Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment

An innovative and compelling presentation of world-class Tibetan Buddhist art, elucidating its esoteric themes through visual storytelling

Encouraging personal engagement with Tibetan Buddhism, this dynamic book presents spectacular Himalayan art and explores the philosophical tenets encoded in its imagery. Taking as its theme the universally accessible experience of Awakening, the book’s main text leads readers along an immersive journey of self-discovery, aided by a virtual guide, or lama, and traditional art meant to support meditative practice. Complementary essays examine Tibetan Buddhism’s ritual tools, paintings, symbolic imagery, and artistic traditions. Beautiful color images of all artworks, including three by contemporary Nepalese-American artist Tsherin Sherpa, and selected important details enhance our understanding of their complex iconography.

Distributed for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Exhibition Schedule:

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
(04/27/19–08/18/19)

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
(01/17/20–04/19/20)

John Henry Rice is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Jeffrey Durham is associate curator of Himalayan art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.