In this fascinating study, Dagyab Rinpoche not only explains the nine best-known groups of Tibetan Buddhist symbols but also shows how they serve as bridges between our inner and outer worlds. As such, they can be used to point the way to ultimate reality and to transmit a reservoir of deep knowledge formed over thousands of years.

Based on the author's previous publication The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, this handbook contains an array of symbols and motifs, accompanied by succinct explanations. It provides treatment of the essential Tibetan religious figures, themes and motifs, both secular and religious.

For artists, designers, and all with an interest in Buddhist and Tibetan art, this is the first exhaustive reference to the seemingly infinite variety of symbols found throughout Tibetan art in line drawings, paintings, and ritual objects. Hundreds of the author's line drawings depict all the major Tibetan symbols and motifs—landscapes, deities, animals, plants, gurus, mudras (ritual hand gestures), dragons, and other mythic creatures—ranging from complex mythological scenes to small, simple ornaments.

The thangka is a way for Tibetan Buddhist monks to bring the life and teachings of the Buddha to the people through the visual medium of paint. These paintings were rolled up and taken on journeys, used as traveling altars, or hung when certain deitieswere honored. Meulenbeld takes us through 37 thangkas that present a pictorial journey of the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama, and the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. 37 color plates. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

These 145 illustrated Tibetan Buddhist symbols, and the instructions for incorporating them into everyday life, will please the eye, mind, and soul. Gaze upon Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who exist for the benefit of all living beings. Also: mudras (sacred gestures), good luck symbols, ritual structures, and more.

The rich artistic heritage of Tibet reveals the depths of meditations of great masters, translated into the majestic abundance of iconic symbols that take the form of three-dimensional images or two-dimensional thankas. Tibetan Art is a comprehensive introduction to the complex iconography of thankas. It provides a glimpse of the mindground of this art and the land where it flourished. Although Tibetan Art portrays the historic Buddha Sakyamuni, the arhats, spiritual masters, great lamas, and founders of different religious lineages, the preponderance of its images depict supramundane beings. Predominantly these are: the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, female deities, protectors or tutelary gods (yi-dams), defenders of the faith, guardians of the four cardinal points, minor deities and supernatural beings.

Sacred art presented as coloring templates for contemplation and creativity—stunning and detailed artwork from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Drawing on his brush paintings in The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs and other works, Robert Beer has selected 50 images meant to be used as templates for coloring. The book features figures spanning centuries of the tradition, including spiritual adventurers, rebellious saints, and enlightened Tantric masters. The detailed artwork is elegant and meaningful—drawing on Buddhist teachings to give each piece greater depth.