Martin Brauen; Rubin Museum of Art

Buddhists view the mandala as an allegory and symbol of the totality of man and of the cosmos, and practitioners use it in meditation that is to lead to enlightenment. Numerous illustrations of mandalas, drawings, and figures describe it structurally and elucidate this complex form of Tantric practice in understandable terms.” “This book by Martin Brauen is the updated and extensively expanded edition of his 1992 publication, which has long been out of print and is regarded as one of the most comprehensive works on the mandala. The present publication contains texts, illustrations, and tables that provide manifold approaches to and interpretations of this sacred symbol.

Brauen, Martin. Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. New York: Rubin Museum of Art; Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2009.

Martin Brauen, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist, curator, and author. From 2008 to 2011 he was chief curator at the Rubin Museum. Since his retirement he has independently curated several exhibitions, including Bill Viola: Passions at the Cathedral of Bern and The Cosmos at the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, and published A Sameness Between Us: The Friendship of Charmion von Wiegand and Piet Mondrian in Letters and Memoirs.

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