Bodhisattvas: Awakening Beings in Himalayan Paintings

Bodhisattvas: Awakening Beings in Himalayan Paintings

Himalayan gallery (Gallery 12)
Nov. 17, 2015 – Aug. 7, 2016

Bodhisattvas are Buddhist practitioners who have vowed to postpone enlightenment (nirvana) until they have saved all other beings from the suffering of cyclic existence (samsara). This exhibition explores the many forms that bodhisattvas take in Himalayan art, as well as the different roles they play in the process of realizing enlightenment. From compassionate Avalokiteshvara to fierce Vajrapani, discover how these many-formed beings help Buddhist practitioners overcome obstacles and achieve enlightenment.