The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs [Hardcover]

Robert Beer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tibetan Buddhism has one of the most complex iconographies of any religion. Robert Beer, the artist who brought to life the saints of Tibetan Buddhism in Buddhist Masters of Enchantment, has now brought the myriad symbols of Tibetan Buddhist art to life. Not exactly arranged like an encyclopedia, this book is more like a tour of the categories of Tibetan Buddhist symbols, beginning with Landscape Elements (rocks, clouds, rainbows, etc.); moving on to such areas as Flowers and Trees, Cosmology, and Mudras (hand gestures); and ending with Geometric Borders. Exquisitely detailed line drawings (using fine-pointed traditional brushes) are grouped on full-size plates, each of which the author tells us took between 50 and 200 hours to draw. The eight years that went into this book are revealed not only in the drawings but also in the text that is equally detailed in its descriptions of the religious significance of the symbols as well as their sources and development in Tibetan art. Beer's encyclopedic knowledge has not come from book learning, but from 30 years of doing Tibetan art and learning firsthand from Tibetan masters. After glimpsing just of few of these plates, you'll be calling Beer a master too. --Brian Bruya

From Library Journal

Through 12 thematically organized chapters of text (accompanied by black-and-white line drawings), BeerAa British artist who's studied Tibetan thangka painting for 30 yearsAsets out to "cover the whole spectrum of Tibetan Buddhist symbols and attributes." Given the dearth of English-language works on the topic, libraries serving sophisticated interests in Tibetan Buddhism or Eastern art may want to add this work to their circulating collections. Its value as a reference title, however, is severely limited on several counts. First, Beer lacks credentials both in terms of traditional Western scholarship and Buddhist lineage of transmission. Additionally, the book contains no index or glossary; cross references are scarce; and terms unique to Tibetan Buddhism (like "concealed treasure" traditions) are not defined in the text.AJames R. Kuhlman, Univ. of North Carolina Lib., Asheville
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (October 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157062416X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570624162
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 1.3 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars who else can draw like this?, April 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have praised the usefulness of this beautiful book for those interested in Tibetan Religious Art and Vajrayana Buddhism. No doubt the efforts of this author to make this most complex of traditions more accessible and intelligible deserves our gratitude. However I would like to particularly point to the artistic quality of the plates. Today in the time of computer graphics and push-button reproduction of images, it is hard to find anyone under the age of 70 who has taken the care to acquire artistic skill and apply it as Robert Beer has done. The plates in this book are all originally composed, not just copied. They are accomplished by drawing with the finest imaginable brush and ink (no computerized improvements here). In other words, we are talking a labor of love which is also a masterpiece. Each plate yields new detail and delight on each viewing. I write this to tempt those who are not devotees of Eastern religion but are lovers of fine art to invest. It will yield hours of pleasure in the seeeing for the rest of your life.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Coverage of Tibetan Ritual Symbols, March 30, 2000

By 

Theodor Schupbach (Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs (Hardcover)

I would like to recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in practising Vajrayana Buddhism, as it accurately decribes and illustrates every ritual item. Appropriate guidance is given throughout the book in terms of usage, purpose and source of origin for each motif. A treasure to be kept before it vanishes from this world.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, January 10, 2000

By 

Clare Dygert (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs (Hardcover)

Robert Beer's book is a feast, a master work. I will turn to it time and time again. No practicing Tibetan Buddhist should be without this in her library. Thank you so much, Mr. Beer for what you have given us. As I was reading your book, I was looking at my thankgas more closely than I ever have before, understanding them in ways I never could before.