News

Sculptural images of Milarepa depicted in mountain settings have been added. The examples exhibited are from Mongolia, China and Tibet.

The Milarepa Main Page has been updated with additional images and information.

A third example of a Bon Refuge Field painting retains a small image of Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen at the center but is asymmetrical compared with the the two main types of Bon Refuge Fields. This example was designed by Lobpon Tenzin Namdak and painted by the artist Lablo Namkha in 1968.

Another type of Bon Refuge Field (Field of Accumulation) places the teacher Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen at the center of the composition. All scroll paintings and murals of Bon Refuge Fields so far identified are creations of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The circular Refuge Field (Field of Accumulation) compositions of the Bon religion that use the deity Shenlha Okar as the central figure are believed to have been designed by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859-1933) in the early 20th century based on a dream or vision. 

Yantra of People are generally used for various types of protection. The most common yantra is that of Jatson Nyingpo (1585-1656) a famous 'treasure revealer' of the Nyingma Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He studied both Nyingma and Sarma traditions and was a prolific writer with over 300 texts to his name.

Yantra have a very wide range of purposes such as healing, matchmaking, acquisition of wealth, protection and the disposal of enemies and obstacles. Yantras of just a few letters and combinations of letters and words are the most difficult type of yantra when attempting to determine the intended meaning. There are Sanskrit and Tibetan language published collections of yantra which explain how to draw them and their intended use, astrologically auspicious day for creation, and so on.

Yantra diagrams are very often in circular shapes, sometimes with a blank space at the center for writing in a personal note or instruction. They can be very simple in design or extremely complex with multiple circles and designs.

All of the most popular Tantric deities have instructions for creating a yantra diagram, deity yantra. Some of those deities are depicted with the diagram at the center of the body, or extending downwards with the inscriptions in a kila shape.

A gallery of block print images and yantras of the Bon religion has been added. They look almost indistinguishable from the Buddhist yantra. The differences are found in the inscriptions.

A gallery containing Sculpture Annotations has been added to the site. The gallery conveniently displays most of the annotated versions of sculpture and three dimensional objects that have been created for the HAR site but previously had not been collected together into a central location.

A gallery containing Painting Annotations has been added to the site. The gallery conveniently displays most of the annotated versions of paintings and flat art that have been created for the HAR site but previously had not been collected together into a central location.

Secret codes, symbols, cyphers and alphabets have probably been used by all cultures since the beginning of the written language. Tantric Buddhist have many secret and sacred alphabets and scripts. With this example, each letter on its own is considered powerful and efficacious. The letters combined together are considered even more powerful.

Yantra of various types are found throughout Tantric literature and the supplementary practices. The Scorpion Yantra is generally associated with the practices of Guru Dragpo, a wrathful form of Padmasambhava, who holds the creature in the outstretched left hand. Each of the examples in this gallery have mantra inscriptions identifying the yantra with Guru Dragpo. A number of other fierce Nyingma deities have the scorpion as a servant or messenger figure. A very good example is Black Hayagriva.

Drawings or blockprints of Tantric Effigies known as 'linga' are part of the Vajrayana Buddhist arsenal of weapons against obstacles, enemies, demons and spirits. There is an almost endless variety of configurations and creative designs. The drawings, originating in an Indian cultural context, generally belong under the broader classification of Yantra.

A new glossary listing Buddhist Titles and Honorifics has been added to the Main Glossary Page. It also is a work in progress. For specific retreat terminology see the Meditation & Retreat Terms Glossary.

A new glossary listing the special Monastic Titles and Terms has been added to the Main Glossary Page. It is a work in progress and longer definitions and links where possible still need to be added for each entry.

Each deity figure in this gallery has a written inscription on the front or back of the base.

Inscription Subjects:

- Name of the Figure

- Four Line Praise

- Mantra

- Dedication (Mother, Father, Teacher, etc.)

- Name of the Donor

- Name of the Artist

- Other....

(The images in the gallery are only a small selection of sculpture with inscriptions).

Each of the sculpture pieces in this gallery has a written inscription on the front or back of the base. Sometimes the inscriptions are lengthy and can circle the entire base even creating several lines of text.

Inscription Subjects:

- Name of the Figure

- Four Line Praise

- Mantra

- Dedication (Mother, Father, Teacher, etc.)

- Name of the Donor

- Name of the Artist

- Other....

(The images in the gallery are only a small selection of sculpture with inscriptions).

Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan Illuminated Manuscript Pages have been added to the LACMA Main Page.