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Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Art by Alfred Storks
Tibetan Buddhist art started in the subcontinent of India with the intent of using art to document the life of Gautama Buddha in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. As the Buddhist religion spread throughout the Asia and the rest of the world, the prominence of Tibetan Buddhist art spread along with it. The earliest Buddhist art generally followed the practice of aniconic Indian traditions. This is the use of Buddhist symbols and iconography without any actual representation of the human figure involved. However, it was about the first century CE when an iconic art period came about and represented the Buddha in human appearance; a practice that continues to this day. As Buddhism spread and evolved in each new country or region, Buddhist art followed those adherents to the faith and developed throughout Asia if different ways.
Tibetan Buddhist art is considered sacred and religious in nature, or was always thought of as religious in Asiatic cultures throughout the continent and in ancient Himalayan kingdoms such as Ladakh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
Before the middle of the twentieth century, Tibetan Buddhist art was created to be depicted as sacred in its subjects and traditions. The art of Tibet centers on the philosophical and spiritual key concepts, but as the art of Tibet developed, the vitality of the aesthetics of Tibetan art also come into prominence when it came to the growth of the different schools of Buddhism all over the various regions and countries it influenced. The symbology of Buddhism used in Tibetan Buddhist art can be considered a study in the impressions that have emerged over the influences in Buddhism over the centuries.
In the fourth century saw the emergence of the Mahayana Buddhist influence. This particular influence emphasized those who wished to forgo achieving Nirvana in order to help those others in need. The deity Chenrezig is commonly depicted as a thousand armed deity with a single eye in each hand in the Tibetan art of this Buddhist influence.
Another great influence in Tibetan Buddhist art is the Tantric influence, its main symbol being the diamond thunderbolt. Tantric influence art is most often depicted as having many gods with angry faces that actually represent guardians of those who are dedicated to the practice and teaching of Tantric Buddhism and the purging of negative thoughts.
The Bon influence as it is known in the Himalayas is a shamanistic religion that ads a host of local deities to Tibetan Buddhist art. These local deities are created as statues with the Buddha in Tibetan temples. The shamanistic gods have a history of being blamed for evil, but have since become defeated by Buddha and are forever in service to him.
Buddhist meditation covers a wide variety of techniques in meditation that promote mindfulness and concentration among other things. The core techniques have been preserved in ancient texts that have been reproduced throughout the centuries between teachers and students.
Tibetan Buddhist art also greatly influenced Hindu art, but in the tenth century, Buddhism was all but gone from the Indian subcontinent by the rise of popularity in Islam along with Hinduism.
John Stewart-Raji has been living in Nepal for more than 20 years, studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote several books about Buddhist Meditation and Tibetan Medicine.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/Buddhist-Symbols-in-Tibetan--Art/528442
How was Tibetan Meditation introduced to the United States?
I'm putting together a presentation on Tibetan Meditation and have no information on how it was first introduced to America. I have tidbits like: "there was a movement in the 1970's" or "such and such was the first Theravada monastery in the United States." What I need is a link to hard evidence of the origins of Tibetan Meditation practice in the United States.
Rather than attempting to write an explanation of the movement of Tibetan Buddhism into the West, I thought it best to give you a URL to an excellent article on the topic. Visit http://www.karmapa.org.nz/symposium/history/keithdowman.html . Initially it deals with the history involving the Chinese incursion into Tibet but toward the end the author addresses the issue of Tibetan Buddhism's migration to Western society. Hope this provides some of the information you're seeking.
May all be at peace.
John
