By Robert Beer
Tibetan Buddhism is rich with figures that embody the teachings and history of this great tradition. This book pays homage to the bodhisattvas and buddhas, teachers, and deities within the Indo-Tibetan tradition, and the great range of practices, teachings, transmissions, and long retreats that many of these great masters undertook during the course of their lives. Engaging with the fifty illustrations here through coloring is an intimate and simple way to deepen one’s understanding of Buddhism and practice of mindfulness. The drawings—all meticulously painted by hand with a small sable brush—possess qualities that alternate between energizing and calming, and all relate to the state of being completely awakened. A concise description of every drawing introduces each figure and the important roles these great masters have fulfilled in the Buddhist tradition.
Robert Beer has studied and practiced Tibetan thangka painting for thirty years, including five years of study with master artists Jampa of Dharamsala and Khamtrül Rinpoche of Tashijong. Beer is one of the first Westerners to become actively involved in this art form. Over the last two decades he has concentrated on an extensive series of iconographical drawings depicting the major deities, lineage holders, and symbols that occur in the spectrum of Tibetan art.