In this episode, Dawnette Samuels describes a beautiful sculpture of Vajrasattva, a primordial buddha. Then the Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi shares the Hundred Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva to help us be more present and fearless.
Vajrasattva; Nepal; 14th century; Gilt copper alloy of multiple parts with traces of pigments; 17 1/8 × 14 × 10 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.10
Third Pawo Rinpoche, Tsuklak Gyatso (1568-1630) with his Handprints and Footprints; Tibet; early to mid-17th century; Pigments on cloth; 25 × 18 3/8 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.29
Mandala of Hevajra; Tsang Province, Central Tibet; 17th century; Pigments on cloth; 25 7/8 x 22 3/4 x 1 3/4 in. (65.7 x 57.8 x 4.4 cm); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1996.1.8
Arhat Rahula; China; 1736–1795; Pigments on cloth; 54 × 33 1/2 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2004.9.1
Five-prong Bell & Dorje Set; Probably Urga or Dolonor, Mongolia; ca. late 19th century; Silver, metal (Li, five-metal compound); 7 1/8 × 3 in. (Bell)4 × 1 1/8 × 1 1/8 in. (Vajra); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Phillip J. Rudko; C2014.7.4a-b
Shiva and Parvati; Nepal; 13th century; Metal; 6 5/8 × 5 1/4 × 4 1/2 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.12
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi is an innovative thinker, philosopher, educator, and polymath monk. He is president and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a center dedicated to inquiry, dialogue, and education on the ethical and humane dimensions of life. The Center is a collaborative and nonpartisan think tank, and its programs emphasize responsibility and examine meaningfulness and moral purpose between individuals, organizations, and societies. Six Nobel Peace Laureates serve as the Center’s founding members, and its programs run in several countries and are expanding. Venerable Tenzin entered a Buddhist monastery at the age of ten and received his graduate education at Harvard University with degrees ranging from philosophy to physics to international relations. He is a Tribeca Disruptive Fellow and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi’s memoir, Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life, was recently released and tells the beautiful story of a singular life compelled to contemplation, sharing lessons about the power of mentorship and an open mind.
Dawnette Samuels was formerly the manager of Visitor Experience and Interpretation at the Rubin Museum.
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