Awaken

Encouraging personal engagement with Tibetan Buddhism, this dynamic book presents spectacular Himalayan art and explores the philosophical tenets encoded in its imagery. Taking as its theme the universally accessible experience of Awakening, the book's main text leads readers along an immersive journey of self-discovery, aided by a virtual guide, or lama, and traditional art meant to support meditative practice. Complementary essays examine Tibetan Buddhism's ritual tools, paintings, symbolic imagery, and artistic traditions. Beautiful color images of all artworks, including three by contemporary Nepalese-American artist Tsherin Sherpa, and selected important details enhance our understanding of their complex iconography.
"This catalogue accompanies the exhibition Awaken: a Tibetan Buddhist journey toward enlightenment presented at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, April 27 - August 18, 2019, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, January 17 - April 19, 2020"--Title page verso.
"[An] essential catalog"--Karla Klein Albertson, Antiques & the Arts Weekly