

Loden Chokse, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Mahachakra Vajrapani

China, 15th century

Central Tibet, possibly Densatil Monastery, mid-14th to mid-15th century

Tibet, 17th century

Mahakala and Protector Deities

Central Tibet, early 19th century

Mahasiddha Avadhutipa

Tibet, 17th - 18th century

Mahasiddha Jalandhara

Tibet, ca. 16th century

Mahasiddha Virupa

Gongkar Chode Monastery, U Province, Central Tibet, ca. 1659-1671

Mandala of Akshobhya

Tibet, 16th century

Mandala of Amoghapasha

Northern Nepal or Tsang Province, Central Tibet, 15th century

Mandala of Chakrasamvara

Tibet, 14th-15th century

Mandala of Chandra

Nepal, ca.1500

Mandala of Guhyasamaja-Akshobhyavajra

Tibet, 14th century

Mandala of Heruka Krishna Yamari

Tsang Province, Central Tibet, 15th century

Mandala of Hevajra

Tsang Province, Central Tibet, 17th century

Mandala of Manjushri Dharmadhatu Vagishvara

Tibet, 16th century (ca. 1500)

Mandala of Medicine Buddha

Central Tibet, 19th century

Mandala of Red Yamari

Tibet, ca. 1415-1435

Mandala of Vajrayogini

Tibet, 19th century

Illuminated Manuscript Page Depicting Four Forms of Mahakala and Vaishravana

China, 17th century

Indrabhuti, from a set of the Eight Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)

Eastern Tibet, Kham Province, 19th century

Kalachakra Cosmology Illustration

Tibet, 16th century

Central Tibet, 16th century

Garnet Hand Rosary

Mongolia, Date unknown

Tibet, 15th century

Tibet, 17th century

Tibet, 13th century

Central Tibet, 14th century

Tibet, 19th century

Guhyasamaja Akshobhvajra with Consort

Tibet, 15th century

Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra

Central Tibet, early 17th century (ca. 1604)

Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra with Consort Sparshavajra

Tibet, 19th century

Guhyasamaja Manjuvajra

Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh, India, 11th century

Guhyasamaja with Consort

Tibet, 15th century

Guru Drakpo, a Wrathful Form of Padmasambhava

Tibet, 20th century

Hand-held Drum (Damaru)

Tibet, early 20th century

Hand-held Drum (Damaru)

Tibet or Mongolia, early 20th century

Mongolia, late 18th - early 19th century

Mongolia, 19th century

Tibet or Mongolia, 18th century

Heruka (Lama Gongdu cycle)

Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Tibet, 19th-20th century

Hevajra and Nairatmya

Eastern India, ca. 12th century

Hevajra with consort Nairatmya

Central Tibet, mid-15th-16th century

Hevajra with consort Nairatmya

Tibet or China, 19th century

Hevajra with Consort Nairatmya

Tibet or Nepal, 14th or 16th - 17th century

Five Personal Gods

Tibet, 18th Century

Flat Turquoise Prayer Beads

Tibet, 20th century

Buddha Vajradhara

Nepal, 14th century

Mongolia, 19th century

Chakrasamvara and the Footprints of Drigungpa Jikten Sumgon (1143–1217)

Tibet, prior to 1217

Chakrasamvara in Union with Consort Vajravarahi

Central Tibet, 14th century

Chakrasamvara with Consort Vajravarahi

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Coral Mask of Begtse

Mongolia, early 20th century

Coral Prayer Beads

Tibet, 19th century

Dancing Ganapati

Tibet, 17th century

Demon - Binding Charm Against Sickness

Dolpo region, western Nepal, ca. 1975

Dhartarastra, Guardian King of the East

China, 18th century

Dorje Drolo, One of Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Bhutan or Central Tibet, 18th century

Tibet, 20th century

Dralha Yesi Gyelpo

Tibet, 19th century

Eight Great Tantric Adepts (From a Pelpung Monastery eleven-painting set of The Eighty-four Great Tantric Adepts)

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Bhutan, 19th century

Attendant figure to Vaishravana

Tibet, 16th century

Avalokiteshvara Jinasagara

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet, 19th century

Avalokiteshvara Jinasagara

Tibet, 19th century

Tibet, 18th century

Nepal, 13th or 14th century

Black Cloak Mahakala

Tibet, 18th century

Black Hayagriva

Central Tibet, 15th century

Bodhisattva Vajrapani

Swat region, 7th century

Buddha Akshobhya

Tibet, 16th century

Buddha Akshobhya and the Eastern Assembly of the Sarvadurgatiparishodhana Mandala

Tibet, 14th century

Buddha Ratnasambhava

Central Tibet, 13th century

Buddha Ratnasambhava with Wealth Deities

Tibet, early to mid-14th century

Nepal, Dated by inscription, 1871

Achala, The Immovable One

Tibet, 14th century

Agni, God of Fire

China, first half of the 15th century

Amber Prayer Beads

Tibet, 19th century

Amber Prayer Beads

Tibet, 19th century

Amethyst Prayer Beads

Japan, 20th century

Amulet Box (Gau)

Tibet, 19th century

In Search of Supreme Bliss

Overcoming attachment through focus on mastering bliss

Buddhism Traditional Himalayan Art 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

War Magic: The Wizarding World of Tibetan Sorcery

Tantric ritual technologies involving mantras, charms, paintings, and sculptures enabled rulers to conquer enemies and harness power

Scholarly Perspectives Magazine

A Trick, a Shadow on a Wall: Magical Means to Power in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions

Magic and the games of power in Westeros, the Himalayas, and beyond

Scholarly Perspectives Pop Culture Buddhism Magazine

The Vision of the Prophet: Prophecy in Game of Thrones and Himalayan Religions

Greenseers, treasure revealers, and other interpreters of omens

Scholarly Perspectives Pop Culture Buddhism Magazine

The Origins of Yoga

Tracing the history of this tradition through art

Traditional Himalayan Art Buddhism Yoga Hinduism