The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism
Contents: Introduction. 1. Origin of Buddhism and its development into Lamaism. 2. Ritual objects. 3. Talismans: amulets, horoscopes, special weapons, charms, luck flags. 4. Symbols. 5. Mudras. 6. Asanas and Vahanas. 7. Paintings: Thang-kas, Mandalas, Tshog-shing, Bhavacakramudras. 8. Trikaya system and chart. 9. Classification of sacred images. 10. Key to identification of sacred images. 11. Identification examples. 12. Adibuddha. 13. Dhyanibuddhas. 14. Manusibuddhas. 15. Buddhas. 16. Forms of Sakyamuni. 17. Medicine Buddhas. 18. Thirty-five Buddhas of confession. 19. Dhyanibodhisattvas. 20. Forms of Vajrapani. 21. Forms of Avalokitesvara. 22. Forms of Manjusri. 23. Feminine divinities: Bodhisattvas, Taras, Dhyanibuddhasaktis, Pancaraksa. 24. Dakinis. 25. Yi-dam. 26. Dharmapala. 27. Minor Gods: Lokapala, Mahapancaraja. 28. Mahasiddhas. 29. Nonhuman types: citipati, nagas, garudas, demons, witches, furies, Goddesses of the Bardo. 30. Greater Mandala of the Chonyid Bardo. 31. Local Gods: Wealth Gods, Earth Gods, House Gods, Personal Gods, Mountain Gods, Kinnaras, Apsaras and Yaksas. 32. Historical persons deified and Dalai and Tashi Lamas. 33. The Narthang series of thirty-one Thang-kas. Bibliography. Index.
"The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism was first published in 1939, for the express purpose of "giving the student interested in Tibetan iconography a general idea of the development of Buddhism into Lamaism, and making easier the identification of the various deities of the Tibetan pantheon." Although interest in the field has grown over the years, the book has remained the only authoritative work of its kind.
The book gives a descriptive outline of the principal Gods in the Tibetan pantheon, tracing the main features and symbols that are used to denote each one. A comprehensive illustrated list of the various ritual objects, talismans, symbols, mudras (symbolic hand poses), and asanas and vahanas (position of the lower limbs) that are used in the images of Gods is accompanied with a word list of the Sanskrit terms most commonly encountered in a study of Lamaism.
A set of thirty-one thangkas from the famous collection of Baron A. von Stael-Holstein, formerly of Peking, China, which came to America after the publication of the original edition of the book, has been included in this new and revised edition." (jacket)
