While sacred art in the Western tradition is known through religious iconography, particularly in Christian traditions, the contemporary presentation of Buddhist art has been more about celebrating the artist's freedom of spirit and reflecting the living experience of truth, as we have it in Japanese brushstroke practice. In the following, however, I would like to celebrate the sacredness of the Indo-Tibetan tradition, which is more in line with prescribed conventions of artisanship. And while this approach to art might appear more restrained, in terms of its objective, it does not stand in opposition to the free form of spontaneous wakeful expression.

 

Traditional Buddhist iconography reflects the principles of the awakened experience of awakened masters, who would create designs that embodied their vision and pass these on to capable craftsmen. We see this across the Buddhist traditions of Asia, as in the remarkable caves, paintings, and sculpted temples of Ellora and Ajanta in India, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia, the magnificent stupas, temples and monasteries of Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Burma, Tibet, Nepal, and Japan. These all reflect the creativity and beauty of awakening, bound perhaps to formulae, yet coming from living tradition and authentic lineage. So much of this art has blessing, offering the beholder access to a greater dimension of the here and now.

 

When encountering Tibetan Buddhism, I was taken by the beauty of Tibetan scroll paintings known as thangkas, and later the painted murals (known as deb-ri). These constitute a living tradition of sacred iconography reflecting pure perception, inspiring reverence to the lineage that has brought about enlightenment, and to the embodiments of enlightenment – deities, bodhisattvas, dakinis, protectors, as well as a wealth of sacred and auspicious symbols that reflect the awake experience. Such sacred art invites a greater vision of reality and inspires yogis, monastics, and laypeople on the path. When I first encountered thangkas, the images, design, colours, and overall format deeply touched me. At a time when Buddhism was new to me and so much of it was difficult to understand, including the meaning of the sacred iconography, the beauty of the thangkas spoke to me, beyond my rational mind, and inspired faith in the purity of our existence, purity of nature and conscious experience, and planted in me a deep respect for the culture and profound values and spirit that had created such art.