Acclaimed as the most important book ever published on Tibetan painting and sculpture, Wisdom and Compassion illustrates, explains, and celebrates 241 of the finest examples of Tibetan sacred art of the 9th to 12th centuries. Renowned experts Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman offer insights into the religious meaning and use of tangkas, Buddhist iconography, and the aesthetics of tangka paintings, sculptures, and mandalas.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, Informative and Excellent Price,
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This review is from: Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet (Expanded Edition) (Hardcover)
I wish I had seen the exhibition of which this beautiful book is the catalogue. It must have been breathtaking. This is more than a catalogue, it is a reference book, beginning with an overview and four informative introductory essays. The Catalogue itself is divided into twelve specific areas/types of Tibetan Sacred Art. These cover not only the different representations of the Shakyamuni Buddha, Arhats, Boddhisattvas and others, but also the four Tibetan Buddhist Orders. The Illustations are very clear and many detailed illusrtrations and graphs help to explain the Thangaks and Mandalas. The text is very informative, and the book is also printed and bound well.... A truly wonderful gift.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb visuals and explanations of Tibetan art,
This review is from: Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet (Revised and Expanded) (Hardcover)
This is one book you can judge by it's cover. It is fabulous. The photos of Tibetan paintings and statuary are simply beautiful. In some cases, such as a Tibetan thangka painting of Shakyamuni buddha's life, the whole painting is shown first, then close-up shots of other parts of the painting are shown for a more detailed view. Scenes from the painting are then explained. Anyone who has tried to decipher the meaning in a thangka, knows that without the help of experts, it is nearly impossible to capture the true story. Marylin Rhie and Robert Thurman help unlock the mysteries in a book with stunning photography, history and artful explanations. If you are interested in Tibetan iconography, a collector, buddhist or an art student--BUY IT, you'll love it!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wisdom and Compassion,
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This review is from: Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet (Expanded Edition) (Hardcover)
Tibet's sacred art is a large, ancient and complex subject. Here, it is made invitingly comprehensible even to those unfamiliar with Buddhist thought and culture. With matchless insight and clarity, Wisdom and Compassion brings an understanding of Tibet's uniquely developed culture within our grasp. It is a book that astonishes, informs, and inspires.
See also Rhie's important study: Early Buddhist Art of China and Central Asia, Volume 1: Later Han, Three Kingdoms and Western Chin in China and Bactria to Shan-Shan in Central Asia (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4 China) and Early Buddhist Art of China and Central Asia: Part 4, Vol. 12 (2 Vol. Set, Text and Plates) (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)
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