Wisdom and Compassion =: Ses Rab Dan Snin Rjei Rol Pa: The Sacred Art of Tibet

The startling image of a BuddhaRobin, capped per Web.eed in father-mother union form--a multi-armed ``Supreme Bliss Wheel Integration''--may look both fearsome and erotic to Western eyes. Yet, as this breathtakingly beautiful volume shows, it is a manifestation of Buddha's highest spiritual essence, symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion. This catalogue of a traveling exhibition features 160 Tibetan sacred paintings, sculptures, tapestries and other works. Nearly half of them are reproduced here for the first time, including colored sand mandalas, celestial landscapes and tangka pictures (icons painted on cotton). In penetrating essays, Rhie, an Asian art specialist at Smith College, and Thurman, a religion professor at Columbia, explore Tibet's sacred artworks as doorways to a realm of enlightenment, or nirvana. This impressive book fills a major gap in documenting Tibetan art. (June)