Renowned photographer Don Farber, one of the most important chroniclers of Buddhism today, brings the face and the spirit of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism alive with this remarkable book. Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters―a collection of superb color photographs presented with brief biographies and teachings from each master―is a vibrant work, a testament to the compassion and wisdom that lies at the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Farber felt compelled to record the last of the living Buddhist masters who received their training in Tibet and then fled the country following the invasion by China, as well as other masters who survived many years of imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution. He has worked with a sense of urgency to photograph and interview these extraordinary beings who have been the custodians of this endangered Buddhist tradition. His collection of portraits also includes some of the bright lights of Tibetan Buddhism, the younger masters who will carry the tradition into the future. As a photographic archive of Tibetan Buddhist masters, this book plays an important role in preserving Tibetan culture, in all its richness and complexity, through the words and faces of its esteemed masters.

Oliver Hoare's impressive collection of Tibetan portrait bronzes is presented together with an in-depth history of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The volume contains chapters in Tibetan art, religion, and culture describing the successive schools such as the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Kadam and Geluk. Color plates of the portrait bronzes of the leaders of the schools are incorporated, accompanied by the stories associated with each leader.

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, Oct. 7, 2011-Feb. 27, 2012.

Pema Chödrön, Joan Halifax, and ten other female Tibetan Buddhist teachers share inspiring personal stories, revealing how we can embody Buddhist wisdom and overcome everyday challenges What drives a young London librarian to board a ship to India, meditate in a remote cave by herself for twelve years, and then build a flourishing nunnery in the Himalayas? How does a surfer girl from Malibu become the head of the main international organization for Buddhist women? Why does the daughter of a music executive in Santa Monica dream so vividly of peacocks one night that she chases these images to Nepal, where she finds the love of her life in an unconventional young Tibetan master? The women featured in Dakini Power—contemporary teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, both Asians and Westerners, who teach in the West—have been universally recognized as accomplished practitioners and brilliant teachers whose life stories demonstrate their immense determination and bravery. Meeting them in this book, readers will be inspired to let go of old fears, explore new paths, and lead the lives they envision. Featured here are: Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche (This Precious Life) Dagmola Sakya (Princess in the Land of Snows) Jetsun Tenzin Palmo/Diane Perry (Into the Heart of Life) Pema Chödrön/Deirdre Blomfield-Brown (When Things Fall Apart; Start Where You Are) Khandro Tsering Chödron (late aunt of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying) Thubten Chodron/Cherry Greene (Buddhism for Beginners; Taming the Mind) Karma Lekshe Tsomo/Patricia Zenn (Buddhism Through American Women ’s Eyes) Chagdud Khadro/Jane Dedman (P ’howa Commentary; Life in Relation to Death) Sangye Khandro/Nanci Gay Gustafson (Meditation, Transformation, and Dream Yoga) Roshi Joan Halifax (Being with Dying) Lama Tsultrim Allione/Joan Rousmanière Ewing (Women of Wisdom; Feeding Your Demons) Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel (The Power of an Open Question)

Photographer Don Farber has followed His Holiness the Dalai Lama for 30 years. This documentary and inspirational work celebrates the life and work of a leader unique in the modern world. Farber's photographs capture the charismatic spiritual figure, highlighting the reverence shown to him wherever he goes. Of equal interest are the quieter moments that reveal the private individual and his compelling humanity. Through following in the footsteps of His Holiness we learn more about his character, and about the central tenets of Tibetan Buddhism. Text in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese SELLING POINTS A visual biography of one of the world's major spiritual leaders Of interest both to Buddhist scholars and all those drawn to a message of peace and compassion ILLUSTRATIONS 73 colour & bw photographs

Farber's photographs open a view of the beauty and diversity of Buddhist life around the world. His eye for composition, his attention to color and detail, and his intimate knowledge of Buddhism come together to produce a study in the human face, in the art of spiritual devotion, in the evocative power of landscape. The photographs, together with Farber's extensive captions, take us to the temples, monasteries, and colorful streets of Los Angeles, Kyoto, and Bangkok, and travel onward to China, India, Nepal, South Korea, and Taiwan. These images capture some of the last Tibetan masters to have received their training before the Chinese invasion. They also picture some of the great teachers of our day--the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Kalu Rinpoche. They depict Buddhists alone and in crowds, in cities rich and poor, in meditation and in conversation. --From publisher description.

This spectacular book invites the reader on a journey to a faraway exotic land and into an inner realm of spirituality. Photographers Olivier and Danielle Föllmi and Matthieu Ricard have dedicated more than twenty-five years to capturing the essence of Buddhism and the Himalayan spirit, focusing on the beauty of the majestic Tibetan countryside, the Tibetan people—spiritual masters and humble shepherds alike—and their sacred places. This harmonious visual mosaic of the unrivaled richness of this mountaintop civilization is enhanced by texts by eminent specialists on Tibetan culture as well as reflections from political and spiritual leaders of the Himalayan world. Offering a perspective from both within and outside Tibetan society, each of the twenty-one authors—from the noted photographer Galen Rowell to the Dalai Lama himself—provides a window onto the Buddhist Himalayas and the people who inhabit this magical land.

What if you set out to travel the world and got sidetracked in a Himalayan sewing workshop? What if that sidetrack turned out to be your life’s path—your way home? Part art book, part memoir, part spiritual travelogue, Threads of Awakening is a delightful and inspiring blend of adventure and introspection. Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo shares her experience as a California woman traveling to the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India to manage an economic development fund, only to wind up sewing pictures of Buddha instead. Through her remarkable journey, she discovered that a path is made by walking it—and that some of the best paths are made by walking off course. For more than 500 years, Tibetans have been creating sacred images from pieces of silk. Much rarer than paintings and sculptures, these stitched fabric thangkas are among Tibet's finest artworks. Leslie studied this little-known textile art with two of its brightest living masters and let herself discover where curiosity and devotion can lead. In this book, she reveals the unique stitches of an ancient needlework tradition, introduces the Buddhist deities it depicts, and shares insights into the compassion, interdependence, and possibility they embody. Includes 49 full-color photos and a foreword by the Dalai Lama.

-A catalog to accompany the first museum exhibition devoted to the Indian influences in Francesco Clemente's work and relation to the artistic practices and traditions of various regions in India. Features approximately 20 works, including paintings from the last 30 years and four new sculptures created especially for the exhibition. In contrast to leading conceptual art practices of the 1970s, Clemente refocused attention on representation, narrative, and the figure, and explored traditional, artisanal materials, and modes of working. Since his first trip to India in the 1970s, Francesco Clemente immersed himself in the country's rich cultures as well as the everyday life and artistic practices of local people. Transforming ancient symbols, myths, and ideas, he has created a personal visual language of dreamlike landscapes, animals, and human figures drawn from recollections of his travels. Themes of sexuality, mythology, and spirituality, along with imaginary narratives of violence, intrigue, fragmentation, love, separation, and jealousy are seen throughout his oeuvre.---