The Many Faces of Buddha Vairocana

The rise of Buddha Vairocana is intimately connected with the emergence of esoteric Buddhism. Depending on the textual source referring to him, Vairocana is a higher manifestation of Buddha Śākyamuni, the Buddha of our world and time; the personification of omniscience; the cosmic manifestation of buddhahood in general; or a primordial Buddha. This article summarizes these different aspects of Vairocana, and demonstrates the importance and continuous reinterpretation of this Buddha in early esoteric Buddhism of India and Tibet.

The article is the introductory contribution to an exhibition catalogue focusing on a set of 54 album leaves illustrating meditation practice of Sarvavid Vairocana, acquired by missionary Father R. Verbois in 1923 in Wangzi miao and now housed in the ethnographic collection of the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in Antwerp, Belgium. The related exhibition “The All-Knowing Buddha: A Secret Guide” was shown at the Rubin Museum of Art.

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Inspired by the Past: the Art of Chöying Dorjé and Western Himalayan Sculpture

This contribution examines the art of the Tenth Karmapa Chöying Dorjé (1604–1674) and its relationship to western Himalayan sculpture. It forms part of the proceedings of a workshop held at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, edited by Karl Debreczeny and Gray Tuttle.

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Mirror of the Buddha – Early Portraits from Tibet

This article was written to accompany the exhibition “Mirror of the Buddha: Early Portraits from Tibet,” curated by David Jackson for the Rubin Museum of Art, on view 21 October 2011 to 5 March 2012. It focuses on the adoption of iconographic signifiers of enlightenment in early portraits of some Kagyü schools.

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Locating Great Perfection: the Murals of the Lhasa Lukhang

An article summarizing what is known about the iconographic programme of the Lukhang temple north of the Potala palace in Lhasa. The main focus is on the third floor murals, with their rare depiction of yogic exercises based on a group of termas discovered by Pema Lingpa (Padma gling pa; 1450–1521). The close relationship of this scholar to the family of the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (Tshangs dbyangs rgya mtsho; 1683–1706), indicates a date for these murals around 1700. Besides offering a reading of the third floor, the article also attempts an overall reading of the temple.

This article was written in connection with the display of life-size facsimiles of Lukhang murals in the Masterworks exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art.

• “Locating Great Perfection: the Murals of the Lhasa Lukhang.” Orientations 42, no. 2 (2011): 102–11.

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Infinite Variety. Form and Appearance in Tibetan Buddhist Art

This introductory text explores the basic concepts on which Tibetan Buddhist art is based, in their historical relationship. It begins with the three bodies of the Buddha and multiple Buddha representations, and ends with the Tibetan contribution to earlier Indian Buddhist concepts as reflected in the arts. Finally it considers whether the variety found within Tibetan Buddhist art is indeed infinite.

• “Infinite Variety. Form and Appearance in Tibetan Buddhist Art.” Lotus Leaves 7, no. 2 (2005): 1–9 (Part I) and Lotus Leaves 8, no. 1 (2005): 7–14 (Part II). English variant of “Unendliche Vielfalt. Gestalt und Erscheinungsform im Buddhismus.” In Die Welt des Tibetischen Buddhismus, edited by Wulf Köpke and Bernd Schmelz. Hamburg: Museum für Völkerkunde, 2005: 43–77.

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