Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

If you are looking for beautiful, black and white line drawings of Tibetan (and Chinese) art then this book is for you. The book has 169 plates (some plates have over 40 pieces/objects) accompanied by a detailed explanation of its origins, meanings, and uses. The plates/objects are crisp and clear, which make is easy to...umm..."study" (all text and illustrations are protected by copyright law, of course.)

Included in this book are:
Landscape elements
Flowers and trees
Animals (with the beautifully intense snow-lion)
Narrative subjects (Four Friends)
Cosmology (with a beautiful full-page astrological diagram)
Mudras (postures of hands and feet)
The Chakravartin and his Seven Precious Possessions
Auspicious symbols (endless knots, golden fishes, et. al.)
Various peaceful offerings (covers 55 different Gzi stones)
The Wheel of Sharp Weapons
Wrathful offering, tormas, and Ritual Fire Hearths
Geometric borders, patterns, designs, and motifs (more plates than any other chapter!)

Robert Beer does a phenomenal job of researching, collecting, and illustrating Tibetan sacred art. The book is printed on the highest quality paper giving you the best images possible.

If you are simply studying or researching Tibetan art, or as I am, designing a Tibetan tattoo, this book is for you. It is easy to use, fully explained, and a great all-around reference. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book is not only an incredible collection of art, it is also wonderfully explanitory. R. Beer tells the mythos and history behind each set of images in a logical and easy to read format. I only wish that it was in full color (rather than just black and white); however, the author gives full details of how each image is traditionally coloured.

I -highly- recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Tibetan culture.

I love this book. Having found it a few years back at a tattoo shop in Santa Cruz, California, I was only able to look at it for a short time but I was able to gain so much knowledge as to the wealth of designs and deep meaning found in Tibetan art. This book stayed in my mind thereafter. Here it is a few years and a couple tattoos later and the book resurfaced on Amazon. Great price, great condition and prompt service. This book is great for one who has interest in Tibetan art and it's symbolic nature. The concepts are well articulated and with each 'type' placed into a different chapter it makes refrencing quite simple. If you are interested, get this book!

this book is very educational. the descriptions are very detailed and tend to be lengthy (which I find to be very informative) but I must say the pictures aren't all that good and it is sometimes difficult to find exactly what you are looking for quickly. Still this is a very good book, great source of information, and I do and will continue to recommend it!

Indespensible resource for all people interested in Tibetan culture. Hats off to Robert Beer for presenting this detailed excursion into the symbols and motifs of Tibet. Everything in this book is priceless from an information point of view.There is not another book in this area that is as detailed as this one is. I cannot thank Robert Beer enough, this is truly a modern 'terma' (hidden treasure).

This is an utterly amazing and accessible work, showing in great detail the iconic imagery that are the building blocks of Tibetan Buddhist art. Alongside the images are very clear and insightful descriptions of the meanings of these profound depth symbols. I found this book over 7 years ago, and continue to read through it,engrossed in absorbing the images and text.
Some of the imagery spoke to me quiet directly, and has supported my own artwork on many levels. It has also supported my growth as a spirtualist, quite profoundly.

I am always surprised to (occasionally) encounter what can seem to be a sort of condescending attitude towards this authors qualifications....for myself, I assess based on my own internal responses to the works. There are many many who choose to simply share their internal cognitions quietly, through their art and lives. These illustrations speak to realized states. In other words, you can taste for yourself some of what is being referenced throughout.

This is an exciting, inspiring, rich, and interesting book, full of food for thought, magical concepts and intriguing possibilities. With this book as my guide, I have created some of my most provocative artwork that in turn carries the energy of my own realizations. This is the beauty of accessing and using symbols and archetypes. If you are drawn to this work at all, as an artist, a spiritualist, or a 'student', do treat yourself and acquire it. You will be delighted!

The trend among western scholars and dealers in Tibetan art has been to approach the subject from the conventions of art history and criticism - where the provenance, identification, dating, style and cultural influences are discussed, along with an often unnecessary verbal description of the painting - but very little is written about its iconography, symbolism or real meaning within a purely Buddhist context. Often these thangkas are incorrectly identified, and where the deity's often highly specific attributes are listed many errors and omissions may occur. Deity identification is essentially of little value without an understanding of the qualities of the deity, and these qualities have everything to do with the Buddhist teachings, yet little to do with art history. Naming the names' is perhaps akin to trainspotting, or to knowing the names of everyone in a crowded room and something of their dress sense or style - but unless one goes beyond the superficial and gets to know these people in their full and unique individuality, they will always remain strangers.