Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama - Samten Gyaltsen Karmay

foreward by his holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama

ISBN 10: 0906026474 / ISBN 13: 9780906026472

Serindia Publications, London, England, second edition 1998

Language: English

142 pages

height 34 cm

Kunto: uudenveroinen

This beautiful Tibetan manuscript from the Fournier Collection at the Musee Guimet, Paris, recounts in words and images the visionary experiences of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyamtso (1617-1682). It is the sole illustrated secret autobiography of a Tibetan lama known to exist and was until recently concealed both from Tibetans and others alike. Although it never circulated outside his personal court, the Dalai Lama clearly states that it was composed and executed "in order to guide the uninitiated and-for all those who wish to do drawings and paintings of the heavens".

The 67 illustrations, reproduced in full color, contain a total of around 886 individual subjects and consist of diptychs and triptychs which are grouped into five sections associated with the main participating deities. They represent the finest-known quality in miniature style Tibetan art and stand as the earliest manifestation of the 'black thangka' style of painting. The leaves are executed in gold, silver, subtle greens, blues and reds against a charcoal black background. Up to 48 different ritual objects can be depicted in an illustration and all have been full identified in the corresponding captions, with their ritual use explained in a comprehensive Glossary.

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